Maryland SunBucks

Maryland SUN Bucks helps families with school-aged children who receive free or reduced-price meals buy groceries during the summer break when school meals are unavailable. Building on the former Summer SNAP program, Maryland SUN Bucks will help 543,000 children across the state who receive free and reduced-priced meals.

Families who qualify for the Maryland SUN Bucks program will receive $40 for June, July, and August (a total of $120) for each eligible student. Use link to get all the details on the program dhs.maryland.gov/sunbucks

Who is Eligible?
A school-aged child is eligible for benefits under the Maryland SUN Bucks program if they are:

  • enrolled in a Maryland School that participates in Free and Reduced-Price School Meals (FARMS)
  • aged 5-18 and their household already participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), or Medical Assistance/Medicaid (MA),
  • applied for and was enrolled in Free and Reduced-Price School Meals (FARMS) or School Breakfast Program (SBP) during School Year (SY) 2023-2024,
    in foster care, or
  • not meeting any of the criteria above but apply and are determined eligible for FARMS before August 31, 2024.

How Do I Enroll?

Enrolling in Maryland SUN Bucks is easy! Most eligible students will automatically be enrolled so parents or guardians don’t need to do anything if:

  • their child applied for and received free or reduced-price meals at school in the last school year,
  • their child is age 5 through 18 and part of a household that receives SNAP, TCA, or Medicaid benefits, or
  • their child is in foster care.

If your child is enrolled in a Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) school or a school where everyone receives free breakfast and/or lunch without having to fill out an application, no one in your household receives Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), Medical Assistance (MA), and your child is not considered homeless, a migrant, or in foster care, then you will need to apply to receive Maryland SUN Bucks and meet the income guidelines for the NSLP. If you are unsure whether your child is already eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Meals (FARMS) through an application, you can contact your child’s school.

If your child goes to a school but doesn’t fit into those categories, you will need to apply. Don’t worry, applying will be simple with our new online form. Applications for Maryland SUN Bucks will start in late June 2024. You will need to apply by August 31, 2024, to receive benefits for the summer of 2024.