Some of the region's free summer meals programs came to an end Friday, and one thing has become clear to those who run them: Many children would have gone hungry if it weren't for these meals.

"The need has increased," said Ernie Koschmieder, food service director for Groton public schools. "We have pockets of kids who come to the program by themselves, which tells me that the parents or mom or dad are working and the child is left at home to fend for themselves. Parents can't take the summer off from work because the kids are out ... so we provide two healthy, nutritious meals, and that is really gratifying for us."

Last year, Koschmieder said, Groton ran 10 feeding sites five days a week. This year he increased the program by two additional sites because there was a demand.

Free summer meals are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and are administered by the state Department of Education.

There is no residency requirement, and the program is available to anyone 18 years and younger.

Children in Groton also get tokens valued at 50 cents each. At the end of each week, on Friday, they can redeem the tokens at farmers markets held at Washington Park or West Side Middle School. Sponsors, like Groton Utilities, cover the cost of the tokens.

"The summer feeding program is a continuation of what we do during the school year," said Koschmieder. "We want kids to know where food comes from, and a big part of the program is providing fresh local food. We want them to bring fresh food home."

Last year, the Groton program served 8,758 breakfasts and 16,225 lunches. As of Friday, the program will have served 11,000 breakfasts and more than 25,000 lunches.  

Erin Perpetua, director of food services in Norwich, said the program is thriving and has seen an increase in the number of breakfasts it served.

She manages 34 feeding sites: 31 in Norwich, two in Sprague and a new site this year in Montville.

Through the end of the last week in July, the program in Norwich had served 10,164 breakfasts, compared to 8,544 during the same period last year. Lunches served dropped to 16,587, down from 18,621 the previous year.

The decrease is attributed to the fact there was no "captive audience" to feed since there was no summer school this year except for special education.

Perpetua said parents are sometimes forced to make difficult choices during the summer. The parents must decide whether to stop working and watch their children or work and figure out who's going to care for them.

"Inexpensive food is often of cheap quality," Perpetua said. "At least with us, they can get a healthier version of food to eat. We usually see a higher demand at the end of the month when other assistance starts to run out."

Both the Norwich and Groton programs are ending before the start of school so workers have time to prepare for the school year program.

Both Perpetua and Koschmieder said parents have been given ample notice about when the program ends in the hopes they can make other arrangements to feed their children.

In New London, the program will end Aug. 21. Samantha Wilson, child nutrition manager in New London, said she tries to end the program as close as possible to the start of the school year, which she hopes will prevent children from eating less nutritious meals.

The city has 25 feeding sites. As of Thursday, it had served 19,867 breakfasts and 30,708 lunches. She said in the month of July alone, they served 1,000 lunches a day.

Last year, the program served 16,038 breakfasts and 41,574 lunches.

"Food security would be a concern if these meals weren't available," Wilson said.

Dawn Crayco, deputy director of End Hunger Connecticut!, said statewide there are 150,000 children who rely on free or reduced prices meals during the school year.

During the summer about one in four of those children will participate in the summer feeding programs.

"Families feel the pinch in the summer," Crayco said. "There are a lot of financial stressors like the additional cost of child care. These programs help alleviate that and ensure that children are getting healthy meals."

i.larraneta@theday.com

Twitter: @larraneta