What it is
SUN Bucks (Summer EBT) gives Ohio families $120 per school-age child to buy groceries during the summer, when free school meals aren’t available. It works at any store that accepts SNAP, including farmers markets — and receiving it does not affect immigration status.
How you get it
- Automatically — if your child gets SNAP, Ohio Works First, or Medicaid, or was approved for free or reduced-price school meals. SNAP families see it on their Ohio Direction Card; everyone else is mailed a new EBT card in a plain white envelope addressed to the child — don’t throw it away! If a child received S-EBT last summer and qualifies again, the benefit reloads onto the same card.
- By applying — many Cleveland-area schools serve free meals to all students, so families there are often not flagged automatically. If your income is at or below 185% of the poverty guidelines, apply at sebt.ohio.gov by August 14.
Benefits expire 122 days after they’re issued — use them promptly. Questions: 866-244-0071.
How Gesher helps
Five minutes with us can confirm whether your children were enrolled automatically — and if the card went missing in the mail (or you lost last year’s), we’ll help you navigate the replacement process.