CLEVELAND -- Millions of dollars designated to provide meals for needy Ohio children are going unused and social service providers are unaware the money is available, activists said.
About 600,000 Ohio children take part in a federal program that provides meals during the school year. But less than a tenth of them stay in the program during the summer months.
"The big thing for us is that we don't want to see kids not be able to eat," said Todd Barnhouse, an Ohio Department of Education official who works with the school feeding program. "If they don't eat at school and there is not something lined up, they have to find alternatives."
Even so, officials acknowledged they are feeding only a fraction of the students who are eligible. For instance, the Children's Hunger Alliance says Cuyahoga County is leaving millions unused.
"About $4.6 million that could be used to feed eligible children in Cuyahoga County is being left on the table simply because the parents or caregivers aren't aware of it," said Stephen Lilly, vice president of marketing for the alliance in Columbus.
Lilly's organization has worked with the state to increase the number of summer participants from 35,000 to 57,000 this year. That number, however, is less than one in ten eligible students.
In northeast Ohio, it's only slightly better.
"Of all the kids that are qualified, only 11 percent are getting meals," said state Rep. Sandra Williams, a Cleveland Democrat who represents the state's poorest state House district. "Eighty-nine percent of kids who could get meals are going hungry."
As economic times worsen, more students are eligible for the program.
"There are a lot of kids not being fed. Somewhere between the state, the federal government and the local communities," Williams said, "we're not reaching out."
Recognizing the challenges, the state has dropped the usual paperwork this fall in time for the school year. Children automatically will be enrolled in the lunch program, which should help ensure that no eligible students are missed.
About one in three students in Ohio receive free or reduced-price lunches through the program, with the federal government reimbursing the states. To qualify, a family of four must make less than about $39,000 a year.
An estimated 175 million meals -- or about 1.8 million a day -- were served to students in Ohio public schools during the 2006-07 school year. The state estimates it will get back about $228 million in federal money.
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