The State of Indiana has opted out of the SUN Bucks program for the second year, which Democratic state leaders and educators condemned because it takes away federal funding to support hungry children amid the state’s billions of dollars in surplus.
The SUN Bucks program, a federal program that provides eligible children with $120 in grocery assistance during the summer while school is out, allowed 669,000 children to receive $80 million in food access during the last year Indiana participated in the program in 2024, according to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
In 2025, state officials blamed poor planning under Gov. Eric Holcomb’s administration for the reason why the state didn’t reapply to the SUN Bucks program, but earlier this year, the FSSA confirmed that it wasn’t appropriated the necessary funds to operate SUN Bucks as the cost has increased under the most recent federal reconciliation bill.
The state utilized the SUN Bucks program for one year, and it “helped soften the impact of the national public health emergency,” said Indiana Family and Social Services Administration spokesman Marcus Barlow.
“With our economy now stronger and Indiana’s long-standing nutrition programs firmly in place, the SUN Bucks program is no longer necessary. Families continue to have access to well-established summer meal options that reliably support children when school is out,” Barlow said.
The Braun administration recently decided not to participate in the SUN Bucks program in 2026 and 2027, according to state officials.
Gov. Mike Braun’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Parents who need information about local summer food resources can call 211 for an up-to-date listing of meal sites statewide, Barlow said.
The SUN Meals program, formerly known as the Summer Food Service Program, is not affected by the state’s SUN Bucks opt-out. Various sites, including schools, parks, and libraries, prepare free lunches while school is out to make sure children receive nutritious options.
To find the nearest location, visit https://www.fna.usda.gov/sfsp/sitefinder or https://idoenutrition.com/.
Victor Garcia, the CEO of Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, said Hoosiers in the region will likely feel the impacts of cuts to the SUN Bucks program.
“The absence of the Sun Bucks program in Indiana will likely increase pressure on the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana and our community partners as more families seek assistance to help bridge the gap when school meals are unavailable. We will continue working to meet the need, the loss of this resource places additional strain on already limited charitable food supplies and operational resources,” Garcia said.
Indiana Senate Democratic Leader Shelli Yoder, D-Bloomington, said in a statement that the Braun administration has touted affordability, but in that same time the administration hasn’t helped hungry children “putting an even greater burden on struggling parents.”
Last year, FSSA officials stated that amid a budget shortfall the state couldn’t afford to pay $7 million for the state to opt into the program, Yoder said. In one year, the state’s reserves grew by $1.5 billion – or $4 million a day – and is projected to reach $5.3 billion next summer, Yoder said.
“The state’s bank account may be doing well as it stockpiles Hoosiers’ tax dollars. The apparent standing in the grocery aisle deciding what to put back is not. The family choosing between food and the electric bill is not,” Yoder said. “This is not fiscal responsibility. It is government intentionally manufacturing scarcity and forcing children to pay the price.”
While FSSA directs people to summer meal sites, those locations could be hard to reach for parents without transportation or during limited hours, Yoder said.
“A directory is not dinner. A hotline does not fill a refrigerator,” Yoder said.
Yoder, who is an educator as well, said she’s seen first-hand that hungry children can’t focus or learn.
“Indiana has had the time. Indiana has the money. Indiana knows the need. The excuses have run out. This is no longer simply an issue of affordability. For families struggling to put food on the table, it is about survival. No government sitting on billions has the right to tell a hungry child to go without. The governor must direct FSSA to bring SUN Bucks back for Hoosier families,” Yoder said.
Gary Teachers Union President GlenEva Dunham said it’s clear that the Indiana Republican Party is following the playbook of Republicans in Washington D.C. by slashing resources for its most vulnerable citizens.
“We know it’s going to hurt children. It’s going to impact teachers because we will make sure our children are fed,” Dunham said.
Dunham, who is also the president of American Federation of Teachers Indiana, said that minority children will be impacted the most with the state not receiving the funding.
Organizations will help make sure that children receive meals this summer, Dunham said. For example, Dunham said her sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha has been providing families with backpacks filled with food, and the families can come back weekly for more food.
“We will come together and make sure our children are fed,” Dunham said. “It doesn’t take a lot to feed children, especially with billions in surplus.”
State Rep. Vernon Smith, D-Gary, said the Republican Party likes to give the perception that they are concerned about the working class, but they are concerned about big business and stripping away people’s rights.
For that reason, Smith said he’s not surprised that the Braun administration doesn’t have a concern about people not eating.
Smith, who has been an educator for decades, said when he was a classroom teacher he would buy milk and snacks to ensure his students weren’t hungry while trying to learn.
“They are not going to concentrate when they are hungry,” Smith said. “We have all this surplus and we don’t have concern for the little person.”
