Students and families at SeDoMoCha kick off Hot Lunch Summer with new SUN Bucks program

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Students and families gathered at the SeDoMoCha School on June 24 to kick off the 2024 Hot Lunch Summer Meal Program and the new SUN Bucks benefit. The event, supported by officials from the Maine Department of Education (DOE), Department of Health and Human Services, United States Department of Agriculture, and RSU 68, showcased new options to help ensure children have access to nutritious meals throughout the summer months.

SUN Bucks, announced last month by Maine DHHS’ Office for Family Independence, is an Electronic Benefits Transfer program that provides families with a one-time benefit of $120 for each eligible school-aged child to supplement the summer grocery budget. Funds are sent directly to an EBT card for qualified families to purchase meals for students across the summer months.

“The USDA’s Summer Nutrition Programs are an extraordinary opportunity to close the summer hunger gap. We, at USDA, are thrilled to be able to offer Maine SUN Bucks a new opportunity to support students in the summer months,” said Sakeenah Shabazz, a national senior policy advisor for the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

Many schools and summer camp groups gathered at SeDoMoCha on Monday for the celebration. The theme of the day was “Get Moo-ving,” a nod to National Dairy Month. At cow print-covered tables, students were fed nutritious meals with samples from Oakhurst Dairy and Pineland Farms and colored pictures of happy cows. After lunch, students got to pet local farm animals.

Parents also came out to celebrate the Hot Lunch Summer program and learn about the newest summer meal option. “Me and the kids have come up for the past few years for meals. They love to do it. They love the food. It is a great program, and we are grateful the school has it because we are a low-income family,” explained one SeDoMoCha parent. “SUN Bucks is awesome; I am already signed up. I just got a letter in the mail that said I automatically qualified, so I didn’t have to wait or really do anything.”

Families already participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations, experiencing homelessness, part of migrant families, or receiving MaineCare with a verified annual income under 185 percent of the federal poverty level will be automatically enrolled in SUN Bucks. 

This new meal option comes in addition to congregate and non-congregate programs. Congregate meals, which are served at schools, have been available to families since the pandemic. Non-congregate meals, which are delivered, are also a recent expansion of Hot Lunch Summer.

“SUN Bucks is a wonderful addition to the summer meals program we’ve been running for years and years. We have over 400 sites across the state of Maine where children can receive meals, either congregate or non-congregate. Hot Lunch Summer is keeping these kids healthy over the summer and keeping them learning,” said Maine Department of Education Child Nutrition Director Jane McLucas.

“The SUN Bucks program just goes in addition to what we’re doing. It’s just awesome. I bring smiles to kids’ faces, and I put food in their bellies,” said RSU 68 Food Service Director Heather Whitten.

SUN Bucks can be used anywhere that accepts SNAP benefits, including grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and convenience stores. It is especially beneficial for families living in rural Maine, who may have to travel further to reach a meal site.

“The SUN Bucks program is really exciting for so many of us,” said Michael Downs, senior program manager of SNAP within the Office for Family Independence at the Maine DHHS. “Giving families an EBT benefit that they can spend at their local grocery store or farmers markets to make sure they have healthy foods in their homes for meals and snacks helps fill in some of the gaps that can arise during the summer months.”

SUN Bucks is a federally funded program run by the USDA. For more information on Hot Lunch Summer, please visit the Maine DOE website at https://www.maine.gov/doe/schools/nutrition/programs/sfsp.

For more information about the SUN Bucks program, including how to apply, visit the Maine DHHS website at https://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ofi/programs-services/food-supplement/sun_bucks.