US EditionIndiana opts out of federal SUN bucks program
- On February 20, 2025, Indiana informed the federal oversight body that it would be opting out of the SUN Bucks summer food program for the current year.
- The state participated in SUN Bucks in 2024 but withdrew due to incomplete preparation and did not rule out rejoining the program in future years.
- SUN Bucks provided a $120 monthly food boost per child during school closures last summer and served approximately 669,000 children from low-income families in Indiana.
- Kate Howe, who leads the Indy Hunger Network, expressed that discontinuing the program represents a significant setback, especially since the federal government continues to run it and Indiana had the option to participate.
- Although the SUN Bucks program will end in Indiana in 2025, children from low-income communities will remain eligible for complimentary summer meals offered at around 1,000 sites through the USDA's Summer Food Service Program.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Fox 59 Indianapolis
CBS 4 - Indianapolis News, Weather, Traffic and Sports | WTTV…Indiana opts out of federal SUN bucks program
INDIANAPOLIS — Less than a year after the federal SUN Bucks program launched in Indiana, the State has decided to opt out of it. The program, also known as Summer EBT, offered low-income families $120 per child to buy groceries in the summer. “It’s going to truly hurt some of the people in Indiana,” said Brittany Jointer, the child nutrition director for Wayne Township Schools. Jointer said the Indiana SUN Bucks Program helped more than 12,000 k…
'So many kids rely on it': Indiana not joining summer program to feed hungry students
INDIANAPOLIS It might be more difficult for Hoosier families to feed their kids this summer. As it stands right now, the state will not participate in SUN Bucks, a program that provides extra money to families when the kids are out of school.This February, the state informed Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) it would not be participating in the Summer EBT program for 2025. In addition to this, the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) …
‘A Giant Leap Backwards’: Indiana Opts Out of Summer Program for Hungry Schoolchildren
This article was originally published in Indiana Capital Chronicle.Last summer, hundreds of thousands of Hoosier families who qualify for food benefits and reduced-price school meals got a summertime boost: $120 per child monthly for food while schools were closed. But relief for those 669,000 children may only have been a one-time blip. Indiana won’t participate in a federal summer food service program, known as SUN Bucks, in 2025. “We made a …
The Republic
‘A giant leap backwards’: Indiana opts out of summer program for hungry schoolchildren
By: Whitney Downard Indiana Capital Chronicle For The Republic Last summer, hundreds of thousands of Hoosier families who qualify for food benefits and reduced-price school meals got a summertime boost: $120 per child monthly for food while schools were closed. But relief for those 669,000 children may only have been a one-time blip. Indiana won’t participate in a federal summer food service program, known as SUN Bucks, in 2025. Continue reading…
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