RALEIGH (AP) — State officials say fewer than one in 10 students enrolled in the federal school lunch program will continue receiving meals during the summer, increasing the risk that children in financially struggling families will go hungry.

State Health and Human Services coordinator Cynthia Ervin said Friday about 800,000 North Carolina students receive federally funded free or reduced-price lunches during the school year, but fewer than 70,000 continued receiving meals during the summer of 2010.

Ervin said the problem hasn't been a lack of funding but a need for more dining sites convenient to children in need.

To ensure that children will receive nutritious free meals, Ervin is asking faith groups, social services groups and others to lend a hand, especially those located in isolated or rural areas.