0 9 4 7 7 2 5 4

3 2 1 4 2

abcdeM o n d a y , A u g u s t 3 , 2 0 0 9

Suggested retail price

$1.00$1.50 outside ofMetro Boston

*

V O L U M E 2 7 6N U M B E R 3 4

For breaking news, updated Globestories, and more, visit:

STEAM WEAVER

Today: Humid, a mix of sun andclouds. High 79-84.

Tomorrow: A.M. fog gives way topatchy clouds. High 85-90.

High Tide: 10:29 a.m., 10:34 p.m. Sunrise: 5:39 Sunset: 8:01

Full Report: Page B11

BUSINESS | Science & Innovation, B5

IN SPORTS: RED SOX SWEEP ORIOLES IN 18-10 SLUGFEST

Sweet taste, bitter effectsSugary drinks targeted in obesity battle

Mapping the brain

The Pentagon has identifiedthe remains of the last Ameri-can declared missing in actionfrom the Gulf War: Navy pilotMichael Scott Speicher ofFlorida. A6.

Israelis rallied in support ofthe homosexual communityafter a gunman killed twopeople at a center for gay youthand escaped. Meirav (aboveleft) and Chen Katz, sisters ofone of the victims, Nir Katz,mourned during his funeral. A4.

Boston Mayor Thomas M.Menino is promoting hisvitality as a leader as he cam-paigns in the most competitiveelection season of histenure. B1.

Two men were killed in achaotic early-morning shoot-ing at an Uphams Corner res-taurant in Dorchester. B1.

Conservative and liberalleaders in Iran angrily de-nounced their nation’s masstrial of political activists, withone demanding authoritiesprosecute instead those whokilled protesters. A3.

‘‘Cash for clunkers’’ rebateswill stop unless Congressprovides $2 billion more forthe popular car sales incentiveplan, the US transportationsecretary said. A6.

The Obama administration isconsidering creating a judi-cial and penal system forsuspected terrorists within asingle existing maximum-security prison in the UnitedStates. A2.

Cambridge Police Departmentis offering a forensics anddetectives course for teen-agers in an effort to improverelations and build interest inpolicing as a career. B1

In the news

‘‘When charters accountfor a small fraction of adistrict’s studentpopulation, the harmfuleffects on the traditionalschools are minimal.Where they account for agreater proportion ofstudents, the effects willbe devastating.’’Opinion. A11

POINT OF VIEW: DAVID SEGAL

FeaturesBusiness B5-7Deaths B8-10Editorials A10Lottery B2Weather B11Movie timesG9-11

© Globe Newspaper Co.

ClassifiedNotices B4

gTV/Radio, Comics,Crossword,Sudoku, KenKen,Movies, Horoscope

Inside

Have a news tip? E-mail newstip@globe.com or call617-929-TIPS (8477). Othercontact information, B2.

By Bob HohlerGLOBE STAFF

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino willannounce today the creation of a multi-million-dollar charitable foundation andconsortium of professional sports teams,colleges and universities, and corporationsto enhance opportunities for Boston stu-

dent-athletes — a potential breakthroughfor Boston’s chronically underfunded highschool athletic system.

The partnership plans to boost the an-nual athletic budget for the Boston publicschools over the next three years fromabout $4 million to an average of $6.5 mil-lion, a 61.5 percent increase with the po-

tential to restore the system’s respectabil-ity. Menino launched the initiative after aGlobe series detailed deep-rooted inade-quacies in equipment, facilities, coaching,and academic eligibility in the schoolsports system.

‘‘It’s a new renaissance for the athleticand academic programs in the Bostonpublic schools,’’ Menino said Friday.‘‘These kids need help, and we’re going togive them that little extra to make surethey’re successful.’’

In an innovative collaboration that

grants a private organization unusualpower in managing public schools, Roxbu-ry-based Suffolk Construction Co.’s Red &Blue Foundation will administer the newBoston Scholar Athlete Program. Founda-tion officials — including a new executiveathletic director and chief academic offi-cer — will report directly to Menino andparticipate in hiring and evaluating coach-es.

Initial indications are that the BostonTeachers Union will agree to the arrange-

Boston to get school athletics boostFoundation created to funnel millionsto underfunded programs, hire coaches

SPORTS, Page A8

By Lisa WangsnessGLOBE STAFF

WASHINGTON — CongressionalDemocrats — under assault from Repub-licans who say their approach to health-care overhaul is too expensive, rushed,and heavy-handed— are heading into thesummer recess with a target of theirown: insurers.

They are casting the insurance indus-try as an obstacle to cheaper coverage forall, and in doing so, are taking aim at anerstwhile ally.

Democrats and the White House havespent much of the last year flaunting thenewfound cooperation of old enemieslike drug companies and the insuranceindustry. But now they face a new politi-cal calculus. The House left Washingtonon Friday afternoon without a floor voteon an overhaul, the Senate, which leavesthis Friday, is even farther behind.

Lawmakers will now cast crucial ini-tial votes on a healthcare overhaul afterspending a month talking with constitu-ents at backyard barbecues and icecream socials. Insurers, unpopular withthe public, are an easy target in makingpoints with voters.

‘‘We have a public option to keep

Democratsnow callinsurersan obstacleCooperation fades,health fight flares

HEALTHCARE, Page A6

By Tripp UnderwoodGLOBE CORRESPONDENT

When Claudia Deane, a research director at a Boston executive searchfirm, was laid off last year, she decidedthe best way to improve her odds oflanding a new job was by working forfree.

Deane wanted a position in recordsmanagement but lacked the experienceto get hired in a market flooded without-of-work records managers. She start-ed doing volunteer record keeping forthe Metropolitan Boston Housing Part-nership, a nonprofit agency that helpslow-income families find affordablehousing.

At a time when companies aren’t like-ly to consider inexperienced applicants,more professionals are seeking ways tobeef up their resumes by volunteeringfor work at nonprofit agencies. Many ofthem are unemployed, or worried aboutjob security. Some have well-polished

Volunteersdiscoveranother pathin job huntNonprofits offer wayto rechart careers

VOLUNTEERING, Page A9

By Tara BallengerGLOBE CORRESPONDENT

Many low-income children livingin suburban communities such asFramingham, Northbridge, Nor-wood, and Waltham do not have ac-cess to federally-funded free lunchprograms during school vacation,even as the recession has increasedthe number of families needing help.

The program is intended to en-sure that children who get freelunches at school don’t go hungryduring the summer, but in recentyears just one in five Massachusettschildren in the school lunch programhave also been served in the summer,according to the state Department ofElementary and Secondary Educa-tion.

The problem is twofold, antihun-

ger activists say: In most cases, thegovernment pays for the feeding lo-cations only in neighborhoods wheremore than half the children are eligi-ble for free and reduced-pricelunches; and the federal governmentpays so little per meal that the foodprograms often operate at a loss.Making up the difference is becom-ing harder for public schools and so-cial service programs with tightbudgets.

Framingham, for example, closedone of its three free meal sites thissummer because the district could nolonger afford to pay for air condition-ing and janitorial services in theschool that housed the program.

Carla Dominguez lives withinwalking distance of that school,Woodrow Wilson Elementary, andher two boys, now 14 and 15, in pastsummers would eat lunch there sev-eral times a week.

PHOTOS BY BILL GREENE/GLOBE STAFF

Maureen Foreman handed out food at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Framingham, which offers free lunches.

An unwanted summer break

‘Groceries are not inexpensive,especially when you try to buy

healthy food.’

CARLA DOMINGUEZ (ABOVE)Making lunch for sons Steven (front) and Carlos, who

formerly had access to a subsidized lunch program

More families missfree school lunch

LUNCH PROGRAM, Page A12

By Vivian NereimGLOBE CORRESPONDENT

NEWTON — Under the hotsun outside the BostonCollege admissions office, asummer rite commenced.Clutching shiny brochures

and ice-cold bottles of water, prospectivestudents set out across campus behindZachary Wielgus, a chipper 20-year-oldtour guide.

The tradition unfolded as it has fordecades: Parents embarrassed theirchildren with questions about campussecurity; Wielgus, a BC junior, crackedjokes; and teenage hopefuls struggled tostrike a balance between totally uncoolenthusiasm and boredom.

Despite the troubled economy, thecost of travel, and the growth of onlinevirtual visits, the New England collegetour not only endures, but thrives — with

In step with tradition: Campus tours thriving

ESSDRAS M SUAREZ/GLOBE STAFF

Guide Erica Lokken (left) led a group around Tufts University in Medford.CAMPUS TOURS, Page A9

URIEL SINAI/GETTY IMAGES

GL A1 01:27 FOURTH RED BLUE YELLOW Black

0 9 4 7 7 2 5 4

3 2 1 4 2

abcdeM o n d a y , A u g u s t 3 , 2 0 0 9

Suggested retail price

$1.00$1.50 outside ofMetro Boston

*

V O L U M E 2 7 6N U M B E R 3 4

For breaking news, updated Globestories, and more, visit:

STEAM WEAVER

Today: Humid, a mix of sun andclouds. High 79-84.

Tomorrow: A.M. fog gives way topatchy clouds. High 85-90.

High Tide: 10:29 a.m., 10:34 p.m. Sunrise: 5:39 Sunset: 8:01

Full Report: Page B11

BUSINESS | Science & Innovation, B5

IN SPORTS: RED SOX SWEEP ORIOLES IN 18-10 SLUGFEST

Sweet taste, bitter effectsSugary drinks targeted in obesity battle

Mapping the brain

The Pentagon has identifiedthe remains of the last Ameri-can declared missing in actionfrom the Gulf War: Navy pilotMichael Scott Speicher ofFlorida. A6.

Israelis rallied in support ofthe homosexual communityafter a gunman killed twopeople at a center for gay youthand escaped. Meirav (aboveleft) and Chen Katz, sisters ofone of the victims, Nir Katz,mourned during his funeral. A4.

Boston Mayor Thomas M.Menino is promoting hisvitality as a leader as he cam-paigns in the most competitiveelection season of histenure. B1.

Two men were killed in achaotic early-morning shoot-ing at an Uphams Corner res-taurant in Dorchester. B1.

Conservative and liberalleaders in Iran angrily de-nounced their nation’s masstrial of political activists, withone demanding authoritiesprosecute instead those whokilled protesters. A3.

‘‘Cash for clunkers’’ rebateswill stop unless Congressprovides $2 billion more forthe popular car sales incentiveplan, the US transportationsecretary said. A6.

The Obama administration isconsidering creating a judi-cial and penal system forsuspected terrorists within asingle existing maximum-security prison in the UnitedStates. A2.

Cambridge Police Departmentis offering a forensics anddetectives course for teen-agers in an effort to improverelations and build interest inpolicing as a career. B1

In the news

‘‘When charters accountfor a small fraction of adistrict’s studentpopulation, the harmfuleffects on the traditionalschools are minimal.Where they account for agreater proportion ofstudents, the effects willbe devastating.’’Opinion. A11

POINT OF VIEW: DAVID SEGAL

FeaturesBusiness B5-7Deaths B8-10Editorials A10Lottery B2Weather B11Movie timesG9-11

© Globe Newspaper Co.

ClassifiedNotices B4

gTV/Radio, Comics,Crossword,Sudoku, KenKen,Movies, Horoscope

Inside

Have a news tip? E-mail newstip@globe.com or call617-929-TIPS (8477). Othercontact information, B2.

By Bob HohlerGLOBE STAFF

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino willannounce today the creation of a multi-million-dollar charitable foundation andconsortium of professional sports teams,colleges and universities, and corporationsto enhance opportunities for Boston stu-

dent-athletes — a potential breakthroughfor Boston’s chronically underfunded highschool athletic system.

The partnership plans to boost the an-nual athletic budget for the Boston publicschools over the next three years fromabout $4 million to an average of $6.5 mil-lion, a 61.5 percent increase with the po-

tential to restore the system’s respectabil-ity. Menino launched the initiative after aGlobe series detailed deep-rooted inade-quacies in equipment, facilities, coaching,and academic eligibility in the schoolsports system.

‘‘It’s a new renaissance for the athleticand academic programs in the Bostonpublic schools,’’ Menino said Friday.‘‘These kids need help, and we’re going togive them that little extra to make surethey’re successful.’’

In an innovative collaboration that

grants a private organization unusualpower in managing public schools, Roxbu-ry-based Suffolk Construction Co.’s Red &Blue Foundation will administer the newBoston Scholar Athlete Program. Founda-tion officials — including a new executiveathletic director and chief academic offi-cer — will report directly to Menino andparticipate in hiring and evaluating coach-es.

Initial indications are that the BostonTeachers Union will agree to the arrange-

Boston to get school athletics boostFoundation created to funnel millionsto underfunded programs, hire coaches

SPORTS, Page A8

By Lisa WangsnessGLOBE STAFF

WASHINGTON — CongressionalDemocrats — under assault from Repub-licans who say their approach to health-care overhaul is too expensive, rushed,and heavy-handed— are heading into thesummer recess with a target of theirown: insurers.

They are casting the insurance indus-try as an obstacle to cheaper coverage forall, and in doing so, are taking aim at anerstwhile ally.

Democrats and the White House havespent much of the last year flaunting thenewfound cooperation of old enemieslike drug companies and the insuranceindustry. But now they face a new politi-cal calculus. The House left Washingtonon Friday afternoon without a floor voteon an overhaul, the Senate, which leavesthis Friday, is even farther behind.

Lawmakers will now cast crucial ini-tial votes on a healthcare overhaul afterspending a month talking with constitu-ents at backyard barbecues and icecream socials. Insurers, unpopular withthe public, are an easy target in makingpoints with voters.

‘‘We have a public option to keep

Democratsnow callinsurersan obstacleCooperation fades,health fight flares

HEALTHCARE, Page A6

By Tripp UnderwoodGLOBE CORRESPONDENT

When Claudia Deane, a research director at a Boston executive searchfirm, was laid off last year, she decidedthe best way to improve her odds oflanding a new job was by working forfree.

Deane wanted a position in recordsmanagement but lacked the experienceto get hired in a market flooded without-of-work records managers. She start-ed doing volunteer record keeping forthe Metropolitan Boston Housing Part-nership, a nonprofit agency that helpslow-income families find affordablehousing.

At a time when companies aren’t like-ly to consider inexperienced applicants,more professionals are seeking ways tobeef up their resumes by volunteeringfor work at nonprofit agencies. Many ofthem are unemployed, or worried aboutjob security. Some have well-polished

Volunteersdiscoveranother pathin job huntNonprofits offer wayto rechart careers

VOLUNTEERING, Page A9

By Tara BallengerGLOBE CORRESPONDENT

Many low-income children livingin suburban communities such asFramingham, Northbridge, Nor-wood, and Waltham do not have ac-cess to federally-funded free lunchprograms during school vacation,even as the recession has increasedthe number of families needing help.

The program is intended to en-sure that children who get freelunches at school don’t go hungryduring the summer, but in recentyears just one in five Massachusettschildren in the school lunch programhave also been served in the summer,according to the state Department ofElementary and Secondary Educa-tion.

The problem is twofold, antihun-

ger activists say: In most cases, thegovernment pays for the feeding lo-cations only in neighborhoods wheremore than half the children are eligi-ble for free and reduced-pricelunches; and the federal governmentpays so little per meal that the foodprograms often operate at a loss.Making up the difference is becom-ing harder for public schools and so-cial service programs with tightbudgets.

Framingham, for example, closedone of its three free meal sites thissummer because the district could nolonger afford to pay for air condition-ing and janitorial services in theschool that housed the program.

Carla Dominguez lives withinwalking distance of that school,Woodrow Wilson Elementary, andher two boys, now 14 and 15, in pastsummers would eat lunch there sev-eral times a week.

PHOTOS BY BILL GREENE/GLOBE STAFF

Maureen Foreman handed out food at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Framingham, which offers free lunches.

An unwanted summer break

‘Groceries are not inexpensive,especially when you try to buy

healthy food.’

CARLA DOMINGUEZ (ABOVE)Making lunch for sons Steven (front) and Carlos, who

formerly had access to a subsidized lunch program

More families missfree school lunch

LUNCH PROGRAM, Page A12

By Vivian NereimGLOBE CORRESPONDENT

NEWTON — Under the hotsun outside the BostonCollege admissions office, asummer rite commenced.Clutching shiny brochures

and ice-cold bottles of water, prospectivestudents set out across campus behindZachary Wielgus, a chipper 20-year-oldtour guide.

The tradition unfolded as it has fordecades: Parents embarrassed theirchildren with questions about campussecurity; Wielgus, a BC junior, crackedjokes; and teenage hopefuls struggled tostrike a balance between totally uncoolenthusiasm and boredom.

Despite the troubled economy, thecost of travel, and the growth of onlinevirtual visits, the New England collegetour not only endures, but thrives — with

In step with tradition: Campus tours thriving

ESSDRAS M SUAREZ/GLOBE STAFF

Guide Erica Lokken (left) led a group around Tufts University in Medford.CAMPUS TOURS, Page A9

URIEL SINAI/GETTY IMAGES

GL A1 01:27 FOURTH RED BLUE YELLOW Black

A12 The Region M O N D A Y , A U G U S T 3 , 2 0 0 9T H E B O S T O N G L O B E

‘‘It helped keep my food budg-et down,’’ said Dominguez, a sin-gle mother who works part timein a retail store. Her hours werecut recently, reducing an already-stretched income.

‘‘Groceries are not inexpen-sive, especially when you try tobuy healthy food,’’ she said.

Statewide, 4,600 more chil-dren qualified for free and re-duced lunches in the 2007-2008school year than in the year be-fore. Yet 300 fewer children wereserved in the summer lunch pro-gram in 2008 than during sum-mer 2007, according to the FoodResearch and Action Center, a re-search and advocacy group inWashington, D.C., which usednumbers provided by the US De-partment of Agriculture. Data forthis year are not yet available.

A shortage of sites in the sub-urbs is a major factor in erodingthe number served. In metropoli-tan Boston, 35 percent of thechildren who receive subsidizedmeals during the school year donot live in an area that qualifiesfor federal reimbursement for asummer food program, said AlanBerube, senior fellow at theBrookings Institution in Wash-ington. Most of those childrenlive outside Boston and Cam-bridge.

The Summer Food ServiceProgram is set to be reauthorizedby Congress this fall, and the ad-vocates are lobbying lawmakersto make it more accessible.

When the program was creat-ed in 1975, only 33 percent of the

children in a neighborhood hadto be low-income for a school orother feeding location to qualifyfor federal funding. In 1981, thatwas changed to 50 percent tosave money, and the next yearparticipation dropped by 25 per-cent, or half a million children,according to the US Departmentof Agriculture.

‘‘It is extremely difficult forsuburban and rural areas thatdon’t meet the 50 percent thresh-old to provide food for children

in hunger,’’ said Crystal FitzSi-mons, director of school and out-of-school time programs atWashington’s Food Research andAction Center. It is lobbying Con-gress to lower the rate to 40 per-cent.

In the current budget climate,funding a program expansioncan be very difficult. The Demo-cratic chairman and top Republi-can on the Senate Committee onAgriculture, Nutrition, and For-estry have expressed their

support for child nutrition pro-grams in general, but neitherwould comment on the specificsof the reauthorization because ithasn’t been discussed yet.

In Framingham, where morethan one in three children qual-ify for free meals, a nonprofit or-ganization that had sponsoredfeeding sites bowed out this year.Brendan Ryan, food services di-rector for the Framingham Pub-lic Schools, said he cobbled to-gether $15,000 in grants to keepthis summer’s feeding programgoing, but that wasn’t enough tooperate all the sites, thoughlunches also are being providedat local YMCA camps.

‘‘We can’t feed everyone,’’Ryan said. ‘‘At some point youhave to say, ‘that’s all.’ ’’

Suburban poverty can be de-ceptive, said Jeff Kirk, lieutenantof the Salvation Army in Fra-mingham.

‘‘It’s not a typical ghetto, andit doesn’t look like an impover-ished place, but the need is stillhere,’’ he said.

The Salvation Army runs afood pantry and offers free din-ners to the community throughits Miracle Kitchen, which isstaffed entirely by volunteers. Itused to offer lunches year-roundalong with the town’s CivicLeague, but budget cuts endedboth programs last fall.

In Waltham, 40 percent, or1,900, of the students are on freeand reduced-price lunches dur-ing the school year. However, on-ly one of the city’s nine schoolsmeets the 50 percent eligibilitycriteria. As a result, all four ofWaltham’s summer drop-inlunch sites are within 1.5 miles ofeach other, with none in the restof the city.

Northbridge is one of severalcommunities where no singleschool meets the 50 percent eligi-bility requirement. Though near-ly 25 percent of Northbridge chil-dren qualify for free orreduced-price lunches during theschool year, the town has nosummer food program.

‘‘I seriously cannot stand thefact that there are hungry andunderfed children in my owncommunity,’’ said Laurie Sabou-rin, program coordinator atNorthbridge’s Blackstone ValleyUnited Methodist Church Peaceof Bread Community Kitchen. ‘‘Itis a real issue, and sadly for themost part not really acknowl-edged for the problem it is.’’

Peace of Bread has been serv-ing dinners for six years. Afterseeing an increase in child hun-ger, it started serving lunchesone day a week last year. Thisyear, the program was expandedto three days a week, with up to90 children coming each day.

Though Peace of Bread re-ceives money and volunteersfrom many churches in town, Sa-bourin said, ‘‘we do not reach asmany children and families as wewould like, simply because manyof those in the most need do nothave the transportation to get toour lunches or dinners.’’

In Norwood, another commu-nity without a summer food pro-gram for children, social serviceworker Aislynn Rodeghiero sev-en years ago founded AbundantTable, a nonprofit group thatfeeds about 100 people each day.

‘‘Suburban poverty is some-thing that’s hidden,’’ she said.‘‘But if you take a little time tolook beyond the nice houses andnice cars and fancy restaurants,it’s there.’’

Tara Ballenger can be reached attballenger@globe.com.

Many miss out on summer lunch

BILL GREENE/GLOBE STAFF

With the aid of their granddaughter Lacey Ann Nelson, Winston and Maureen Foreman run afree bag-lunch program at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Framingham twice a week.

º LUNCH PROGRAMContinued from Page A1

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•••

GL A12 00:41 THIRD RED BLUE YELLOW Black

A12 The Region M O N D A Y , A U G U S T 3 , 2 0 0 9T H E B O S T O N G L O B E

‘‘It helped keep my food budg-et down,’’ said Dominguez, a sin-gle mother who works part timein a retail store. Her hours werecut recently, reducing an already-stretched income.

‘‘Groceries are not inexpen-sive, especially when you try tobuy healthy food,’’ she said.

Statewide, 4,600 more chil-dren qualified for free and re-duced lunches in the 2007-2008school year than in the year be-fore. Yet 300 fewer children wereserved in the summer lunch pro-gram in 2008 than during sum-mer 2007, according to the FoodResearch and Action Center, a re-search and advocacy group inWashington, D.C., which usednumbers provided by the US De-partment of Agriculture. Data forthis year are not yet available.

A shortage of sites in the sub-urbs is a major factor in erodingthe number served. In metropoli-tan Boston, 35 percent of thechildren who receive subsidizedmeals during the school year donot live in an area that qualifiesfor federal reimbursement for asummer food program, said AlanBerube, senior fellow at theBrookings Institution in Wash-ington. Most of those childrenlive outside Boston and Cam-bridge.

The Summer Food ServiceProgram is set to be reauthorizedby Congress this fall, and the ad-vocates are lobbying lawmakersto make it more accessible.

When the program was creat-ed in 1975, only 33 percent of the

children in a neighborhood hadto be low-income for a school orother feeding location to qualifyfor federal funding. In 1981, thatwas changed to 50 percent tosave money, and the next yearparticipation dropped by 25 per-cent, or half a million children,according to the US Departmentof Agriculture.

‘‘It is extremely difficult forsuburban and rural areas thatdon’t meet the 50 percent thresh-old to provide food for children

in hunger,’’ said Crystal FitzSi-mons, director of school and out-of-school time programs atWashington’s Food Research andAction Center. It is lobbying Con-gress to lower the rate to 40 per-cent.

In the current budget climate,funding a program expansioncan be very difficult. The Demo-cratic chairman and top Republi-can on the Senate Committee onAgriculture, Nutrition, and For-estry have expressed their

support for child nutrition pro-grams in general, but neitherwould comment on the specificsof the reauthorization because ithasn’t been discussed yet.

In Framingham, where morethan one in three children qual-ify for free meals, a nonprofit or-ganization that had sponsoredfeeding sites bowed out this year.Brendan Ryan, food services di-rector for the Framingham Pub-lic Schools, said he cobbled to-gether $15,000 in grants to keepthis summer’s feeding programgoing, but that wasn’t enough tooperate all the sites, thoughlunches also are being providedat local YMCA camps.

‘‘We can’t feed everyone,’’Ryan said. ‘‘At some point youhave to say, ‘that’s all.’ ’’

Suburban poverty can be de-ceptive, said Jeff Kirk, lieutenantof the Salvation Army in Fra-mingham.

‘‘It’s not a typical ghetto, andit doesn’t look like an impover-ished place, but the need is stillhere,’’ he said.

The Salvation Army runs afood pantry and offers free din-ners to the community throughits Miracle Kitchen, which isstaffed entirely by volunteers. Itused to offer lunches year-roundalong with the town’s CivicLeague, but budget cuts endedboth programs last fall.

In Waltham, 40 percent, or1,900, of the students are on freeand reduced-price lunches dur-ing the school year. However, on-ly one of the city’s nine schoolsmeets the 50 percent eligibilitycriteria. As a result, all four ofWaltham’s summer drop-inlunch sites are within 1.5 miles ofeach other, with none in the restof the city.

Northbridge is one of severalcommunities where no singleschool meets the 50 percent eligi-bility requirement. Though near-ly 25 percent of Northbridge chil-dren qualify for free orreduced-price lunches during theschool year, the town has nosummer food program.

‘‘I seriously cannot stand thefact that there are hungry andunderfed children in my owncommunity,’’ said Laurie Sabou-rin, program coordinator atNorthbridge’s Blackstone ValleyUnited Methodist Church Peaceof Bread Community Kitchen. ‘‘Itis a real issue, and sadly for themost part not really acknowl-edged for the problem it is.’’

Peace of Bread has been serv-ing dinners for six years. Afterseeing an increase in child hun-ger, it started serving lunchesone day a week last year. Thisyear, the program was expandedto three days a week, with up to90 children coming each day.

Though Peace of Bread re-ceives money and volunteersfrom many churches in town, Sa-bourin said, ‘‘we do not reach asmany children and families as wewould like, simply because manyof those in the most need do nothave the transportation to get toour lunches or dinners.’’

In Norwood, another commu-nity without a summer food pro-gram for children, social serviceworker Aislynn Rodeghiero sev-en years ago founded AbundantTable, a nonprofit group thatfeeds about 100 people each day.

‘‘Suburban poverty is some-thing that’s hidden,’’ she said.‘‘But if you take a little time tolook beyond the nice houses andnice cars and fancy restaurants,it’s there.’’

Tara Ballenger can be reached attballenger@globe.com.

Many miss out on summer lunch

BILL GREENE/GLOBE STAFF

With the aid of their granddaughter Lacey Ann Nelson, Winston and Maureen Foreman run afree bag-lunch program at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Framingham twice a week.

º LUNCH PROGRAMContinued from Page A1

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The Comcast “FBI” Triple Playwith Faster Better Internet that should be illegal.

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Offer expires August 23, 2009.Call 1.800.COMCAST today!

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Visit BostonGlobeStore.com or call 1.888.665.2667.

Prices subject to change. Taxes and shipping not included. Supplies are limited.

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Red Sox Kooky Klicker PensSet of two.

$999 Search: KOOKY

Red Sox BackpackCeltics, Bruins and Patriots also available.

$2499 Search: BACKPACK

Patriots Lunch BoxSox and Celtics also available.

$1199 Search: LUNCHBOX

Visit BostonGlobeStore.com or call 1.888.665.2667.

•••

GL A12 00:41 THIRD RED BLUE YELLOW Black

A12 The Region M O N D A Y , A U G U S T 3 , 2 0 0 9T H E B O S T O N G L O B E

‘‘It helped keep my food budg-et down,’’ said Dominguez, a sin-gle mother who works part timein a retail store. Her hours werecut recently, reducing an already-stretched income.

‘‘Groceries are not inexpen-sive, especially when you try tobuy healthy food,’’ she said.

Statewide, 4,600 more chil-dren qualified for free and re-duced lunches in the 2007-2008school year than in the year be-fore. Yet 300 fewer children wereserved in the summer lunch pro-gram in 2008 than during sum-mer 2007, according to the FoodResearch and Action Center, a re-search and advocacy group inWashington, D.C., which usednumbers provided by the US De-partment of Agriculture. Data forthis year are not yet available.

A shortage of sites in the sub-urbs is a major factor in erodingthe number served. In metropoli-tan Boston, 35 percent of thechildren who receive subsidizedmeals during the school year donot live in an area that qualifiesfor federal reimbursement for asummer food program, said AlanBerube, senior fellow at theBrookings Institution in Wash-ington. Most of those childrenlive outside Boston and Cam-bridge.

The Summer Food ServiceProgram is set to be reauthorizedby Congress this fall, and the ad-vocates are lobbying lawmakersto make it more accessible.

When the program was creat-ed in 1975, only 33 percent of the

children in a neighborhood hadto be low-income for a school orother feeding location to qualifyfor federal funding. In 1981, thatwas changed to 50 percent tosave money, and the next yearparticipation dropped by 25 per-cent, or half a million children,according to the US Departmentof Agriculture.

‘‘It is extremely difficult forsuburban and rural areas thatdon’t meet the 50 percent thresh-old to provide food for children

in hunger,’’ said Crystal FitzSi-mons, director of school and out-of-school time programs atWashington’s Food Research andAction Center. It is lobbying Con-gress to lower the rate to 40 per-cent.

In the current budget climate,funding a program expansioncan be very difficult. The Demo-cratic chairman and top Republi-can on the Senate Committee onAgriculture, Nutrition, and For-estry have expressed their

support for child nutrition pro-grams in general, but neitherwould comment on the specificsof the reauthorization because ithasn’t been discussed yet.

In Framingham, where morethan one in three children qual-ify for free meals, a nonprofit or-ganization that had sponsoredfeeding sites bowed out this year.Brendan Ryan, food services di-rector for the Framingham Pub-lic Schools, said he cobbled to-gether $15,000 in grants to keepthis summer’s feeding programgoing, but that wasn’t enough tooperate all the sites, thoughlunches also are being providedat local YMCA camps.

‘‘We can’t feed everyone,’’Ryan said. ‘‘At some point youhave to say, ‘that’s all.’ ’’

Suburban poverty can be de-ceptive, said Jeff Kirk, lieutenantof the Salvation Army in Fra-mingham.

‘‘It’s not a typical ghetto, andit doesn’t look like an impover-ished place, but the need is stillhere,’’ he said.

The Salvation Army runs afood pantry and offers free din-ners to the community throughits Miracle Kitchen, which isstaffed entirely by volunteers. Itused to offer lunches year-roundalong with the town’s CivicLeague, but budget cuts endedboth programs last fall.

In Waltham, 40 percent, or1,900, of the students are on freeand reduced-price lunches dur-ing the school year. However, on-ly one of the city’s nine schoolsmeets the 50 percent eligibilitycriteria. As a result, all four ofWaltham’s summer drop-inlunch sites are within 1.5 miles ofeach other, with none in the restof the city.

Northbridge is one of severalcommunities where no singleschool meets the 50 percent eligi-bility requirement. Though near-ly 25 percent of Northbridge chil-dren qualify for free orreduced-price lunches during theschool year, the town has nosummer food program.

‘‘I seriously cannot stand thefact that there are hungry andunderfed children in my owncommunity,’’ said Laurie Sabou-rin, program coordinator atNorthbridge’s Blackstone ValleyUnited Methodist Church Peaceof Bread Community Kitchen. ‘‘Itis a real issue, and sadly for themost part not really acknowl-edged for the problem it is.’’

Peace of Bread has been serv-ing dinners for six years. Afterseeing an increase in child hun-ger, it started serving lunchesone day a week last year. Thisyear, the program was expandedto three days a week, with up to90 children coming each day.

Though Peace of Bread re-ceives money and volunteersfrom many churches in town, Sa-bourin said, ‘‘we do not reach asmany children and families as wewould like, simply because manyof those in the most need do nothave the transportation to get toour lunches or dinners.’’

In Norwood, another commu-nity without a summer food pro-gram for children, social serviceworker Aislynn Rodeghiero sev-en years ago founded AbundantTable, a nonprofit group thatfeeds about 100 people each day.

‘‘Suburban poverty is some-thing that’s hidden,’’ she said.‘‘But if you take a little time tolook beyond the nice houses andnice cars and fancy restaurants,it’s there.’’

Tara Ballenger can be reached attballenger@globe.com.

Many miss out on summer lunch

BILL GREENE/GLOBE STAFF

With the aid of their granddaughter Lacey Ann Nelson, Winston and Maureen Foreman run afree bag-lunch program at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Framingham twice a week.

º LUNCH PROGRAMContinued from Page A1

Take it into custody now and get:• a free Dell Netbook (a $299 value)

Dell Mini 10v Netbook

The Comcast “FBI” Triple Playwith Faster Better Internet that should be illegal.

Digital Cable with On Demand

Faster Internet with PowerBoost®

Unlimited Local Calling with 12 popular features

a month for 12 monthswith a 2-year agreement

$99

Offer limited to new residential customers who have not had Comcast service within the last 60 days. Not available in all areas. Requires subscription to Digital Starter Cable, Performance High-Speed Internet and Comcast Digital Voice® Localwith More® service. Minimum 2-year agreement required. Early termination fee applies.After 1-year period, or if any service is cancelled or downgraded, regular rates apply. Comcast’s current monthly service charge for Digital Starter Cable, 12Mbps High-Speed Internet and Comcast Digital Voice Local with More is $114.99. Cable and High-Speed service limited to a single outlet. Equipment, installation, taxes, franchise fees, the Regulatory Recovery Fee and other applicable charges(e.g., per-call, toll or international charges) extra. May not be combined with other offers. Cable Service: Basic service subscription required to receive other levels of service. High-Speed Service: Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed.PowerBoost provides bursts of download and upload speeds for the first 10 MB and 5 MB of a file, respectively.Comcast Digital Voice: Activation fee may apply. EMTA required ($3/month). Local with More service applies to direct-dialed localcalls from home to locations covered by the plan. Contact Comcast for applicable coverage areas. Service (including 911/emergency services) may not function after an extended power outage. Netbook offer requires activation of service within30 days of order and maintenance of account in good standing for 90 days. Netbook offer while supplies last; Comcast may substitute advertised Netbook for comparable model. May take up to 16 weeks from completed service installationfor delivery. Not available to Comcast employees or their family members. Call or visit comcast.com for restrictions and complete details. Comcast © 2009. All rights reserved. GBR99P-0809V1-A1GBR

Offer expires August 23, 2009.Call 1.800.COMCAST today!

Plus, get Red Sox On Demandexclusively from Comcast.

Visit BostonGlobeStore.com or call 1.888.665.2667.

Prices subject to change. Taxes and shipping not included. Supplies are limited.

Cool for school.

Red Sox Kooky Klicker PensSet of two.

$999 Search: KOOKY

Red Sox BackpackCeltics, Bruins and Patriots also available.

$2499 Search: BACKPACK

Patriots Lunch BoxSox and Celtics also available.

$1199 Search: LUNCHBOX

Visit BostonGlobeStore.com or call 1.888.665.2667.

•••

GL A12 00:41 THIRD RED BLUE YELLOW Black

A12 The Region M O N D A Y , A U G U S T 3 , 2 0 0 9T H E B O S T O N G L O B E

‘‘It helped keep my food budg-et down,’’ said Dominguez, a sin-gle mother who works part timein a retail store. Her hours werecut recently, reducing an already-stretched income.

‘‘Groceries are not inexpen-sive, especially when you try tobuy healthy food,’’ she said.

Statewide, 4,600 more chil-dren qualified for free and re-duced lunches in the 2007-2008school year than in the year be-fore. Yet 300 fewer children wereserved in the summer lunch pro-gram in 2008 than during sum-mer 2007, according to the FoodResearch and Action Center, a re-search and advocacy group inWashington, D.C., which usednumbers provided by the US De-partment of Agriculture. Data forthis year are not yet available.

A shortage of sites in the sub-urbs is a major factor in erodingthe number served. In metropoli-tan Boston, 35 percent of thechildren who receive subsidizedmeals during the school year donot live in an area that qualifiesfor federal reimbursement for asummer food program, said AlanBerube, senior fellow at theBrookings Institution in Wash-ington. Most of those childrenlive outside Boston and Cam-bridge.

The Summer Food ServiceProgram is set to be reauthorizedby Congress this fall, and the ad-vocates are lobbying lawmakersto make it more accessible.

When the program was creat-ed in 1975, only 33 percent of the

children in a neighborhood hadto be low-income for a school orother feeding location to qualifyfor federal funding. In 1981, thatwas changed to 50 percent tosave money, and the next yearparticipation dropped by 25 per-cent, or half a million children,according to the US Departmentof Agriculture.

‘‘It is extremely difficult forsuburban and rural areas thatdon’t meet the 50 percent thresh-old to provide food for children

in hunger,’’ said Crystal FitzSi-mons, director of school and out-of-school time programs atWashington’s Food Research andAction Center. It is lobbying Con-gress to lower the rate to 40 per-cent.

In the current budget climate,funding a program expansioncan be very difficult. The Demo-cratic chairman and top Republi-can on the Senate Committee onAgriculture, Nutrition, and For-estry have expressed their

support for child nutrition pro-grams in general, but neitherwould comment on the specificsof the reauthorization because ithasn’t been discussed yet.

In Framingham, where morethan one in three children qual-ify for free meals, a nonprofit or-ganization that had sponsoredfeeding sites bowed out this year.Brendan Ryan, food services di-rector for the Framingham Pub-lic Schools, said he cobbled to-gether $15,000 in grants to keepthis summer’s feeding programgoing, but that wasn’t enough tooperate all the sites, thoughlunches also are being providedat local YMCA camps.

‘‘We can’t feed everyone,’’Ryan said. ‘‘At some point youhave to say, ‘that’s all.’ ’’

Suburban poverty can be de-ceptive, said Jeff Kirk, lieutenantof the Salvation Army in Fra-mingham.

‘‘It’s not a typical ghetto, andit doesn’t look like an impover-ished place, but the need is stillhere,’’ he said.

The Salvation Army runs afood pantry and offers free din-ners to the community throughits Miracle Kitchen, which isstaffed entirely by volunteers. Itused to offer lunches year-roundalong with the town’s CivicLeague, but budget cuts endedboth programs last fall.

In Waltham, 40 percent, or1,900, of the students are on freeand reduced-price lunches dur-ing the school year. However, on-ly one of the city’s nine schoolsmeets the 50 percent eligibilitycriteria. As a result, all four ofWaltham’s summer drop-inlunch sites are within 1.5 miles ofeach other, with none in the restof the city.

Northbridge is one of severalcommunities where no singleschool meets the 50 percent eligi-bility requirement. Though near-ly 25 percent of Northbridge chil-dren qualify for free orreduced-price lunches during theschool year, the town has nosummer food program.

‘‘I seriously cannot stand thefact that there are hungry andunderfed children in my owncommunity,’’ said Laurie Sabou-rin, program coordinator atNorthbridge’s Blackstone ValleyUnited Methodist Church Peaceof Bread Community Kitchen. ‘‘Itis a real issue, and sadly for themost part not really acknowl-edged for the problem it is.’’

Peace of Bread has been serv-ing dinners for six years. Afterseeing an increase in child hun-ger, it started serving lunchesone day a week last year. Thisyear, the program was expandedto three days a week, with up to90 children coming each day.

Though Peace of Bread re-ceives money and volunteersfrom many churches in town, Sa-bourin said, ‘‘we do not reach asmany children and families as wewould like, simply because manyof those in the most need do nothave the transportation to get toour lunches or dinners.’’

In Norwood, another commu-nity without a summer food pro-gram for children, social serviceworker Aislynn Rodeghiero sev-en years ago founded AbundantTable, a nonprofit group thatfeeds about 100 people each day.

‘‘Suburban poverty is some-thing that’s hidden,’’ she said.‘‘But if you take a little time tolook beyond the nice houses andnice cars and fancy restaurants,it’s there.’’

Tara Ballenger can be reached attballenger@globe.com.

Many miss out on summer lunch

BILL GREENE/GLOBE STAFF

With the aid of their granddaughter Lacey Ann Nelson, Winston and Maureen Foreman run afree bag-lunch program at New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Framingham twice a week.

º LUNCH PROGRAMContinued from Page A1

Take it into custody now and get:• a free Dell Netbook (a $299 value)

Dell Mini 10v Netbook

The Comcast “FBI” Triple Playwith Faster Better Internet that should be illegal.

Digital Cable with On Demand

Faster Internet with PowerBoost®

Unlimited Local Calling with 12 popular features

a month for 12 monthswith a 2-year agreement

$99

Offer limited to new residential customers who have not had Comcast service within the last 60 days. Not available in all areas. Requires subscription to Digital Starter Cable, Performance High-Speed Internet and Comcast Digital Voice® Localwith More® service. Minimum 2-year agreement required. Early termination fee applies.After 1-year period, or if any service is cancelled or downgraded, regular rates apply. Comcast’s current monthly service charge for Digital Starter Cable, 12Mbps High-Speed Internet and Comcast Digital Voice Local with More is $114.99. Cable and High-Speed service limited to a single outlet. Equipment, installation, taxes, franchise fees, the Regulatory Recovery Fee and other applicable charges(e.g., per-call, toll or international charges) extra. May not be combined with other offers. Cable Service: Basic service subscription required to receive other levels of service. High-Speed Service: Actual speeds vary and are not guaranteed.PowerBoost provides bursts of download and upload speeds for the first 10 MB and 5 MB of a file, respectively.Comcast Digital Voice: Activation fee may apply. EMTA required ($3/month). Local with More service applies to direct-dialed localcalls from home to locations covered by the plan. Contact Comcast for applicable coverage areas. Service (including 911/emergency services) may not function after an extended power outage. Netbook offer requires activation of service within30 days of order and maintenance of account in good standing for 90 days. Netbook offer while supplies last; Comcast may substitute advertised Netbook for comparable model. May take up to 16 weeks from completed service installationfor delivery. Not available to Comcast employees or their family members. Call or visit comcast.com for restrictions and complete details. Comcast © 2009. All rights reserved. GBR99P-0809V1-A1GBR

Offer expires August 23, 2009.Call 1.800.COMCAST today!

Plus, get Red Sox On Demandexclusively from Comcast.

Visit BostonGlobeStore.com or call 1.888.665.2667.

Prices subject to change. Taxes and shipping not included. Supplies are limited.

Cool for school.

Red Sox Kooky Klicker PensSet of two.

$999 Search: KOOKY

Red Sox BackpackCeltics, Bruins and Patriots also available.

$2499 Search: BACKPACK

Patriots Lunch BoxSox and Celtics also available.

$1199 Search: LUNCHBOX

Visit BostonGlobeStore.com or call 1.888.665.2667.

•••

GL A12 00:41 THIRD RED BLUE YELLOW Black

AN UNWANTED SUMMER BREAK by Tara Ballenger While I wouldn't say that this story is the best story that I wrote for the Globe, it is the one I am most proud of. It took several weeks to report, and the process of getting the information and the sources was challenging. I had to work with state and local agencies to get the statistics about school lunches, but what I really needed was local sources to tell the story. I spent several days roaming the streets of Framingham, Massachusetts, looking for people who were affected by cuts to the summer nutrition program. I went to the Salvation Army, who told me of other churches who helped feed hungry families, and the network of sources developed from there. After finding parents who were struggling to put food on the table, the big challenge arose: who will let me put their story in the paper? Financial difficulties are such a personal matter, and people rarely want their problems aired to thousands of readers. With a lot of looking and a little coaxing, I was able to get one mother to let me use her name and story in the article, and even to get a photo. That, combined with the quotes of church volunteers who were on the front lines of helping needy families, really made the story in my opinion. I was also thrilled when this story--which highlights hunger, an issue that's very important to me--was chosen to run on the front page of the Globe. This article, which originally ran on August 3, 2009, has been reproduced in its entirety on our website with permission from The Boston Globe.