Most eligible children will receive these benefits automatically, but some families will need to apply.

In the summer, many children lose the free and reduced-price meals that they get at school. SUN Bucks provides families with a $120 EBT benefit for each eligible school-aged child to buy groceries when school is out of session.

SUN Bucks is designed to supplement families’ grocery budgets over the summer. Most eligible children will receive these benefits automatically, but some families will need to apply. This program occurs in addition to free meals that children of all ages may access at summer meal sites in their communities.

How SUN Bucks Works

Families will receive a one-time EBT benefit of $120 per eligible child for the summer. The benefits may be used at authorized retailers, such as grocery stores and farmers markets, to purchase healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, meats and other protein sources, whole grains, and dairy.

• For children already eligible for SNAP, SUN Bucks will be loaded onto the household’s existing EBT card (also called the Pine Tree Card).
• For children who don’t receive SNAP but did previously receive P-EBT or SUN Bucks, the benefit will be loaded onto the previously-issued card.
• For children who don’t receive SNAP and didn’t receive SUN Bucks or P-EBT previously, a new Pine Tree Card will be issued.

If a family had an EBT card previously and lost it, a replacement card must be ordered by calling 800-477-7428.

Automatic Enrollment for Most Families

Most children will be automatically enrolled for SUN Bucks and do not need to apply if:

• They completed an application for school meal benefit and were found eligible.
• They are aged 6-16 and part of a household that already participates in SNAP, FDPIR, TANF, MaineCare at 185% FPL, or are identified as foster, homeless, or migrant by the Office for Family Independence (OFI) or Office of Child and Family Services (OCFS).

Automatically-enrolled households will receive a letter in late spring, and benefits will start in June.

Manual Application for Some Families

Families who haven’t received a letter in the mail by mid-June notifying them of automatic enrollment should consider applying manually for SUN Bucks if:

• Their child attends a school that offers the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program.
• The household meets the requirements for free or reduced-price school meal benefit.

To learn more about eligibility and how to apply, visit the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) SUN Bucks webpage.

Guidance for Special Provision Schools

• Community Eligibility Provision: If students are not part of a household that already participates in SNAP, FDPIR, TANF, MaineCare at 185% FPL, or identified as foster, homeless, or migrant by OFI or OCFS, but they do meet the requirements for free or reduced-price meal benefit, they will need to apply for SUN Bucks.
  
• Provision 2: If students are not part of a household that already participates in SNAP, FDPIR, TANF, MaineCare at 185% FPL, or identified as foster, homeless, or migrant by OFI or OCFS, but they do meet the requirements for free or reduced-price meal benefit, most will need to apply for SUN Bucks. 

How to Help to Spread the Word

Schools may help to spread the word by sharing information with families about theSUN Bucks program and how they may receive benefits for their children. Suggestions include:

• Encourage families with children who will automatically be enrolled to make sure their mailing address is up to date by calling OFI at 855-797-4357.
• Tell families to keep an eye out for a letter notifying them of automatic enrollment, a new card in the mail, or a balance increase on their existing card in early June.
• Encourage families who haven’t received notice of automatic enrollment by mid-June, but who may have eligible children, to apply.

Please use the below flyers to help spread the word about this important program and direct families to OFI’s SUN Bucks webpage for more information about the program and how to apply. Families may also call OFI at 855-797-4357 and select option 5 to speak with an Eligibility Specialist about SUN Bucks.

SUN Bucks Info Sheet (English) (PDF)

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Thank you for helping to raise awareness about this program and ensure that Maine children get the nutrition they need to thrive this summer.

With assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Maine public schools have long offered a nutritious breakfast and lunch meal program to thousands of income-eligible children in Maine during the school year. To extend this program into the summer months, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) Child Nutrition team is seeking organizations that would like to participate in the federally-funded SUN Meals program – formally known as the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) – which provides children healthy, free meals when school is not in session.

In the summer of 2024, 101 SUN Meals sponsors were approved to operate 413 summer meal sites across all of Maine’s 16 counties. There is, however, still a long way to go toward feeding all of Maine’s eligible children in the summer, and community partners are working to maximize the number of sponsors utilizing the available SUN Meals program funds.

“Having access to nutritious food is an essential component of a happy and healthy childhood, providing kids with the fuel they need to thrive both inside and outside of the classroom,” Pender Makin, Commissioner of the Maine DOE, said. “The Maine Department of Education is grateful to organizations that participate in the SUN Meals program, with the understanding that the guarantee of the basic right to food for children should not be restricted to the school calendar year. We encourage other organizations to also consider participating in 2025 to help meet this need for kids statewide.”

The SUN Meals program may be offered statewide in areas or at sites where more than 50 percent of children are eligible for free or reduced meal benefits under the National School Lunch Program or where census data supports the need. Organizations that provide services in rural communities or near migrant farm workers and tribal populations are urged to participate. SUN Meals sponsors are also needed to provide grab-and-go or home-delivered meals (termed “SUN Meals To-Go”) in approved rural locations.

The Maine DOE encourages any eligible organization to consider providing this much-needed service to Maine children. Eligible sponsoring organizations include schools, nonprofit residential summer camps, government agencies, tax-exempt organizations, and faith-based organizations. Approved sponsors will be reimbursed for eligible meals for children during the long summer break.

Interested organizations should begin planning now for a successful summer, as applications for participation open in March. Potential sponsors are required to receive training from the Maine DOE, and that will occur in person in Augusta at a date to be announced.

Maine DOE staff members are available via phone and email to answer any questions pertaining to summer meals and will also assist during the onboarding process for sponsors. For more information about the Maine DOE’s SUN Meals program, please contact Nicholas LaBreck, Maine DOE Child Nutrition Supervisor, at nicholas.j.labreck@maine.gov, or call 207-557-3283. You may also visit the Maine DOE website.

Federal Non-Discrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages ​​other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY), or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/USDA-OASCR %20P-Complaint-Form-0508-0002-508-11-28-17Fax2Mail.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

(1) mail:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250-9410; or

(2) fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or

(3) email:
program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

State Non-Discrimination Statement

The Maine Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination because of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, religion, ancestry or national origin.

Complaints of discrimination must be filed at the office of the Maine Human Rights Commission, 51 State House Station, Augusta, Maine 04333-0051. If you wish to file a discrimination complaint electronically, visit the Human Rights Commission website at https://www.maine.gov/mhrc/file/instructions and complete an intake questionnaire. Maine is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

On Wednesday, Oct. 16, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) gathered with other child nutrition leaders at Connors Elementary School in Lewiston to celebrate National School Lunch Week (Oct. 14-18, 2024). Special guest Alberto A. Gonzalez, Jr., Senior Advisor for External Engagement at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service, attended, as did USDA Northeast Regional Office officials and others.

During the event, attendees visited classrooms and the school garden. They also partook in a delicious lunch, served by the Connors Elementary School nutrition team.

Afterwards, nonprofit Full Plates Full Potential recognized a historic $7.4 million USDA School Food System Innovation Grant, which is funding seven projects based in Maine. All of them are designed to strengthen partnerships between school nutrition departments and local food producers.

Wednesday’s visit ended with a roundtable discussion with Mr. Gonzalez, Jr., the grantees, local school nutrition directors, and representatives from the Maine DOE.

This grant reconfirms a strong commitment in Maine to provide healthy food to children. Recently, Maine became the second state in the country (of just eight total) to offer meals at no charge to public school students, as part of the state’s initiative to end hunger by 2030. That effort has helped to eliminate stigma and increase participation in meal programs statewide.

The Maine DOE is proud of other programs with similar goals that it oversees through the USDA. To celebrate National School Lunch Week, you can read more about the impact of some of those programs below and by clicking here.

National School Lunch Program

The National School Lunch Program provides low-cost or free healthy meals to children. More than 575 schools in Maine participate, providing lunch to our state’s 172,624 students. Last year, participating schools statewide provided more than 18,482,570 lunches to pre-K through 12 students. Learn more.

Farm and Sea to School

The Farm and Sea to School Program promotes the use of Maine-grown, raised, and caught ingredients in delivering meals to students throughout the state. In the 2022-2023 school year, 119 school administrative units (SAUs) in Maine used money from the Local Foods Fund and the Federal Local Foods for Schools Program to buy local foods from across all sixteen counties. Some of the top foods purchased included apples, proteins, potatoes, tomatoes, and root vegetables. Learn more.

Culinary Classroom

The Culinary Classroom promotes scratch cooking throughout all Child Nutrition programs. The Maine DOE has a training kitchen located in Augusta and offers culinary training throughout the year. Recorded trainings are also available to Child Nutrition staff. Learn more.

Harvest of the Month

The Maine Harvest of the Month campaign helps to promote the use of seasonally-available, local products in schools, institutions, and communities. Schools pledge to participate by offering the featured food on their school menu twice a month. The Maine DOE provides posters, stickers, recipes, and a newsletter to support the use of these local products. Learn more.

(Pictured: Wayne Napples and Jazmyne Peeples from RSU 75)

On May 7th, three school teams squared off at Central Maine Community College in Auburn for the Maine Department of Education (DOE) 2024 Farm to School Cook-off.

Teams representing RSU 75, Lewiston Public Schools and Auburn Public Schools, and consisting of one school nutrition employee and one student, sharpened their knives and skills for a fun day of cooking. They whipped up vegetarian and meat-based dishes using local tofu donated from Heiwa Tofu in Rockport and local chicken donated from Maine Family Farms in Portland; both of which were challenge ingredients for the competition. The dishes were scored based on presentation, taste, creative use of challenge ingredients, and feasibility to be used in a school kitchen.

The first course was a vegetarian meal highlighting tofu. Brittany Cote and Simon Bolduc from Auburn Public Schools came prepared making a delicious tofu parmesan meal made with Maine Marinara Sauce, which was a fun twist on the popular comfort food. Alicia Smith and her son Jesse Smith from Lewiston Public Schools made a tofu ramen bowl, using meatballs made with tofu and a kick of spice, and whole grain noodles for the pasta. Wayne Napples and Jazmyne Peeples from RSU 75 made a BBQ lime tofu kabob that was vibrantly colored with vegetables that resemble summer is right around the corner.

Next, came the meat-based meal for round two of the competition. RSU 75 and Lewiston both came prepared making hot honey chicken sandwiches; each with their own unique style; one with a whole grain pretzel bun and the other with a whole grain croissant. Auburn created a chicken shawarma on a toasted whole grain flatbread, marinated chicken that brought aromatic spices across the kitchen and tzatziki sauce.

The RSU 75 team, who was new to the competition this year, ended up walking away with the grand prize, and meat-based meal winner. Lewiston walked away as the vegetarian meal winner. A great day was had by all, and the teams showed great creativity, execution of ingredients, and teamwork throughout the entire competition.

Guest judges were: Carrie Clark, a chef judge from Norimoto Bakery in Portland; Ellen Dore, the School Nutrition Director for RSU 16; and Georgia Knowles this year’s student judge, she is a 7th grader at King Middle School in Portland. 

The Maine DOE Child Nutrition Team is always looking for new teams to participate in the cook-off! For more information and to learn more about Maine’s Farm & Sea to School Program, visit the Maine DOE website or reach out to the Maine DOE Child Nutrition Team.