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SuN (Summer Nutrition) Bucks-EBT Update

By Bradshaw, Sarah on August 22, 2024

Missouri has been approved to administer Summer EBT 2024. This program is a dedication and commitment between the lead agency, the Department of Social Services (DSS), along with DESE. Summer EBT provides Missouri children who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals the opportunity to receive critical nutrition benefits. Households who need to apply can submit the application online by August 31, 2024. Families can use the Missouri SuN Bucks Eligibility Navigator to see if they need to complete an application. Schools should share this application information with families immediately. 

School officials should have received previous communication and instructions concerning the SCHOOL DATA COLLECTION SPREADSHEET . This data collection helps us identify families of students who were determined eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRL) during the regular, 2023-2024, school year. These families, submitted on the data collection spreadsheet, will receive a one-time $120 benefit per eligible student. The funds will be loaded onto an electronic benefits transfer (EBT) card and mailed to the household address or loaded onto a SNAP household member’s card. The data collection spreadsheet is required as a mechanism by The Department of Social Services, the lead agency for the summer EBT program, as the best way to collect information on eligible students.  The data collection process does request that local education agencies (LEAs) submit the school directory data needed to accurately match and distribute summer EBT benefits to eligible children. DESE’s Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) team has created several Summer EBT Student Data Collection resources to help LEAs provide this student information, including a spreadsheet template and accompanying instructions, available either in PDF or a recorded webinar (7 minutes).  **DEADLINE TO SUBMIT THE DATA COLLECTION SPREADSHEET HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO SEPTEMBER 13^th.

Families with children who meet the criteria will receive an EBT card by mail, or the benefit will be added to their existing EBT card. Criteria for automatic eligibility includes:

• The household already participates in SNAP or Temporary Assistance; including extended eligible household members, or
• The child is age 7-17 and in foster care, homeless, a migrant, or
• The child attends a school that offers the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Program and the household income meets the requirements for free or reduced-price school meals.

Families and other stakeholders with questions about the Missouri SuN Bucks Program should contact DSS directly.  For additional information, resources, and frequently asked questions about the Missouri SuN Bucks program, please visit the DSS SuN Bucks webpage.