Participation in Summer Meal Programs Declines

New York, NY —

With city schools about to get out for the summer, many poor families must figure out how to cope without the free meals their children get at school. A new report finds free summer meals are getting harder to come by. WNYC's Cindy Rodriguez reports.

REPORTER: The Children's Defense Fund says participation in summer meal programs dropped by 15-percent last year. Mostly, because the Department of Education opened 138 fewer schools. According to the report, this meant 24-thousand fewer students received free meals.

Director Donna Lawrence says the federal government reimburses the city for all costs related to the meal program so there is no reason not to expand it.

LAWRENCE: There's no paperwork necessary there's no application necessary. A kid can just walk in, get a meal and leave. It is the most simple, non bureacratic program that exists.

REPORTER: The Department of Education acknowledges the decline and says it's looking to open more schools and do more outreach. Only about a quarter of the more than 800-thousand students eligible for free meals during the regular school year get served during the summer.