More Ohio kids are eligible for free summer lunches that are actually getting them

Reporter Karen Kasler More kids ate free lunches last summer, but the agency that manages the state's summer lunch program says thousands more children are going hungry. That's the conclusion of a report from the Children's Hunger Alliance, which estimates more than 61,000 kids ate free lunches at 1,400 sites in Ohio each day last July. But Hunger Alliance CEO Mary Lou Langerhop estimates 148,000 kids could have gotten those free lunches. And she says this year, with the economy the way it is, more kids than ever are turning up at free lunch sites. Mary Lou Langerhop says more kids are coming for lunch than expected Other options: Realplayer / Windows Media / MP3 Download (0:20) Mary Lou Langerhop tells how many kids may be eligible for free lunches Other options: Realplayer / Windows Media / MP3 Download (0:17)

The summer lunch program has historically had problems finding enough sites, which are usually in schools, rec centers and libraries. Langerhop says that's especially difficult in rural ares, where lack of access to transportation can make it hard for kids to get to the free lunch site. And she says funding cuts to libraries and rec centers have created some challengers as well.