More Schools in State Move to Offer Students Breakfast : Hunger: In three weeks, 33 campuses joined program for needy pupils. But possible budget cuts threaten effort. : RIVERSIDE COUNTY: Community Pressure Tactics Successful

Riverside County, which has had breakfast programs at most of its 22 districts for about four years, has 14 high-need schools without a program. Some are continuation high schools, specialized schools for disabled children, or have small enrollments.

In Moreno Valley, a small student body makes breakfast economically impractical at two of the three schools without a program, says food services director Lia Robinson. Still, she said, “We have been promoting breakfast from Day One, and we are trying to add those other schools soon.”

Community pressure has played a role in getting districts to offer breakfast. Claudia Galvez, a community worker for the California Rural Legal Assistance Co., saw the need at two elementary schools in the Coachella Valley. She called her local school superintendent and inquired about morning meals. Now, all schools in the Coachella Valley area have programs.

Having breakfast programs is particularly important in the Coachella Valley because many children of migrant farm workers cannot afford breakfast, Galvez says.