When asked about her son Maverick, Caysha Francis smiles and calls him a “bundle of joy.” Minutes later, he walks in, smiling with endless curiosity as he explores this magical world around him.
Jose Delgado knows what his granddaughters Elisa and Aviana love. Even in the heat of Arizona, they almost seem to fly with each bounce on the trampoline in their grandpa’s backyard.
A happy summer is what every kid deserves. But for many families, summer is also the hungriest time of year. When school is out, millions of children lose access to the free and reduced-price meals they count on, putting extra strain on parents already working hard to make ends meet.
With your support, No Kid Hungry is working to close the summer gap forever. Two important programs are making that possible: Sun Bucks and grab-and-go summer meals.
SUN Bucks (also known as Summer EBT) provides families with a grocery benefit—money they can use to buy the food their kids love and need during the summer months. Grab-and-go meals allow families to pick up free meals at accessible locations—like libraries, schools, or community sites—and take them home, no questions asked. That flexibility makes it easier for working parents or families in rural areas to get the support they need without extra hurdles.
These programs are making a difference for parents who are working hard to make it through the summer months and those working to improve their economic situation.
Caysha and her husband are juggling a lot right now. Not only is she taking care of her child and babysitting her niece and nephew, she is also attending school to become a dental hygienist and bring more income to the house. Her husband has to work two jobs in the meantime, which means they don’t get to spend a lot of time together.
“I know in the end it'll definitely be worth it,” Caysha shares. “To be honest, when we're not struggling in the future, and when I don't mom full time, I want to be able to take Maverick to go volunteer and tell him, look, we went through this and we're going to help families who are going through it now.”
She gets emotional thinking about the challenges her family is going through, counting each penny to make it to the end of the month. The grab-and-go meals from Manzanita Outreach help Caysha create a better future for Maverick and pay it forward.
Jose Delgado’s daughter works all summer long in a resort in Sedona, so during the summer months when school is out, he takes care of Aviana and Elisa, his granddaughters. He knows how challenging it is for his daughter. “The prices of food are extremely high,” he shared. The grab-and-go meals are helping his family and community thrive.
For Alexandria, another mom in central Arizona, it’s Sun Bucks that’s making a big difference.
She is a mom of three kids and knows firsthand how difficult the summer months are. “We have to provide all the meals that the school isn't providing now. And not only do you have them all day, or if you have to send 'em to daycare like I do, you have to pack extra lunches and you can't just pack the lunch. You have to provide the snacks and you have to provide all their needs in order for their bellies to be full. And I would feel like a terrible mother if I couldn't do that.”
She heard about Sun Bucks online and later received a letter explaining that she was going to get $120 worth of benefits per child during the summer. She said the process was easy and helped her with groceries.
“Sun Bucks allow us to provide for not only your needs, but the child's needs and their wants,” Alexandria shared. “So the treats that you weren't able to buy last week, now resume with the Sun Bucks card. They can have that [snack] that they've always wanted and have that be their treat versus telling 'em again, ‘I'm sorry, but I can't do it. We don't have the money. Or I'm sorry, maybe next time.’”
With your support, No Kid Hungry continues to work with local agencies to expand Sun Bucks and to make it easier for families to receive these benefits. We are also providing grants to local organizations like Manzanita Outreach to buy essential equipment to support grab-and-go summer meal programs.
Together we can make a difference in the lives of kids like Maverick, Aviana and Elisa. With the rising price of groceries and a challenging economic outlook, families need our support in this critical moment.
