8,000 hungry kids in central Wisconsin?

Of the more than 12,000 children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at central Wisconsin public schools, about one-third are getting food assistance during summer break.

Child advocates fear this means kids are going hungry.

Gannett Central Wisconsin Media compiled statistics from the largest public school districts in Marathon, Portage and Wood counties to determine the number of children enrolled in the free and reduced-price meal programs during the school year, and compared that with the numbers of children participating in summer programs where lunch is served.

The result: A gap of nearly 8,000 children.

The state Department of Public Instruction provides funding assistance through the federal Summer Food Service Program to school districts and nonprofit agencies to continue meal programs for all children ages 18 or younger, but only a fraction of the kids who are eligible are getting food through the program.

River Nitka, 7, of Plover is one of those who is. He is typical of many children fed through either a school district or nonprofit agency during the summer.

River is an intense, wiry boy with a shock of white-blond hair and piercing eyes who doesn't mince words. His face is serious when he talks about eating meals during the summer at the Plover site of the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County.

"It's good. I like it," he said. "Sometimes there's not much food (at home)."

Like thousands of other central Wisconsin parents, River's mother works long days to make sure bills are paid and her family is fed.

"I'm a single mom with four boys and it's not easy," said River's mother, Cara Nitka, who said she makes about $30,000 a year as a customer service representative at a Stevens Point company.

Besides the food program, after-school and summer child care is provided at community Boys & Girls Clubs for a minimal membership fee. Nitka said she's not sure how she would cope financially without the school lunch program and Boys & Girls Club.

"The meals make a huge difference and the boys have great opportunities to play with friends and be active at the Boys & Girls Club," she said.

The free and reduced-price meal program at schools is a federally-funded program administered by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for students from low-income families. It helps keep the price of lunch free or low for students to ensure they are getting the nutrition needed during the school day.

Meals are free to children who live in households with annual incomes at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty rate, which is about $31,000 per year for a family of four. Students approved for reduced-price meals are from households with an annual income that is under 185 percent of the poverty rate, or about $44,000 per year for a family of four.

The number of children enrolled is based on parents applying for the assistance. Not every family eligible necessarily applies for the program, school district officials say.

About 2,800 children qualify for free and reduced-price meals in the Stevens Point district. Of those, the district's summer school program is feeding about 1,000 children, based on the numbers of lunches served during the first two weeks of the program and provided by Sarah O'Donnell, administrative and public relations coordinator for the Stevens Point Area Public School District.

The Boys & Girls Club of Portage County is feeding another 350 children in the community this summer. Though Portage County is feeding an above-average number of its eligible kids, Brittany Melby, director of development and marketing for the club, said more children need help.

"This is a serious challenge," Melby said.

Consistent nutrition critical for children

Melby and other advocates are worried about kids going hungry over the summer because nutritious, healthy meals and snacks are integral to the development of children.

Boys & Girls Clubs across central Wisconsin are making sure Nitka and other children get more than a safe place to play over the summer. They also are ensuring that kids are eating nutritious food during their summer break from public school.

"Good food is critically important to for a child's growth and development," Melby said. "Their bodies, their brains are developing and nutrition is key."

"Sometimes I think our Boys and Girls Club is one of the best kept secrets in Stevens Point," Melby said. "If we had 100 additional children show up tomorrow, this would be the best problem in the world. We want to help children, to serve the kids who need it the most."

Meeting the need

While the major school districts in Stevens Point, Wausau and Wisconsin Rapids provide meal sites open to all children age 18 or younger during summer school, regardless of whether they are enrolled in public school, the Marshfield district does not have a similar program.

The Marshfield district looked into providing a summer food program, but didn't meet the federal requirement, said Dee Wells, district superintendent.

About one-third of the Marshfield district's 4,000 students were enrolled in the free and reduced-price meal program during the 2014-15 school year, according to state records.

"(Providing a summer food program) is something to keep our eyes on. This could change in the future," Wells said.

A fraction of those students, about 100 children, get lunch during the summer school session through enrollment in other programs in Marshfield. About 50 children eat lunch through the Marshfield Clinic Youth Net and Lincoln Elementary School programs, said Jennifer Smith, the food service coordinator for the programs.

Another 50 children are being helped through a summer food distribution program started by the Marshfield Area United Way to continue to support children in the agency's school-year program, Nutrition on Weekends, that sends backpacks of snack foods home with eligible children on Fridays for the weekend. About 20 families signed up for the summer program, said Mary Wolff, program coordinator the the United Way.

Beyond schools

Even when school districts provide summer feeding programs, they come with one big disadvantage, said Kim Larson, director of development at the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area. The summer school programs operate only during part of the summer while the Boys & Girls Clubs are open throughout the year.

In 2014, the Wausau school district summer program fed about 1,400 of the more than 4,000 district children enrolled in free or reduced-price lunches during the school year. The city's Boys & Girls Club fed another 550 during the summer.

In Wisconsin Rapids, the district summer-school program fed about 100 of the more than 2,000 children enrolled in free or reduced-price lunches during the school year with the city's Boys & Girls Club feeding another 744 children.

A common frustration among school officials and nonprofit food program organizers is that not all families participate in the summer programs.

The stigma of poverty may prevent some from participating, O'Donnell said. Each year, the Stevens Point district sends home with children the information about program participation, she said.

"Sometimes parents think they will get by during the summer without doing something like this," Melby said. "But we'd really like to help their kids." It's a conundrum that is difficult to unravel, she said.

To ensure affordability, the membership fee at Boys & Girls Clubs around central Wisconsin is minimal and can be waived for qualifying families, Melby said.

But a hindrance to families participating is that the Boys & Girls Clubs are perceived as facilities which are designed to help "troubled kids," Cara Nitka said.

"A lot of people don't understand that this is for all school-age kids and they have really good programs and activities throughout the year," she said.

Nitka said she learned about the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County through a fund-raising event for the club held at her workplace. She's been an advocate for the club ever since she enrolled her children, she said.

"It's a great place for my boys," Nitka said. "River especially likes the one-on-one games he plays with different male staff members. That interaction with another man is good for him and he enjoys the challenge when they play ping pong or something like that."

The marketing budgets for area Boys & Girls Clubs are meager and the organization often relies on publicity from fund-raising campaigns or word-of-mouth among participants and parents, agency directors said.

"Participating in something like this is important for children," Larson said. "Their bodies and brains are growing and they need the good nutrition. We also offer kids activities and a safe place to play and be with friends during the summer."

"We know there are a lot of children who could be participating but don't," she said. "Sometimes kids think it will be fun to stay home but now they're starting to get bored and need something to do," Larson said. "We'd love to see those kids here."

Reporter Liz Welter can be reached at 715-384-3131, or by email at lwelter@newsheraldmedia.com. Find her on Twitter as @welter_liz .

By the numbers

The number of children during the 2013-2014 school year who qualified for free and reduced lunch per school district:

•Of the 5,631 students enrolled in the D.C. Everest schools, 1,929 qualified, which is 34 percent of the children.

•Of the 4,063 students enrolled in the Marshfield schools, 1,400 qualified, which is 34 percent of the children.

•Of the 7,402 students enrolled in the Stevens Point schools, 2,795 qualified, which is 37 percent of the children.

•Of the 8,626 students enrolled in the Wausau schools, 4,118 qualified, which is 47 percent of the children

•Of the 5,322 students enrolled in the Wisconsin Rapids schools, 2,394 qualified, which is 44 percent of the children.

Source: Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

For more information about sites providing free meals

D.C. Everest Area School District:

Call the district office at 715-359-4221

Call the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area at 715-845-2582

Portage County:

Call the Stevens Point Area School District at 715-345-5444

Call the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County at 715-341-4386

Call the Stevens Point YMCA at

Wausau:

Call the Wausau School District at 715-261-0500

Call the Boys & Girls Club of the Wausau Area at 715-845-2582.

Wisconsin Rapids:

Call the Wisconsin Rapids Public Schools at 715-424-6700

Call the Boys & Girls Club of the Wisconsin Rapids Area at 715-424-2582

For sites in other communities:

Check the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website