A new California EBT program will provide additional grocery funds to families with children who already receive meal benefits during the months of June, July, and August.
Sun Bucks, or Summer-EBT, will provide an additional $40 per month, totaling $120 over the summer.
The big picture: Eligible children automatically enrolled in the program include those who qualify for school meals, have an Alternative Income Form, or receive CalFresh, CalWORKS or Medi-Cal.
- Additionally, children in Head Start, experiencing homelessness, in foster care, or part of a migrant family are also eligible.
- It is anticipated that around 5 million children are eligible for this program based on school and social services data.
- The funds can be used to purchase food at grocery stores, farmers markets, and online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart, but cannot be used for hot foods, pet food, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, or medicine.
- The funds have a 122-day expiration period once loaded onto the EBT cards.
- The SUN Bucks program is a permanent program established by the federal government in 2022, and California joined it a year later. The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is overseeing the implementation of this program.
