Times: Free lunch needs increase in schools

The New York Times has quantified what struggling Southern Nevada families have known for months -- that school meal programs are being tested due to the rough economy.

Last year alone, a Times analysis has found, use of free and reduced-price school meal programs increased 17 percent, from 18 million to 21 million. Nevada is one of the states to see a sharp rise in need.

That increased need has been especially evident in Las Vegas, with an unemployment rate above 13 percent.

Says Benjamin Senauer of the University of Minnesota: "These are very large increases and a direct reflection of the hardships American families are facing."