Record job losses and high unemployment will "push thousands more children into poverty," many for the first time, says Tony Pugh, a reporter for McClatchy Newspapers. The change could amount to a record number of children in the United States that will rely on free and reduced-price meals at school.

One indicator of the possible increased enrollment is the record number of families enrolled in the food stamp program, called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Children enrolled in that program are automatically eligible for both the school lunch and school breakfast programs. In May, 34.4 million people "used food stamps to buy groceries," an increase of 2 percent from April.

The increased enrollment is happening throughout the country. In central Florida's Polk County schools, there's been a 50 percent jump in the "number of students who pre-qualified for free lunches." In Illinois, Chicago public schools "have seen a 30 percent increase, going from 107,144 children eligible for free and reduced-cost meals at the start of last year" to a total of 139,417 this year."

Many of these students "will be newcomers to poverty," consisting of "the sons and daughters of laid-off energy and service sector employees or of relocated job seekers who've found it tougher than expected to find work."

While the districts currently receive a reimbursement from the United States Department of Agriculture in the amount of $2.68 per school meal, a report last year by the School Nutrition Association "found that the average cost to prepare a school meal was $2.90 in the last school year." It's a situation that leaves districts, who are already strapped for cash, in a difficult situation.

To learn more about how you can help work to ensure that all children in need have access to hot meals, and how we can increase the federal reimbursement rate, click here: http://campaignforqualityservices.org/a/schoolmeals/index.php.