Summer is here and with it comes one of the usual worries. Children no longer have school, so families are the ones who have to take care of all their meals. This is an economic effort that not all families can afford. That is why the U.S. government has been running a food aid program to reduce child hunger for years. Since the pandemic, it was discovered that the problem of low consumption of these aids had to do with access to them.
Since 2024, the SUN Bucks program has been in operation, complementing the existing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). A program that provides an electronic benefits card, Summer EBT, through which low-income families can afford the food they need. Currently, there are 13 states that are not part of this initiative, including Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi. The Brookings Institute explains that this type of assistance is essential and much needed, and provides school benefits once September and back-to-school season arrives.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
This is a program aimed at low-income and low-income families. The purpose is to provide them with access to basic nutritious food regardless of their income. It is also known as the food stamp program, since each month, beneficiaries receive a cash deposit on an electronic benefits card (EBT). It works like any other credit card, and is accepted at virtually every store in the country. To access this type of aid, the applicant must meet a series of requirements, mainly economic.
Supply and demand for food assistance
Food assistance programs have been operating in the United States since 1975, with the aim of eliminating the gap with those who cannot access decent food. Despite the large number of families in this situation, data reveal that despite the need, participation in these programs is low. Only 1 in 9 children who eat lunch at school during the school term, attend the summer assistance program.
This is attributed to lack of awareness, incompatibility of work schedules, distances to canteens, and other logistical issues. In fact, it was during the COVID-19 pandemic that it was detected that the problem was not in the demand, but in the difficulty of access. The need to adjust aid in that scenario demonstrated the need to do so also with the distribution of SNAP benefits. In this way, the food insecurity of many families could be alleviated.
SUN Bucks, Summer EBT
In 2024, Congress approved the creation of this new program, SUN Bucks, as a new summer food assistance program. It is compatible with SNAP, and is certainly a boon for families. Through this program, beneficiaries are school-age children who receive a monthly deposit of $120 on an electronic benefit transfer card (EBT). All supermarkets, farmers’ markets or retail outlets that accept SNAP will also accept payment through this card. There are 37 states currently participating in this program; the District of Columbia, four US territories and five tribal nations from Oklahoma.
Which states are not participating and why?
There are some states which, for different reasons, have decided not to participate in this type of aid program. Some rely on lack of funding and capacity, concern about federal requirements or the reliance on them. Some have even declined participation by ideological opposition. The 13 states that are currently not participating are:
- Alaska.
- Florida.
- Georgia.
- Idaho.
- Indiana.
- Iowa.
- Mississippi.
- Oklahoma (excepto los territorios tribales).
- Carolina del Sur.
- Dakota del Sur.
- Tennessee.
- Texas.
- Wyoming.
New additions
Some of the non-participating states are considering joining. For this year, Alaska, Idaho, Iowa and Oklahoma, and by 2027 the state of Texas. According to NGO Brookings, states that renounce this plan are “missing a free lunch-figuratively and literally”. Defends the existence of these programs, which in addition represent only 1% of the annual cost of SNAP.