Ala.; (WDNews) – A new federal program is helping families across Alabama put food on the table this summer. The SUN Bucks program, officially known as Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT), is now providing a one-time $120 grocery benefit per eligible child.
Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and launched nationwide in 2024, the program aims to support low-income families with added food expenses during the summer break—when school meals aren’t available.
The Alabama Department of Human Resources and the State Department of Education are administering the program locally. Families began receiving benefits in June 2025, with many seeing the funds available on their pre-loaded SUN Bucks card as of June 8.
Eligible school-age children will be automatically enrolled if they attended a school during the 2024–2025 school year that participated in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or School Breakfast Program (SBP), and the household qualifies for free or reduced-price meals. Children in households receiving SNAP, TANF, Medicaid (through a school demonstration project), foster care, or identified as homeless, migrant, runaway, or enrolled in Head Start (in qualifying locations) are also eligible.
The pre-paid cards can be used at authorized retailers to purchase groceries throughout the summer.
