Most eligible children will automatically qualify for the program and were auto enrolled by May 2, 2025. Children automatically qualify if they are eligible for any of the following programs: 

• Free and reduced-price (FRP) meals at schools by approved FRP application
• Food and Nutrition Services (also called FNS or food stamps)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
• Cherokee Tribal Food Distribution Program (CTFDP)
• Child is in Foster Care
• Child is enrolled in the McKinney-Vento program (experiencing homelessness or runaway)
• OR if they receive NC Medicaid benefits and have a household income below 185% of the federal poverty level

Families with children who qualify will receive a new 2025 SUN Bucks card in the mail.  

Families with questions can visit the website at ncdhhs.gov/sunbucks or call the NC SUN Bucks Call Center at 1-866-719-0141, select a language, then select option 2 to speak with a SUN Bucks representative.

See the full Press Release from NCDHHS to learn more.

Food insecurity for children is a serious issue that can have lifelong impacts on health.

The USDA has launched a new, permanent program to provide food assistance to children and families during the summer. The SUN Bucks program will officially launch in summer 2024! SUN Bucks will provide grocery-buying benefits to qualifying families with school-aged children during the summer months when schools are on summer break. SUN Bucks is sometimes referred to as Summer EBT.

The Northwest AHEC Practice Support Team supports social, physical, and economic environments which promote attaining the full potential of health and well-being for all. This blog segment highlights impactful publications which promote improved health outcomes through Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) each month.

North Carolina Food and Nutrition Services participants can now purchase groceries online using their Electronic Benefit Transfer cards at an additional authorized online EBT retailer,  Publix Super Markets Inc. This flexibility will allow participants to buy food while promoting social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will help families with transportation and mobility barriers. 

The Northwest AHEC Practice Support Team is committed to promote understanding and improve the orientation of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) for North Carolinians. In order to support these goals, we will share a publication on SDOH each month on our Practice Support Blog. This week, we would like to introduce an article "Suburban Families' Experience With Food Insecurity Screening in Primary Care Practices" from PubMed.Gov. Our practice support team has identified this article as a valuable resource to healthcare professionals in our region. The article touches on a number of food insecurity issues which enable the healthcare provider to look at the patient as a whole person instead of a specific condition in order to improve overall health outcomes.