INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana families and anti-hunger advocates say the loss of the Sun Bucks program is putting additional strain on household budgets as parents work to feed children during the summer months.

The federal Sun Bucks program provided eligible families with $120 per child during the summer to help pay for groceries. Families could use the benefit to buy items such as bread, rice, beans and other food while children were out of school.

The Indy Hunger Network says many families are already stretching every dollar and turning to food pantries to make ends meet.

“This is a supplement to what folks are already making,” Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network said. “Nobody thinks you can feed even a toddler during the summer months with this alone, but it’s vital for these families at a time when inflation continues to rise.”

According to the Indy Hunger Network, more than 650,000 Hoosier children received Sun Bucks during the program’s first year in 2024. However, Indiana chose not to participate in the program this year or next year.

For Patrice Garrett, a mother of three, the benefit made a noticeable difference.

“We really truly feel the impact of not having them versus having them,” Garrett said. “You’re able to go to the store and get your children things they can go to the refrigerator and fix themselves with the Sun Bucks versus having to cook a meal every day.”

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration says the program is no longer necessary.

In a statement, the agency said:

“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. Hoosiers seeking information about local summer food resources can call Indiana 211, which provides comprehensive, up‑to‑date listings of meal sites statewide.”

Some parents disagree.

“It’s a struggle,” Alecia Jefferson said, a single mother who asked not to show her face on camera because of her family’s situation.

Jefferson says she’s been spending more than $200 each week on groceries since her children got out of school.

“A lot of families that have more than one, two or three kids-we need this,” she said.

Lynch says the benefit was never intended to replace a family’s grocery budget.

“They would get a peanut butter sandwich, a piece of fruit and about six ounces of milk,” Lynch said, referring to what many children receive through summer meal programs. “It’s not like it’s a huge amount.”

The Indy Hunger Network estimates the Sun Bucks program would have brought an additional $70 million to $80 million of Federal funding into Indiana this year, with families spending those benefits at local grocery stores.

“It helped because I didn’t have to pay cash out of my pocket,” Jefferson said. “It helped put food in their bellies. Whether it’s $50 or $100, that’s something extra I didn’t have.”

Although Sun Bucks is unavailable this summer and next summer, families can still access free summer meal programs across Indiana. Additional food assistance resources are available by dialing 2-1-1, using the Community Compass app to locate nearby food pantries, or visiting the Indiana Department of Education for summer meal site information.