Indiana opts out of program to help feed kids during the summer

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is opting out of a federal program to feed hungry children during the summer. 

SUN Bucks provides $120 per child, per month, to the families of kids who qualify for food benefits and reduced-price school meals.

In 2024, 669,000 Hoosier children were enrolled in the program. None will be enrolled in 2025. 

According to our partners at the Indiana Capital Chronicle, Indiana notified the federal oversight agency that it wouldn’t be participating on Feb. 20, 2025, but didn’t rule out future years, according to a letter signed by the deputy director of the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) and housed on the Department of Education’s website. Plans were due to the United States Department of Agriculture by Feb. 15.

Kate Howe, executive director of the Indy Hunger Network, said the loss of this program will hurt families and put a strain on food pantries.

“If the meal sites aren’t available to them and aren’t accessible to them, I expect we’ll see more people relying on food pantries, trying to go to the pantries to get groceries to feed their families because they just aren’t able to afford all the food that they need,” Howe said. “Even families that are working these days are often not making a living wage, aren’t making enough money to really be able to buy all the things that they need for their family.”

According to Howe, Indiana is the only state which participated in the program last year and then chose to opt out this year.

In a statement to 13News, a spokesperson for the FSSA said: 

“When this administration took office, we discovered that the necessary groundwork had not been completed to launch the program in time for this summer. While we work toward long-term solutions, students in low-income areas across the state can still access free summer meals at approximately 1,000 locations, including schools and community organizations, through the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program.

Families can find meal locations using the Site Finder Map or by calling the Hunger Hotline. The hotline is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET at 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) for English and 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) for Spanish.”

According to the Indiana Youth Institute, almost half of the students in Indiana qualified for free or reduced lunches in 2024. That’s more than 500,000 children.