Gov. Mark Gordon approved one-time state funding for SUN Bucks, a federal program that helps supplement school lunches for families with low incomes during the summer months.
Wyoming lawmakers voted to opt out of the program during the last three legislative sessions, with some critics citing concerns about over-reliance on government and government overreach.
But the governor’s executive order from April 15 opts into the income-based program, directing the Wyoming Department of Family Services (DFS) to set up SUN Bucks and have it running from June to August this summer.
The order states that “the health, well-being and nutritional security of Wyoming’s children are paramount to the future prosperity of the State,” and that “Wyoming’s children deserve consistent access to nutritious food throughout the summer months when school meal programs are unavailable.”
Prior to the executive order, Wyoming was one of a dozen states that hadn’t signed onto SUN Bucks since it launched in 2024.
“ This isn't a new conversation for this administration. This idea about feeding hungry people has been from day one, so it only makes sense that this is something that [Gordon] still believes is very important,” said DFS director Korin Schmidt. “From an agency perspective, we see it as a need and if this is one way to fill that need, it absolutely is an important part of the overall package to help people be able to support themselves and also to keep their children safe.”
SUN Bucks nuts and bolts
Families in need receive $40 a month per child through the program, for a total of $120 over the summer. That money goes to support kids who receive free and reduced-price lunches during the school year. Benefits get loaded onto an electronic benefits card, also known as an EBT card, which can then be used to buy groceries at the store.
“ That gives the flexibility for a parent to be able to use it to complement grocery shopping for nutritious foods wherever SNAP is accepted,” said Schmidt.
From her perspective, the SUN Bucks EBT model is efficient and allows parents to make choices on what they want to feed their children.
“It's a little bit different in its approach than some of the other summer school food programs,” said Schmidt. “Some programs are offered on site, meaning a child has to go to a designated site to either eat or to get the food.”
When it comes to funding SUN Bucks, states split administrative costs 50-50 with the federal government, which then fully pays for the food benefits dispersed through the program.
During the most recent legislative session, Gordon requested $1.8 million to administer SUN Bucks in his original budget proposal. Ultimately, that request didn’t make it through the Joint Conference Committee’s process of reconciling the House and Senate’s different visions for state spending.
Schmidt said the current cost to administer SUN Bucks is about $1.6 million, with those funds coming directly out of an unspent chunk of DFS’ budget.
“ Our [employee] vacancy rate has created a pool of dollars that are being repurposed for this,” she said. “It's not external, it's internal.”
Different perspectives on the role of the government
Opting in or out of SUN Bucks was an especially contentious topic during the most recent legislative session.
During debate on the House floor, Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland) emphasized that “we want kids to be fed,” but said he was worried about what he called a “chilling effect on local communities” when governments get more and more involved.
“We have a gal in our community that said, ‘I don't want any kid to be hungry in our community.’ She started a program to help feed kids through the summer as well as through the school year,” he said. “And I would ask, ‘Do you think she would have ever stood up and done that if there would have been more programs given by the government?’ I don't think so.”
Rep. Scott Smith (R-Lingle) urged a no vote, pointing to already-existing programs at food banks and the importance of what he called “parental responsibility.”
“There's an element of pride that comes when a parent can go to work, take care of their child, feed their child,” he said. “When they get a handout, we'd take that away from them.”
But Rep. Cody Wylie (R-Rock Springs) shared his own experience of watching kids come to a big parking lot to get bagged lunches from a summer lunch program. He said he didn’t see why people would urge no votes against SUN Bucks.
“ Our communities try to do what they can and as much as they can, but there's always holes,” he said. “If we can do a little bit to help feed some bellies, I don't understand why we're doing this.”
“We keep saying ‘feeding programs,’ he added. “It's driving me crazy. These are kids. They're not cattle. We're just putting food in little bellies.”
Next steps
The agency is still in the beginning stages of sorting out exactly who will be eligible and what implementation will look like on the ground.
“There's some general federal guidance, but then there's some state-specific things that happen around where a child is getting their education, whether that's home or in a school. Is that school participating in the National School Lunch program or not? Then something around compulsory age, what's the age of the child? ” said Schmidt. “It's not as cut and dry as maybe one would think. There's a lot of, if this, then what?”
Schmidt estimated that 30,000 kids will qualify for SUN Bucks, and added that the majority of people who qualify will be automatically enrolled in the program and won’t need to directly apply.
She said the hope is to start getting the EBT cards mailed out to families by June, but asked for “space and grace” as the agency works to roll out the new program.
“ We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, give incorrect information and then have to put families through some sort of confusion or difficulty in eventually getting that benefit,” said Schmidt. “We want to be able to issue it correctly for the properly eligible children.”
DFS will share more details on its website over the next few months as it irons out details about SUN Bucks eligibility and implementation. People can also subscribe to receive email updates about the program, which will start going out on a weekly basis on May 1.
Those in need of immediate food assistance can find local pantries through the Food Bank of Wyoming, enroll in SNAP through the Wyoming Department of Family Services or call Wyoming 211 to learn about more community resources.
