When school lets out for the summer, millions of kids lose access to the school meals they count on each day. For families already stretched thin, summer can quickly become the hardest and hungriest season of the year. In North Carolina, where 1 in 5 children experiences hunger, that gap is real and urgent.
That’s why SUN Bucks matters.
SUN Bucks, a federally funded summer nutrition program established by Congress in 2024, provides families with $120 in grocery benefits per eligible school-aged child. It’s designed to replace the school meals that disappear when the school year ends. The benefits can be spent at local grocery stores, farmers markets and other authorized retailers. North Carolina opted into the program from the beginning and it quickly proved its value, helping more than one million kids access nutritious food during the summer and return to school nourished and ready to learn. The program also infused more than $130 million into North Carolina’s economy last year, benefiting food retailers and supporting small businesses in rural communities.
That success underscores a broader reality: ensuring families have reliable access to healthy food requires continued investment in the programs, partnerships and local food systems that make that access possible.
No Kid Hungry North Carolina joined partners from across the state for “Local Food for North Carolina Lobby Day,” a coalition effort focused on strengthening local food systems and expanding access to healthy food for families.
As lawmakers consider the state budget for 2027, supporters gathered to underscore why continued investment in SUN Bucks matters. The program is federally funded, with the state responsible for half of the administrative costs, a relatively small investment that unlocks significant support for North Carolina families.
For many lawmakers, the value of the program is clear.
The impact goes beyond economics. SUN Bucks helps families navigate some of the toughest months of the year, when parents are often forced to make impossible choices between groceries, rent and other basic expenses.
Representative Grant Campbell (R-Cabarrus) shared stories from his work as a physician caring for pregnant patients who struggle to access the nutrition needed for healthy pregnancies because they cannot afford enough food for themselves after feeding their children.
“This is a huge return on our investment, and let’s just make sure people aren’t hungry,” said Representative Campbell. “Let’s find ways that we can make it easier for folks, or sometimes just not make it harder.”
For more than a million North Carolina children, SUN Bucks helps close the summer nutrition gap so they can return to school healthy, nourished and ready to learn. It’s a program that supports kids, strengthens families and delivers real economic benefits to communities across the state.
“This is a true win-win for us,” said Representative Karl Gillespie (R-Macon). “This is a $5 million state match that would unlock more than $100 million in federal funding. Last year alone, it brought $130 million into North Carolina.”
Now, as lawmakers look toward 2027, the question is no longer whether SUN Bucks works. State leaders have recognized the tremendous value of a program that not only helps feed children during the summer months, but also strengthens local economies and communities. The opportunity now is for the General Assembly to build on that success by including the $5 million needed for SUN Bucks in this year’s state budget, ensuring families can continue to count on this support for years to come.
