Howard County schools are extending the summer lunch program at Stevens Forest Elementary School in Columbia because of high attendance and a need for services, county officials said Friday.

According to The Columbia Flier,

The program was originally slated to end Friday. The three other locations for the program — Harper’s Choice Middle School, Murray Hill Middle School and Thomas Viaduct Middle School — are closed for the summer.

Locations for the program are based in part on the percentage of students who receive free or reduced-price lunches during the school year. Almost 70 percent of students at Stevens Forest receive free or reduced-price lunches, according to data from the county school system.

The program, which began only last year, is flourishing. According to Howard County officials, the number of meals served this year is expected to surpass the 50,000 meals served last year.

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