The CA Meals for Kids mobile application helps you find nearby California Afterschool and Summer Meal Programs Sites through your iOS, Android, or Microsoft devices.
Find sites by physical location, custom map, county, city, zip code and partial site name. Filter searches by service status (e.g. active/inactive) and meal types (e.g. lunch, snacks, etc).
Summer EBT, also called SUN Bucks, is a new permanent program that helps families with school-age children buy groceries during the summer when kids might not have access to school meals.
Children ages 6-18 years old who get CalFresh or CalWORKs, are automatically enrolled. Children in foster care, experiencing homelessness, attending Head Start, and/or are considered a runaway are also categorically eligible and are automatically enrolled. Participating in SUN Bucks does not affect a family’s immigration status.
Children ages 0-22 years who attend a school that participates in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) or the School Breakfast Program (SBP) are also eligible for SUN Bucks if they are certified to meet the income eligibility guidelines. To certify that your child is eligible, you must submit a Universal Benefits Application or School Meal Application to your child's school. You should apply if any of the following criteria apply to your family:
Your child gets meals through California's Universal Meals Program (UMP). In California, the UMP provides school meals at no cost to all school age children, regardless of household income. Even if your child gets a free school meal, it does not guarantee that they will qualify for SUN Bucks benefits.
Children who get Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) or participate in the Adoption Assistance Program, but do not participate in CalFresh or CalWORKs.
If you are unsure about your child's eligibility, apply to make sure that you do not miss out. You must submit the application directly to your child’s school on or before August 31, 2026 to be considered for SUN Bucks 2026. Applications turned in after August 31 will only be considered for SUN Bucks 2027.
SUN Bucks Cards will be mailed to households. Around ~5 million children in CA will be receiving benefits. Families who are automatically enrolled are included in Stage 1 and will have an estimated SUN Bucks delivery date of:
Last Name A-F: Early June
Last Name G-M: Mid June
Last Name N-R: Late June
Last Name S-Z: Early July
Stage 2 will be delivered as follows: newly enrolled kids will begin getting their SUN Bucks cards in the mail in late July 2026. These children include:
Children who become newly eligible for CalFresh, CalWORKs, or Medi-Cal (certified at or below 185% of the FPL).
Children who are determined eligible through a Universal Benefits Application (UBA) or School Meal Application.
Curious about the programs at our Central Kitchen, Instructional Farm, and Education Center located at 2850 West Street in West Oakland? Check out our website and read this OUSD News article about The Center (2/10/22).
OUSD Families: Based on your annual earnings, you may be eligible to receive the Earned Income Tax Credit from the Federal Government (Federal EITC) and also be eligible to receive the California Earned Income Tax Credit (California EITC).
