Like many other parents, Diana Bacho shopped at a Lucky supermarket in San Jose on Wednesday morning, picking up groceries for herself and her three children.
Her cart included eggs, meat, a lot of berries and other fruit, cucumbers (which her younger daughter loves) and canned tuna, which she prepares and serves to the kids in tortillas. Bacho was one of the California families paying for her groceries with SUN Bucks, a new state benefit program created to make sure school-age kids are able to get healthy meals during the summer when free school lunch programs are paused.
“This was a very helpful resource for me and my children,” Bacho said through a translator. “Because my children are at home more, they eat throughout the day. So it’s very helpful to get this food into the house.”
Bacho said she also likes being able to make her own selections at the store, though when she gets food at a Second Harvest of Silicon Valley distribution, she’ll put together meals using whatever she can.
Jennifer Shelton, director of public relations and government affairs for SaveMart (which owns Lucky), said accepting SUN Bucks is just one way the grocery chain tries to help lessen food insecurity in the region and wants to get the word out to shoppers like Bacho “We want to make sure people like Diana know their dollar is going to go far here,” she said.
While it’s new, the program has been really important and effective for low-income families, said Rachel Monaco, senior manager of policy and advocacy for Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.
“We’ve heard from a lot of families that it’s been really impactful for them to help fill that summer gap, and we’ve also heard from families that they really like the ability that best suits the needs of their families,” she said.
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Sounds great, right? It is for the families that know about the benefit, which provides $120 a month for each eligible child. Monaco says there are about 1 million kids in the state who could be taking part but whose families haven’t signed up for SUN Bucks. most likely because they hadn’t heard about the new program. Even though we’re in the waning weeks of summer, families can still sign up for the full benefits by Aug. 31 through their schools.
More information on SUN Bucks and its eligibility requirements are available at www.cdss.ca.gov/sun-bucks.
HEADED FOR ALBUQUERQUE: Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez will be heading to the Land of Enchantment this fall as the board of commissioners in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, voted to approve her contract Tuesday to be their new county manager. Chavez, who is terming off the Board of Supervisors this year, is expected to start her new job in Albuquerque on Nov. 13, the week following the election to determine her successor.
Stay tuned because there will no doubt be at least one community sendoff to celebrate her four decades of public service between now and then.
BOOK BONANZA: Books Inc. is bringing its popular warehouse sale to its store at the Pruneyard in Campbell this weekend. New books are $5-$10 — with the collection including contemporary and classic fiction and non-fiction, along with special discounts on board games, puzzles and gift items. The sale runs Saturday and Sunday, so you’ll be able to pick up something to read while you relax on Labor Day.
