State officials are urging eligible families to apply for this year's summer food benefit program, known as SUN Bucks or Summer EBT, before the Aug. 3 deadline.
Gov. Josh Green held a news conference Tuesday as a reminder for the program, which aims to feed kids who may rely on school meals but don’t have access to them during the summer while school is out.
“Today is about something simple, but incredibly important — making sure our children have enough to eat,” Green said. “SUN Bucks is a reminder that when we invest in our keiki, we invest in the future of our state. These benefits don’t just help families — they strengthen our local economy by putting dollars directly into our grocery stores, farmers markets and food systems.”
Families get a one-time benefit of $177 per eligible child for the summer if they are approved for SUN Bucks. The funds expire 122 days after families receive them.
Households participating in programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families also qualify for SUN Bucks benefits. The state Department of Human Services also said that children who were approved for free or reduced-price school meals are automatically enrolled for SUN Bucks.
But there are families who qualify but are not using the benefits.
“This summer alone, we have fed over 80,000 children across the state of Hawaiʻi and have spent $14 million in food assistance and helping families,” said Ryan Yamane, the director of DHS, which administers the program. “Right now, most eligible families receive their benefits automatically, but we know that there are thousands of families out there that may qualify and haven't applied yet.”
Access to enough healthy food has long been an issue in Hawaiʻi, where about one in three households is food insecure.
At Tuesday’s news conference, Green said he has a five-year goal to reduce the number of food insecure children in Hawaiʻi to zero.
The conference comes shortly after Congress’s and the Trump administration’s successful efforts to cut hundreds of billions of dollars from federal food and health assistance programs over the next decade.
Green said he’ll have more information on cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid and how they can continue with alternative funds.
Hawaiʻi's public school keiki return to the classroom for the 2025-2026 school year on Monday, Aug. 4.
More information about the SUN Bucks program can be found online at the DHS website or by calling 1-888-975-7328.
