Overview
- The USDA-backed SUN Bucks Summer EBT is active for summer 2026 and will provide $120 per eligible child on EBT-style cards to buy groceries.
- Most children are being automatically enrolled through existing program data such as SNAP, TANF, CalFresh or school meal records and noncitizen households are eligible under program rules.
- Recent federal SNAP rule changes contributed to more than an 8% drop in Texas SNAP participation between January 2025 and January 2026, a decline that helped trigger loss of Community Eligibility Provision status at 29 North East ISD schools and will require roughly 15,000 students to submit meal applications.
- Local school districts and food banks have expanded summer meal sites and scheduled public grocery distributions, with multiple Texas banks running distributions June 15–18 and community programs in New York and New Jersey holding similar events the week of June 15–19.
- Advocates warn that the combination of SUN Bucks timing, SNAP enrollment declines and new paperwork requirements could leave some families without steady meals this summer and that districts should streamline sign-ups and outreach to avoid gaps in children’s access to food.