PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expected to launch a new food assistance program for families across the United States, including Virginia and North Carolina.
The program, called “SUN Bucks,” will allow eligible school-aged children to receive $120 per child to buy groceries during the summer. SUN Bucks will work alongside other benefits, such as SNAP and WIC.
The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) states the benefits will either be issued on an existing SNAP EBT card or a pre-loaded Virginia SUN Bucks card. In North Carolina, SUN Bucks cards will be mailed out to eligible families.
Families who already receive SNAP, TANF or income-eligible Medicaid, as well as students who receive free or reduced-priced meals at school, do not need to enroll in the new program and are already enrolled.
An income eligibility table can be found below to see if you potentially qualify for SUN Bucks.
| Household Members | Annual | Monthly | Twice per month | Every two weeks | Weekly |
| 1 | $27861 | $2322 | $1161 | $1072 | $536 |
| 2 | $37814 | $3152 | $1576 | $1455 | $728 |
| 3 | $47767 | $3981 | $1991 | $1838 | $919 |
| 4 | $57720 | $4810 | $2405 | $2220 | $1110 |
| 5 | $67673 | $5640 | $2820 | $2603 | $1302 |
Applications for SUN Bucks must be received by Aug. 30.
Those who wish to apply in Virginia can either fill out a form and mail it to Virginia SUN Bucks at 5600 Cox Road, Glen Allen, or call the Virginia SUN Bucks Call Center at 866-513-1414.
Those who wish to apply in North Carolina will be able to fill out an application online here.
For more information and to see what other states are participating in SUN Bucks, visit USDA’s website here.