As need increases, fewer hungry children getting free summer meals

Fewer hungry children getting free summer meals

WASHINGTON — Hungry children looking for a free meal this summer may not be able to find one.

States and cities have cut funding for summer meal programs as need has skyrocketed, according to a new report from an anti-hunger group. Budget woes that have left many families hungry are also affecting local governments that find themselves without the needed dollars to feed children while they are out of school.

Summer meal programs aim to feed children who get most of their nutrition — or sometimes their only real meal of the day — at school. A report to be released by the Food Research and Action Center Tuesday shows that only 16 percent of students who ate free or reduced-cost lunches during the school year were fed in the summer of 2009.