The Summer Food Service Program, made possible by federal dollars, is expanding across Kansas.



Ten new counties and 28 new sponsors will participate this summer, according to a press release from the Kansas State Department of Education.



Counties in this region joining the program include Kingman, Barber, Hamilton and Lane, according to the release.



Children can eat free and sponsors are reimbursed. Last year, sponsors in Kansas were reimbursed $4.05 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, according to the State Department of Education.



The program�s participation has jumped through the years. In 2011, more than 846,000 meals were served across the state. By 2015, that number had surged to 1.3 million.



In some communities where summer meals have been offered previously, new changes are being implemented to increase outreach. In Rice County, a Sterling USD 376 bus will pick up students from Alden, so those students can eat at Sterling Elementary School. Camps, day cares and driver education students also have eaten meals at Sterling, and Sandy Skucius, food service director for USD 376, said the average number of meals served in June 2015 was 118 meals a day, the press release said.