Applications will be accepted through the end of the month for a new program that will provide fresh food to low-income children during the 2025 summer vacation, the state Department of Human Services said Thursday.
The federally funded initiative, called Sun Bucks, provides $120 per child in the household on an electronic benefit card. Students who participate in free or reduced lunch and families on food stamps receive the money automatically.
Those who do not participate in any of the programs can still apply for benefits online.
“The Shapiro administration is committed to helping parents get the resources they need to feed their children so they can grow and thrive,” said Human Services Minister Val Arkoosh during a press conference in Harrisburg. “The new SUN Bucks program will provide eligible households with vital funds to bridge the gap during the summer holidays and ensure children have enough to eat.”
An estimated 1.2 million children in Pennsylvania are eligible for the program, the department said.
“We have all experienced how distracting hunger can be,” said Arkoosh. “But many of us have the privilege of knowing that this is a temporary feeling.”
Congress first authorized Sun Bucks, or the Summer EBT program, in 2022, although this is the first year benefits have been provided.
Khalid Mumin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Education, drew parallels between summer-related learning losses and the food shortages that many children may face during the extended holidays.
“Students can also fall behind if they do not have access to healthy and nutritious food during the summer months,” he said.