This editorial will appear in Tuesday’s print edition.

Summer is fast approaching, and for too many children that means not only a break from schoolwork but also from regular meals.

When school lets out, thousands of Pierce County children who qualify for free or reduced-cost breakfasts and lunch will miss out out on what for many of them may be the most nutritious meals they get.

Some places they hang out at will provide some food. But many such sites find the federal red tape so overwhelming that they’re discouraged from providing subsidized summer meals even though they’d be the ideal places to offer them.

Streamlining the application process for obtaining funding for summer meals is one goal for anti-hunger advocates as they work toward congressional re-authorization and updating of the federal Child Nutrition Act in coming weeks. It’s a goal the state’s delegation should support. Read more »