Marlyn Rivera is looking for answers.
The Levittown, Bristol Township single mother of four children – two of which are special needs boys – relies on summer educational resources and food funding through SNAP and SUN Bucks to make sure her kids have something to eat.
This summer, unexplained delays in benefits and a lack of communication around them have caused Rivera daily worry and constant concern over how to feed her kids.
“Despite SUN Bucks being promoted as a vital summer support for low-income households with school-aged children, DHS is now claiming ‘technical difficulties’ and telling families that these benefits — promised for the start of summer — will not be distributed until mid-to-late August, possibly even October,” Rivera said.
Chalkbeat Philadelphia reported on July 31 that federally funded Sun Bucks had experienced “technical difficulties” in distributing benefits.
Many of the youngsters who are eligible for these benefits receive free and reduced cost meals during the school year. A drop off in daily meals through the summer months is of critical concern to Rivera and others in similar situations.
READ: The GOP’s Budget Bill and Its Federal Funding Cuts Will Harm Bucks County Students
“SNAP and SUN Bucks are federally funded, while we did need to wait on federal approval the distributions began toward the end of July,” a Pennsylvania Department of Human Services representative said.
Rivera has pleaded with local representatives for answers.
She has not been able to get to the bottom of the delays in the SUN Bucks funding – or why there’s confusion surrounding the program’s benefits. Her son’s summer programs do not provide meals.
Rivera doesn’t understand how parents are supposed to wait until the end of August – or later – for money intended to help feed children once school lets out in June.
“You’re hurting my children. I can starve, but my boys are autistic and active and they need food,” Rivera said.
Pennsylvania’s DHS website posted an “Important Notice about Medicaid and SNAP benefits” resulting from Congress passing the Trump Administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” on July 4. General SNAP resources and information is available here.
SUN Bucks are credits added to eligible SNAP recipients through a Pennsylvania EBT ACCESS card. For those who do not already have an EBT card, the application process provides for obtaining one.
SUN Bucks are issued as a “one-time” distribution to families at $40 per month per child, or $120 for the three summer months, per child.
Nerd Wallet.com reported the average monthly grocery bill released in 2024 by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was about $504 per household. A family of four on a thrifty plan’s budget is about $993 per month, it noted.
“At DHS [Department of Human Services] in Bristol, I was told SUN Bucks would not be sent before October. For mothers like me who need the assistance now, October doesn’t help,” Rivera said.
She confirmed a partial payment had been received.
“We’ve reached out to the Department of Human Services for additional information, as the department had indicated earlier this month the funds would be available mid-August,” said a representative for Sen. Steve Santarsiero, who is among the legislators representing Rivera’s district.
Requests for further information and comment were unsuccessful.
“Families in Bucks County and across the state are in crisis – not due to negligence on their part – but due to failures within a system that was supposed to protect them. What’s going on with Bucks County? What’s the hold up? What’s the delay and what needs to be done to get the funding moving? A lot of us are suffering,” Rivera said.
