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The Indy Hunger Network, along with several prominent nonprofit organizations are appealing to Gov. Mike Braun and the State of Indiana in an effort to have the federal SUN Bucks summer feeding program for children restored. Braun declined to accept $70 million in food assistance in 2025, leaving more than 600,000 Hoosier children with little access to food.
The SUN Bucks program was enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2022, establishing funds to feed school-aged children during the summer months when a daily meal, typically provided by schools, is not available. Since its inception, millions of children across the nation have benefitted from the program, which increased their access to healthy food.
In Indiana, the program was implemented by the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).
Despite voting in favor of SUN Bucks -- the permanent Summer Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) -- as a U.S. Senator, Braun ended Indiana’s participation shortly after becoming governor. His justification was a claim of “insufficient planning” on the part of the administration of Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb, his predecessor.
During a similar feeding crisis, Braun did authorize partial SNAP benefit payments in November during the federal government shutdown, two weeks after those benefits were suspended. The federal government reopened a day after the partial funding was authorized.
The Indy Hunger Network was joined this week by The American Heart Association, United Way of Central Indiana, Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, and the Indiana Justice Project in calling for the restoration of SUN Bucks in Indiana. The Hoosier State is just one of 14 states – all Republican-led – that have declined the benefit.
The network pointed out that the infrastructure needed to administer the program is already in place, and that every dollar in federal benefits result in $1.80 per dollar in economic benefit to Indiana communities, as those dollars are spent in locally owned groceries, stores, and farmers’ markets.
“FSSA’s discontinuation of SUN Bucks is an impossibility from a child health standpoint,” the network stated.
The network has distributed a letter to be sent to the governor’s office, asking Braun to reinstate the SUN Buck program in Indiana. The letter is available for organizations across the state to sign, adding their support to the restoration of food benefits for children.
Businesses and organizations interested in adding their names to the letter may do so by visiting https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzXtIJP0GF123BdFgelaDBFlFufE-dRLG9LwI1rk_p52v08Q/viewform
The text of the letter follows:
Dear Governor Braun,
On May 14, Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap data was released for 2023. Child food insecurity in Indiana rose from 18.2% in 2022 to 18.5% in 2023, an increase in more than 7,000 Hoosier children. More than one in five don’t have the certainty of knowing from where their next meal will come.
About 600,000 Hoosier children received Sun Bucks benefits in summer 2024, providing about $70,000,000 in grocery assistance for families in the summer when school is out and access to summer meal sites can be a struggle, particularly in rural areas. In 2025, Indiana did not participate in Sun Bucks, leaving Hoosier families without access to a federal program for grocery assistance available thirty-seven other states, six territories, and several tribal nations.
According to an analysis carried out by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) looking at SNAP benefits, every dollar spent on SNAP generates between $1.50 and $1.80 in local economic activity during an economic downturn. Based on the estimated number of participating children, Indiana could expect an economic impact of between $105M and $126M, spent at the more than 5,000 Hoosier grocery stores, retailers, and farmers markets who accept SNAP benefits.
Most significantly though, by implementing the program we can help ensure that Hoosier children have a hunger-free summer and return to school well-nourished and ready to learn.
We, the undersigned organizations, ask that your administration commit to funding and supporting Sun Bucks for summer 2026 and in perpetuity. This investment in the health, wellbeing, and education of our children is vital to ensure no child goes hungry when school is out, and will make strides toward making Indiana healthy.