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Ensure your child has access to nutritious food when school lets out with SUN Bucks!

We are excited to announce a new federal nutrition program that will provide families with $120 per eligible child to purchase food during the summer months, providing a boost in grocery budgets when school meals are unavailable.

Here are some key details about the SUN Bucks program:

Who is eligible: Eligibility for SUN Bucks is based on household income or participation in other public assistance programs, such as free school meals, SNAP (Basic Food/EBT) and TANF. You can learn if your child is income eligible by using this online screening tool. If you would like to know if your student is already qualified due to SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, or other government programs, please email our Child Nutrition Manager with your student's name(s), and we will get back to you with that information. 

Benefits: Each eligible child will receive $120 to purchase groceries during the summer months. These funds will be distributed via an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card, which can be used like a debit card at participating grocery stores and retailers. If your child qualified last year, money will automatically be reloaded onto their card. If your child is newly qualified, a card will be mailed.

How to enroll: While school is still in session, make sure you have filled out the Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit Application (see the Free and Reduced Meal Application tab to access the form).  Families deemed eligible through this form will automatically receive SUN Bucks. 

Applications are available through DSHS:  Families who need to apply or who have other questions about SUN Bucks benefits can call the SUN Bucks Contact Center at 1-833-543-3230 (TTY: 1-800-833-6348) between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday–Friday (except observed holidays). Later this month, families can opt in for text messaging alerts about their child’s SUN Bucks status at textsunbucks.dshs.wa.gov. 

Together with the Free Summer Meals program (search locations available here), SUN Bucks will help ensure your family has nutritious food all summer long. To learn more about these programs, visit HungerFreeWA.org/summerebt

For more information, please visit the Washington State DSHS SUN Bucks page here.

OLYMPIA  — The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) helps ensure children living in lower-income areas continue to receive nutritious meals during the summer. Good nutrition is essential for effective learning every day, all year long. Just as learning does not end when school lets out, neither does the need for good nutrition. Summer meal programs help children 18 and under get the nutrition they need to learn, play, and grow throughout the summer months. This federally-funded program is sponsored by many organizations throughout our state.

To find a site near you, please use a Summer Meals Locator - text “food” or “comida” to 877-877, or you can also find summer meal sites online. Contact Child Nutrition Services at 360-725-6200 for more information.