K-12 Dive reports that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has launched a group of summer nutrition services for children known as the SUN Programs as part of an effort to combat food insecurity and malnutrition among students when they are typically out of school. In the first year of the permanent Summer EBT program, now known as SUN Bucks, 32 states and the District of Columbia are currently participating. Another five states plan to participate. The USDA has found these kinds of summer grocery benefits can drive down child hunger by 33%.
Nationwide, there are 30 million children eligible for the SUN Bucks program if every state were to approve and leverage the program. For more from K-12 Dive, click here.