CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Department of Family Services recently announced that it will be launching a federal program this week to provide grocery assistance to more than 37,000 school-aged children across the state.

Known as SUN Bucks, the initiative provides a one-time $120 benefit per eligible child to help families cover food costs during the summer months, the department announced in a release. Gov. Mark Gordon previously authorized the program’s implementation through an executive order on April 15.

Gordon described the initiative as an essential tool to support children who may otherwise lack access to healthy food while school is out of session.

“We want our children to thrive, because when our children are successful, so too are our communities,” he stated in the release.

According to DFS, most qualifying children will be automatically enrolled in the program. The department reports that it began sending eligibility notifications this week via mail and email.

Eligible families can expect to receive SUN Bucks electronic benefit transfer cards in the mail starting in early July.

DFS Director Korin Schmidt said in a statement that the program is specifically designed to assist rural children who lose access to school-provided breakfast and lunch during the summer months, adding that the benefits will allow families to purchase groceries as needed to ensure food is available in the home for those missed meals.

The SUN Bucks cards will function similarly to other benefit programs and be accepted at any retailer participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

While tens of thousands of children are enrolled automatically, some eligible families may still need to apply, according to the press release. Residents can check their child’s enrollment status or submit an application through the DFS SUN Bucks website starting June 22.

For more information, people can visit the DFS website, email ask-sunbucks@wyo.gov or call 307-777-8786 between 8:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Related

Sublette County Sheriff’s Office via TMX

BIG PINEY, Wyoming — A landspout briefly swirled across an open field Saturday near Big Piney, Wyoming, in a striking display of unsettled weather caught on camera.

Sublette County Sheriff K.C. Lehr shared the footage on Facebook. It shows the narrow column of wind twisting as it moved through the area north of Big Piney.

Unlike traditional tornadoes, landspouts form without a rotating thunderstorm or mesocyclone. They tend to be smaller and shorter-lived than supercell tornadoes, but they can still produce damaging winds, according to the National Weather Service.

Check out the video in the player above.