PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced the first round of SUN Bucks benefits for summer 2025 has successfully reached more than one million children, with $121 million distributed to eligible families across the state.
Topics Related to Child and Family Well-Being
PRESS RELEASE — The SUN Bucks food program is back for 2025 and is expected to provide benefits to more than one million school children in North Carolina this summer. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction are partnering again to administer the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer program known as "SUN Bucks."
MEDIA ADVISORY — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS), Harnett County Schools and Hazel Health are gathering on Wednesday, May 7, to officially kick off their partnership that will bring virtual mental health care services to over 400,000 of North Carolina’s K-12 student population.
NCDHHS, in partnership with the Positive Childhood Alliance of NC (PCANC), kicked off Child Abuse Prevention Month on Tuesday, April 1, with a pinwheel planting event at Pullen Park in Raleigh.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is investing $3 million to expand access to Child First, an evidence-based, early childhood intervention program proven to reduce the risk of child maltreatment and prevent young children and families from entering the foster care system. This investment, awarded to Alliance Health, Trillium Health Resources and Vaya Health, will expand Child First services to additional counties across the state, providing critical, community-based access to behavioral health care and family support services.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced a $1.5 million investment to expand behavioral health services in school-based health centers across the state. This funding is a critical step in ensuring children have access to the right care at the right time by providing behavioral health support that meets families where they are — in schools and communities.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced a $4 million investment to expand and professionalize family peer support services statewide. This initiative is designed to improve outcomes for children and families by ensuring that families navigating complex systems have access to support and guidance from someone who truly understands their journey. The investment will strengthen the behavioral health workforce by offering support for 40 new Certified Family Peer Specialists that combined will help nearly a thousand families each year.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services today announced more than $129 million in food assistance has been distributed to more than one million children and families during the first SUN Bucks summer in North Carolina.
PRESS RELEASE — In response to Hurricane Helene, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is providing one-time disaster supplement benefits to help households already receiving Food and Nutrition Services in 23 counties. This supplemental payment was automatically loaded onto participants’ Electronic Benefit Transfer cards Sunday and are now available for use. There is no action FNS participants need to take to receive the benefit. The total benefit is more than $16 million that was issued to 68,000 households and 135,000 FNS participants in western North Carolina. The benefit will bring FNS recipients up to the maximum benefit level they can receive for their monthly benefit for one month.
PRESS RELEASE — The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is announcing a one-day extension for people in Alexander, Buncombe, Haywood, Macon and McDowell counties to apply for benefits through the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to help them buy food for their families. The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the extension following feedback from the counties that requested the one-day extension for in-person applications. As of Wednesday, more than 105,000 individuals had been approved to receive D-SNAP benefits.