North Carolina will receive around $120 million in federal benefits to feed over a million school children in North Carolina this summer. The first benefits from the SUN Bucks program will begin to be issued to eligible families across the state next week.

“Summer can be a hard time for children who rely on our public schools for a healthy school breakfast and lunch,” said Governor Cooper. “Nearly one in six North Carolina children face food insecurity at home and this effort helps make sure they get the nutritious food they need.”

North Carolina is one of only three states in the Food and Nutrition Services Southeast Region to take advantage of the new USDA program. The purpose of SUN Bucks, also referred to as Summer EBT, is to provide food assistance to school-aged children and help bridge the financial gap for families during the summer months.

Learn more about this cross-sector collaboration here.