DALLAS — As food insecurity rises in Texas, advocates are urging state officials to reconsider the cancellation of a summer food assistance program for children.
The SUN Bucks program, a summer EBT initiative, provides grocery benefits to eligible school-age children during the months when school is out. Governor Greg Abbott line-item vetoed the program in the 2025 state budget, citing concerns over federal funding.
Stacie Sanchez Hare, director of No Kid Hungry Texas, emphasized the urgency of state action. “Decisions and commitments from state leaders need to happen now to ensure the program can be implemented in time so children don’t face another summer without reliable access to food when school is out,” she said.
Texas has one of the highest hunger rates in the country, with nearly 5.4 million residents experiencing food insecurity in 2023. In North Texas, one in six people regularly go hungry, and about one-third of those are children, according to the North Texas Food Bank.
Dr. Lauren Gambill, a pediatrician and leader with the Texas Pediatric Society, said the issue has daily health consequences. “This is not a theoretical health issue,” she said. “Health and nutrition impact every aspect of a kid’s health and wellbeing.” Gambill noted that families often struggle to afford a nutritious diet, particularly during summer months when school meals are unavailable.
Three out of four Texas parents report taking on more debt in the summer to cover food costs, No Kid Hungry Texas found.
The SUN Bucks program had received $60 million in the state budget, intended to leverage $450 million in federal funding to serve about 3.8 million children. State Rep. Armando Walle said the program could also provide a significant boost to the Texas economy.
“Economically, with increased health care risk, we also see decreased employability,” Gambill said. “It’s cycles of food insecurity and poverty that are impacting not just kids today in Texas, which is enough, but for generations potentially.”
Lawmakers and advocates are encouraging Governor Abbott to work with federal partners to reinstate the program before the summer, despite the next legislative session not scheduled until 2027.