Only 18 out of every 100 students who receive free or reduced-price lunches during the school year participate in federal summer-nutrition programs, according to a report by the Food Research and Action Center.
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The report from the Washington-based research and advocacy organization also found that participation in summer-meals programs fell by 8.1 percent from July 2000 to July 2005. It concludes that sponsoring groups and potential sponsors were put off by the programs’ complex reporting and accounting requirements, causing some to drop the programs and others to decide not to offer them.
About 2.8 million children received federally subsidized meals at parks, schools, churches, recreation centers, and community sites during the summer of 2005.
