Nutritious Food for Kids
One in five children in Arizona are at risk for hunger—and when children are hungry, they can’t learn, grow, or thrive.
Our Child Nutrition Programs focus on providing the most nutritious food possible to local kids and families. We work with schools, libraries, and other community hubs to make healthy, kid-friendly food accessible. No child should have to wonder where their next meal will come from.
School Pantries & School Markets
Getting to a food pantry across town isn’t always easy for families, so we bring fresh, healthy food to convenient community hubs like schools. School pantries and family resource centers provide easily accessible food assistance to students and their families. We support both established school pantries and pop-up school markets, which operate like farmers’ markets on school grounds. Pantries are well-stocked with non-perishable pantry staples and fresh, local produce! About 34 school pantries are open during the school year, in seven districts: Tucson Unified, Sunnyside, Flowing Wells, Amphitheater, Baboquivari, Tombstone, and Nogales.
Summer Breakfast Program
About 600,000 local kids rely on school meals as a vital source of food. What happens when school is out? The Summer Breakfast Program ensures that kids get a full, nutritious breakfast all summer long. It provides individual-sized breakfast snack kits 5 days a week for children ages 0-18. On Fridays, participants receive a Weekend Pack to make breakfast at home.
SUN Bucks
SUN Bucks helps families with school-aged children buy healthy food all summer long. If your child already receives SNAP, Medicaid, or free or low-cost school meals, you will be automatically enrolled in SUN Bucks. If eligible, a one-time summer benefit amount of $120 will be issued to each eligible child on a SUN Bucks card. Benefit cards will be mailed to eligible children at the address provided by the school beginning in early July. Find more info about SUN Bucks.
After School Snacks
Many kids come home from school to empty cabinets. Some won’t eat again until they return to school the next day. Our After School Snacks program ensures that local kids get the food they need after the school day is over.
We provide healthy, filling Super Snacks for kids up to age 18 at community sites across Southern Arizona. Food is provided as part of the USDA’s federal Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). Super Snacks include ready-to-eat meal components such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and protein. The CACFP/At-Risk Afterschool Program runs during the school year only.
