Back to School: New Opportunities to Combat Hunger During the School Day

Expanding access to nutritious food takes more than one program – it takes strong partnerships and a coordinated approach. By leveraging schools as trusted community hubs, connecting families to nutrition benefits, and working across education, healthcare, and community organizations, we can help ensure every student has the support they need to learn, grow, and thrive throughout the school year.

Connecting California Families to Summer Food Resources

Children and families can participate in both SUN Bucks and Summer Meals programs, as well as other benefit programs like the CalFresh. These programs work hand-in-hand to provide families multiple ways to get healthy food throughout the summer when school is out and school meals stop.

When school is out for the summer, millions of children across California lose access to the free school meals they rely on during the school year. Summer EBT – also known as SUN Bucks here in California, is a federal initiative designed to help bridge that gap. By providing grocery benefits to families with school-age children, SUN Bucks ensures that kids can continue to get the healthy food they need to thrive even when school is not in session. Help get the word out to families about the grocery benefit available for eligible children and teens this summer!

These are stories of our dedicated school and community partners who are going above and beyond to feed kids in rural communities across California. We invite you to read through the series, meet the summer hunger heroes, and learn about their unique challenges and program models they implement to best reach kids in their community.