SHERIDANWYOMING.COM | LIFE ALONG THE BIGHORNS

NewsSUN Bucks Final Report Shows More Than 38,000 Wyoming Children Were Issued the Summer Food Benefit

SUN Bucks Final Report Shows More Than 38,000 Wyoming Children Were Issued the Summer Food Benefit

November 14, 2026

News – Sheridan Media

[[{“value”:”

The Wyoming Department of Family Services has issued its final report from the SUN Bucks summer food assistance program, which provided vital nutrition support to nearly 40,000 school-age children in Wyoming. Sheridan Media’ s Ron Richter has the details.

SUN Bucks Final Report Shows More Than 38,000 Wyoming Children Were Issued the Summer Food Benefit

SUN Bucks is a federally funded program for school-age children that is administered by the USDA. States choose whether to participate in the program. The Wyoming SUN Bucks program was created April 15, 2026, for one year only, through an executive order by Governor Mark Gordon. DFS implemented the program and the first SUN Bucks benefits were sent to families the first week in July.

According to DFS, SUN Bucks cards were sent to 38,241 eligible children in Wyoming, which was 20 percent higher than the original estimated 32,000 eligible children in the state. Wyoming found no substantiated cases of benefit fraud. While summer applications for SUN Bucks closed on August 31, benefits remain active for 121 days from mailing. The first cards were sent in early July and expired on November 1, with any unspent funding returning to the federal government. The last cards mailed will expire later in the winter months.

DFS will continue to evaluate program outcomes and operational recommendations for future summers, should the program be renewed for another summer. In Sheridan County, there were 1,535 children served with a total food benefit amount of $184,200. 387 children were served in Johnson County, with a total food benefit amount of $46,440.

“}]]