US EditionIndiana opts out of federal SUN bucks program
- On February 20, 2025, Indiana informed the relevant federal authorities that it would opt out of participating in the SUN Bucks summer food program for that year.
- Indiana withdrew after a year of participation due to incomplete groundwork to launch the program timely, but it did not rule out future involvement.
- SUN Bucks provided a $120 monthly food boost for each child while schools were closed, serving 669,000 children in Indiana in 2024, nearly half qualifying for free or reduced meals.
- Kate Howe, who leads the Indy Hunger Network, expressed that discontinuing this program represents a significant setback, especially since the federal government continues to run it and the state has the option to participate.
- Despite SUN Bucks' discontinuation in 2025, the USDA's Summer Food Service Program continues to offer free summer meals at about 1,000 locations to students in low-income Indiana areas.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Indiana opts out of summer program for hungry schoolchildren
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.
Indiana discontinues SUN Bucks program effective immediately
HENDERSON, Ky (WEHT) - The state of Indiana has discontinued the SUN Bucks program effective immediately. This according to an email by the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation. EVSC officials state the program will not be available for Summer 2025, but the corporation will continue to offer free and nutritious meals to all children and teens 18 years and under this summer at select locations. SUN Bucks previously provided a $120 EBT card l…
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) …
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