The Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services (DHS) is helping families provide nutritious food for their keiki through the 2025 SUN Bucks program. Eligible children are receiving $177 in food benefits to support their nutritional needs during the summer break.
Benefits started being issued in late May. So far, more than 79,000 children have received SUN Bucks, totaling over $13.9 million in support for families across the state. These funds can be used to purchase food at local retailers that accept EBT.
SUN Bucks is a summer food assistance program for households with school-aged children. Eligibility must be confirmed each year. The program is funded by the state of Hawaiʻi and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Families approved for SUN Bucks in 2025 will receive a newly branded EBT card in the mail. Cards issued in previous years are no longer valid. If you were approved, you should have also received a notice from DHS.
If your child was approved for free or reduced-price school meals for the 2024–2025 school year or if your household already receives SNAP benefits, your child is automatically enrolled. No application is needed.
DHS Director Ryan Yamane said, “Through our partnership with the Department of Education, the SUN Bucks program will again help provide healthy meals to more than 100,000 school-aged children statewide, ensuring no child goes hungry during the summer.”
The application deadline is August 3, 2025.
To learn more, visit sunbucks.dhs.hawaii.gov, call 1-888-975-7328, or email [email protected].
