(BPRW) The Biden-Harris Administration makes history by launching a new set of summer nutrition programs to help end hunger and improve healthy eating for millions of children.
‘SUN Program’ includes new grocery perks, in-store dining and takeaway meals
(Black PR Wire) WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced the launch of the SUN Program: USDA’s Summer Nutrition Program for Children to help improve nutrition security during the summer. Through a range of SUN programs, families now have more choices and convenient ways to get summer nutrition support for their children and teens with the new SUN Bucks, SUN Meals and the previously launched SUN Meals To-Go. Collectively, these programs continue the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to promote food and nutrition security.
“On an average school day, nearly 30 million children participate in USDA’s School Breakfast and Lunch Program, but when school is out, children lose access to these important meals,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “USDA’s SUN Program provides families with an additional convenient option to get the essential nutrients their children need to grow, learn and thrive through the summer and beyond.”
Sunbucks, The new, evidence-based Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT) program provides $120 in grocery benefits per eligible school-age child this summer. Benefit amounts are adjusted annually for inflation and are higher outside the lower 48 states. SUN Bucks helps families and guardians stretch their summer grocery budgets to purchase the foods that best fit their family’s needs, cultural traditions and preferences. Research shows that this type of summer grocery benefit reduces summer child hunger by 33% and improves eating habits by increasing consumption of whole grains, dairy products, fruits and vegetables among children in participating households.
This first summer, many states, the District of Columbia, all U.S. territories and some tribal nations have partnered with USDA to make SUN Bucks available in their communities. Approximately 21 million children are expected to benefit from SUN Bucks this summer.
In participating areas, SUN Bucks can be used at a variety of grocery stores and other food retailers and are in addition to any other food benefits a family may already receive, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) or Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). Families with eligible children who currently receive SNAP or other benefits are automatically enrolled in SUN Bucks, but other families must apply annually.
In addition to the new grocery benefits, the SUN program also provides nutritious meal and snack services to children ages 18 and under in high-poverty areas and populations across the United States during the summer months.
- Sun Meal Served at schools, parks, community centers and other neighborhood locations, this long-standing, in-person summer meals program has served the community since 1968. Meals are often provided in conjunction with enrichment activities to support healthy child growth and development.
- SUN Takeout Mealwill launch in 2023 and provide pick-up and delivery options in some rural areas where SUN Meals is not available.
“We are encouraged to see bipartisan efforts from Congress to ensure no child goes hungry over the summer,” said USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. “President Biden’s investments in high-quality, nutritious school meals will create healthier, brighter futures for children across America, and USDA’s SUN program will provide more ways than ever before for families to support their children’s nutritional needs.”
These nutrition programs will advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s national strategic goals to end hunger and reduce diet-related disease by 2030, established at the historic White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September 2022.
To help families access local services, USDA’s SUN Program website (www.fns.usda.gov/summer) directs visitors to local resources and provides information on how to find a SUN Meals site near you and how to find out if SUN Meals To-Go is available in your area. Information will be updated throughout the summer. USDA’s SUN Program website also provides information about SUN Bucks and provides links to states and jurisdictions offering the new grocery benefit. The site is also available in Spanish at www.fns.usda.gov/verano.
USDA impacts the lives of all Americans in many good ways every day. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA will transform America’s food system to focus on more resilient local and regional food production, ensure access to healthy and nutritious food in all communities, build new markets and revenue streams for farmers and producers who use climate-smart food and forestry practices, make historic investments in America’s rural infrastructure and clean energy capacity, and address equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a more representative workforce. For more information, visit www.usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
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