Want Help Paying For Groceries For Your Kids? Here's Who's Eligible For SUN Bucks.

This summer, low-income families with school-aged children are able to receive $120 per child for groceries. A new federal public assistance program called SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT, provides $40 per month during June, July and August to help families who are lacking food resources outside of the school year.

How it can help

As of last year, about 30% of households in Los Angeles County reported being food insecure, or lacking reliable and consistent access to nutritious meals. That amounts to a little over a million households, according to the University of Southern California's Understanding America Study According to its findings, 41% of these households have children.

“It's kind of surprising, but we actually have higher food insecurity rates now than we did during the height of the pandemic in 2020,” Ana-Alicia Carr, Director of Policy & Coalitions at the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, said.

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Carr works with local, state and federal agencies to pass policies and fund programs like SUN Bucks, and stresses how food insecurity has become a bigger problem across the county — and the country — in recent years.

In L.A. County, nearly 900,000 kids qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school. These kids — as well as children with families enrolled in CalFresh, CalWORKS, or Medi-Cal — are automatically enrolled in the SUN Bucks program. Moreover, children who participate in Head Start, are unhoused, in the foster care system or children of migrant families, are also eligible to receive SUN Bucks. Carr said the additional help will provide for families during a season that is "notoriously difficult" for families.

"We know that summer months are particularly challenging for families and many students who rely on school meals are now out of school," Carr said. “We see this as being a significant benefit for those families who are really struggling to put food on the table."

How it works

Families do not have to do anything to receive a card — just check your mailbox if you think you are eligible. L.A. County will begin mailing pre-loaded Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards with $120 in mid-June and will continue through August. The timing of which families will receive the cards will be in alphabetical order by last name. So, heads up, students at the end of the alphabet list may have to wait until August to receive a card.

Another heads up: these funds don't last forever. Families must use the SUN Bucks within 122 days, or they expire.

If you do not know whether your child is eligible for the program, please check with your child’s school to see if they receive free or reduced-price meals.

If you are not sure if you received a card by the end of August and you currently get CalFresh, CALWorks or MediCal, please make sure that the California Department of Social Services have your child’s correct home address and school record. You can update your benefits provider online at BenefitsCal.com, or call or visit your local social services department.

If you have children ages 0-22 who qualify for free or reduced-price meals, but do not get CalFresh, Medi-Cal or CalWORKS benefits, you can fill out a school meal application, or Alternative Income Form, before Aug. 31.

EBT theft and scams 

EBT scams in California are on the rise. Be cautious of text messages that say that your number is blocked, ask you to click on a suspicious link, asking for personal information, card number and/or PIN number.

If you think your benefits have been stolen, please call (877) 328-9677 or your local county office to cancel the card, then file a Report of Electronic Theft with your county office. Check this website to see how you can get your stolen benefits replaced.

More  summer meal programs

SUN Bucks complements other on-going programs that provide summer meals to L.A. kids. Here's a few resources to check out:

• The L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks has a free summer lunch program for kids and teens starting June 13 through August 2. 
• The L.A. Regional Food Bank also has a summer meal program on certain dates and locations. 
• The USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service has a Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder where you can put in your zip code and find the closest meals to you. 
• Check in with your child’s school or school district to see what programs are available to you. 
• Call 211 to find out more information about other food safety net programs.