Food benefits reach ineligible Cape families

Food benefits for Cape students were sent in October to many children in families well above the poverty line.

Under the Sun Bucks (Summer EBT) program, families, regardless of their income, received cards loaded with $120 in food assistance funds.

Cape Henlopen School District did not say how many cards were sent, but released a statement saying Sun Bucks are only for families who individually qualify for free or reduced meal benefits under the National School Lunch Program.

“Eligibility is determined based on household income and other state-established criteria,” the statement reads. “If families received a Sun Bucks card and their child does not qualify for free or reduced meals, they should destroy and dispose of the card.”

Cape Henlopen School District said it is a Community Eligibility Provision district and all students receive free breakfast and lunch at school this year, but Sun Bucks is a state program that is not based on CEP. 

Tim Mastro, deputy director of communications for Delaware Health and Social Services, said Sun Bucks are automatically issued to children who are reported to DHSS by Delaware schools as qualifying for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program.

“Cape Henlopen School District participates in the National School Lunch Program, and shared eligibility information with DHSS to issue Sun Bucks for summer 2025,” Mastro said.

Mastro said all school districts in Delaware participate in the National School Lunch Program, but students must still meet eligibility requirements for the Sun Bucks program.

In answer to a question on whether every student in the state got a $120 food card, he said, “DHSS uses eligibility information reported by districts for the Sun Bucks program.”

Income eligibility requirements for the program are set at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level. A household of three must have an annual income below $47,767 to qualify, according to the DHSS website.

Mastro said children are automatically enrolled in the program if they meet one of the following criteria:

• Get Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits or cash assistance
• Receive Medicaid with household income at or below the Sun Bucks limit
• Were approved through a school meal application for free or reduced-price meals

• Are in foster care, homeless, a migrant, a runaway, or in Head Start and enrolled in a school participating in the National School Lunch Program. 

Letters from DHSS’s Division of Social Services were mailed to many in October, letting families know of their eligibility, and cards for the 2025 Summer Benefit Year with the $120 allowance were later sent. A letter sent Oct. 21 states that the $120 is a one-time benefit that covers all months in the summer.

“You can use your Sun Bucks benefits to buy eligible food items at stores, online retailers, and farmer’s markets that accept EBT,” the DHSS letter states.

Mastro said Sun Bucks is separate from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, and they come from separate funding sources.