Each day during the summer months, the Aiken County Parks and Recreation Department serves about 2,000 meals to area schoolchildren at more than 60 locations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture funds the Summer Food Program, said Jennifer Lytle, the special-projects coordinator for the parks department.

About 53 percent of the county's pupils are part of the free and reduced lunch program during the school year, states the Aiken County School District Web site. Ms. Lytle said about 2,000 meals are served during the summer, but there are about 13,000 children eligible.

"I'd happily run 150 sites across the county so we can feed all 13,000 children," she said, "but we just don't get that many people interested" in volunteering to open a lunch site.

When assessing where to place the lunch programs, Ms. Lytle said she looks at schools nearest the proposed sites. The number of pupils who eat free and reduced lunches at those schools determines whether a site is needed, she said.

More than 50 percent of the locations this summer are new, Ms. Lytle said

"It's a good program for kids that can't afford to eat at McDonald's or Burger King every day," said Tandra Cooks, who works at the Aiken County Recreation Center in Graniteville. Her site serves about 70 children a day.

Ms. Lytle said the program has an 11-day menu rotation.

Reach Julia Sellers at (803) 648-1395, ext. 106 or julia.sellers@augustachronicle.com.

Summer Food Program Sites Lunches, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday. Call (803) 594-0040

AIKEN

- Boys and Girls Club
- Brothers and Sister
- Cooks Bridge Road
- Ernest Weaver Park
- Friendship Baptist Church
- Hahn Village
- Helping Hands
- JC's Country Lane
- Kenmont Street
- Kennedy Colony Playground
- L&L Lane
- Lighthouse Learning Center
- Nautilus Road
- Nicholson Village
- Offspring Road
- Old Kimbill Trial
- Paces Run Apartments
- Raise Tabernacle of Prayer
- Randall Branch Baptist Church
- Schofield Middle School
- Second Baptist Church
- Smith Hazel Center
- Wadley Drive
- Williams Lane

BEECH ISLAND

- Beech Island Child Development
- Hazel Grove Baptist Church
- New Beginning Ministries
- Redcliffe Elementary School
- Runs Missionary Baptist Church Burnettown
- Rehoboth Retreat Center Gloverville
- Lawana Drive
- Palm Breeze Lane Graniteville
- Aiken County Recreation Center
- Breezy Hill Community Park
- Freedman Parenting Center
- Kalmia Apartments
- Minnie Palmore House Horse Creek Valley
- Church Street, Bath
- Jefferson Elementary School
- Old Storm Branch Day Care Jackson
- Flat Drive

MONTMORENCI/WINDSOR/WILLISTON

- Montmorenci Missionary Baptist Church
- Oakwood Windsor Elementary School
- Pearl Lane
- White Pond Community Center New Ellenton
- Buckley Avenue
- Washington Drive
- Williamson Avenue North Augusta
- Immanuel Baptist Church
- Madison Road
- Ridge Road Community Park Ridge Spring/Monetta
- Ridge Spring Monetta Elementary School
- Trojan Road Salley
- Harvest of Love
- Salley Complex
- Windsor Road Wagener
- Al Corbett Middle School
- Churches Together for Kids
- Crescent City's Park
- Oakwood Apartments
- Roy Warner Park