Thousands more in 5 cities seek school lunch assistance

Across South Hampton Roads, thousands more families have signed up for subsid ized school lunches for their children.

"It'd be safe to say that has somethi ng to do with the economy," said Jay Ratliff, director of food services for the Virginia Beach school system, which is serving 2,000 more free or reduced-price lunches each weekday than it served last year.

In the five cities, the percentage of students getting free or subsidized lunches - generally for 40 cents or less - has risen for two years, with the largest increases this fall.

The need extends beyond the school doors.

Terry Webb, who helped coordinate Calvary Revival Church's Feed the City meal on Thanksgiving Day, saw near-record numbers of families at the 10-year-old event.

"We saw single fathers with children, couples with children and single mothers with children," said Webb, marketing director for the Norfolk church, which fed about 500 people Thursday.

Among schools, Portsmouth has seen the region's largest percentage increase in applications for help. About 800 more students get free or reduced-price meals this year than last. The jump follows a price increase from 85 or 95 cents to $1.25.

The full price for lunches in South Hampton Roads ranges from $1.25 to $2, depending on school system and grade level. Free or subsidized meals are available based on income, and families must either apply or receive public assistance to qualify. The federal government reimburses schools $2.57 for a free meal and $2.17 for a reduced-price meal. The School Nutrition Association estimates it costs schools $2.88 to prepare a lunch as prices remain high for milk, whole grains, fruits and vegetables.

Nationally, more than three-quarters of districts have seen an increase in free lunch participation this school year, according to preliminary results of a survey by the association, and 65 percent have seen an increase in reduced-price meals.

Half have seen a decrease in the number of students buying full price.

The trend seems to track increases in unemployment, said Erik Peterson, a spokesman for the School Nutrition Association, based in Alexandria. He said the last time families needed so much help was in 1993 and 1994.

"I think it'll be bigger this time," he said.

Suffolk, where the need for subsidized lunches had been dropping, is serving about 250 more free or reduced lunches this year.

"As we've torn down forests and stopped growing corn, the neighborhoods that have gone up have tended to be middle class," said spokeswoman Bethanne Bradshaw. So fewer schools have qualified for federal aid based on the number of low-income families, she said.

The number of children needing help with lunch money since 2006 bucks that trend.

Lauren Roth, (757) 222-5133, lauren.roth@pilotonline.com