HONOLULU - The Department of Human Services is working with the Hawai‘i Department of Education to provide benefits under the SUN Bucks program for school-aged children this summer, helping to provide more nutritious meals to students during the summer months.

SUN Bucks, also known as Summer EBT, provides grocery-buying benefits to eligible families with school-aged children when schools are closed for the summer. Each eligible child will receive a single payment of $177 for the summer. Most eligible families will get SUN Bucks automatically without the need for an application, but some parents will need to apply.

What Should Families Do Now To Be Ready?

During this summer, SUN Bucks will be issued to EBT cards and mailed to the address provided in the SNAP or TANF case record, or school’s student record for each eligible child. Therefore, it is important that families ensure their mailing address is up to date with their child’s school, and in their SNAP and TANF case record.

Who Is Eligible For SUN Bucks?

Eligible children in the following categories will receive SUN Bucks automatically, without the need for an application:

- Student-aged children whose households received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) benefits at any time between July 1, 2023 – August 4, 2024.

- Children who applied and were individually approved to receive free or reduced-price school meals through the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) during the 2023-24 school year.

Additionally, children in the following categories may be eligible to receive SUN Bucks but will need to apply:

- Children experiencing homelessness

- Migrant children

- Children who receive free or reduced-price school meals but did not complete an NSLP application (for example, if the child attends a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school where all students are provided free or reduced-price meals without applying).

More information will be available at humanservices.hawaii.gov so check back throughout the month of June. 

What If I Need To Apply?

More information about the application availability and process will be forthcoming. Please check our SUN Bucks website for updates.

For more information, check back on humanservices.hawaii.gov throughout the month of June.