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Families across Pennsylvania are still waiting on money meant to help pay for kids’ meals while school is out as the state says it is experiencing “technical difficulties” distributing the funds.
The federally funded SUN Bucks program provides eligible families with $40 per summer month for each child, beginning in June and ending in August. An announcement last week from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration said 1.3 million children are expected to qualify for the benefit this summer.
The program website initially said that the state would begin issuing the benefit in mid-July, and that families could expect to receive the funds by the end of the month.
But with the new school year just weeks away, families have yet to receive those dollars.
The delay has left some parents scrambling to find money and resources to feed their kids, many of whom would usually get meals at school during the school year.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Human Services said the delay was caused by technical difficulties processing student data, which is necessary to determine whether families are automatically eligible for the benefit. The department discovered the problem when testing the system ahead of its planned benefit rollout in July.
The spokesperson said staff have worked to resolve the issue and are now aiming to begin payments starting the week of Aug. 4. As of Thursday, the DHS website said families should expect to receive their funds in mid-August.
Shaquana Sutton, a mom of four who lives in North Philadelphia, said she has had to rely on help from family while she waits for the SUN Bucks.
“I was counting on mid-July, and it never came,” said Sutton. “The kids go back to school August the 25th. You know, they’ll be back in school by time the SUN Bucks come.”
The SUN Bucks program launched last summer with many delays nationwide, including in Pennsylvania. But at the time, Pennsylvania officials told Chalkbeat funds would be distributed sooner the following year.
This year, several states continue to experience delays, according to Kelsey Boone, senior child nutrition policy analyst at the national nonprofit Food Research & Action Center.
But Boone said the more concerning development is that some states opted out of the federal funding for the program altogether this summer. In Tennessee, for example, the program ended this year after Gov. Bill Lee declined to continue the state’s participation.
“While Pennsylvania’s rollout is delayed, the important takeaway is that the state opted in and is working to get those benefits out,” said Boone.
Pennsylvania children who already receive free and reduced-price school meals or other federal food benefits are automatically enrolled in SUN Bucks. Other households that need to apply can do so here by Aug. 31.
Rebecca Redelmeier is a reporter at Chalkbeat Philadelphia. She writes about public schools, early childhood education, and issues that impact students, families, and educators across Philadelphia. Contact Rebecca at rredelmeier@chalkbeat.org.
