By Kia Gregory

Summer is the hungriest time of year for children in the city, according to the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger.

School is out, and tens of thousands of low-income students can no longer rely on school meals.

To fill the gap, on Friday Mayor Nutter announced the start of this year's free summer meals program. "When young people have empty stomachs," Nutter said, "it is harder to fill their minds with information and knowledge, and their days with constructive learning and play."

Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will provided to children at more than 1,000 recreation centers, churches, schools, parks, and community centers throughout the city, thanks to various federal and local agencies. Last year, nearly 90,000 children ate summer meals in Philadelphia, 44,000 fewer than the number who received school meals during the school year.

"There's no reason for any child to go hungry for even a day this summer," said Carey Morgan, executive director of the hunger coalition. "It's just a matter of getting the word out to more families." For more information and a site directory, visit www.hungercoalition.org or call 311.

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