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There is such a thing as a free lunch -- even if hundreds of Pittsburgh children might be forced this summer to walk blocks beyond their neighborhoods to find it.

Pittsburgh's federally subsidized summer food program provided more than 400,000 free meals last year with about 90,000 of them served at 15 recreation centers. Those centers served about 1,800 children last summer.

If those centers remain closed, children who ate at them might have to walk up to a mile to other places that provide the meals, said DeShauna Ponton, child nutrition advocate at Just Harvest, a nonprofit organization dealing with hunger issues. They not only will have no place to play, but also might miss their most nutritious meal of the day, she said.

"There's gonna be lots of kids who will not have meals this summer or who will have to walk long distances for the meals," Ponton said. "That's unacceptable."

Just Harvest plans to take its case today to the state oversight board on Pittsburgh's finances. Members of the five-man panel said they sympathize with groups wanting to open recreation centers, but the decision rests with city officials.

Pittsburgh is on pace to go broke by about September, said oversight board member Jim Roddey, the former Allegheny County chief executive. The board would look favorably on anything that would keep open the centers, but it is premature to recommend any specific spending options, Roddey said.

"The city still has revenue streams," said David O'Loughlin, another oversight board member. "They may not be enough, but (city officials) have to decide what their priorities are."

Children in Troy Hill will have to walk about a mile to reach the nearest free meal center if the Cowley recreation center remains closed and no community group fills the void, Ponton said.

Thelma Csurilla, 71, of Troy Hill, used to serve meals and snacks at the Cowley center to as many as 70 children, including several of her grandchildren. The closest alternative site for these children would be on Tripoli Street in Deutschtown on the North Side.

"Some of these kids are too young to go too far from home," Csurilla said. Without a recreation center available in the neighborhood, "the kids are going to go buggy," she said.

Renita Freeman, who lives in Northview Heights and belongs to the citizens council, said she worries about what local children will do for nutritious meals if the recreation center there stays closed. Her 14-year-old daughter, TaQuala Donaldson, and her two grandchildren have in the past participated in summer camp programs that rely on the food program for meals.

"Some parents don't even have (a nutritious meal) to give their kids at lunch time," Freeman said. "It's a real dilemma. A lot of kids will be left without a place to go for lunch."

Parks Department officials say their options are limited by the city's fiscal crisis, which forced the closings of recreation centers and pools in August.

Local groups could fill some of the gaps by agreeing to open recreation centers or provide meals at alternate locations, said Marshon Fisher, program coordinator for Pittsburgh's Summer Food Service Program. No one will know how many gaps there are until the city sorts out applications from groups offering to serve the meals.

The Parks Department coordinated meals last summer at 150 sites, including schools, churches and community centers, as well as the recreation centers, Fisher said.

The city program runs from June 21 to Aug. 27 with each site providing up to two meals a day at breakfast, lunch or afternoon snack. The federal government gives the city $900,000 a year to provide the meals.

"Sometimes it's the only meal they may receive," Fisher said. "It's important sites are open ... and feeding as many kids as possible."

While children of all backgrounds are eligible for the free meals, the facilities that distribute them must be located in communities where at least 50 percent of children participate in the school district's subsidized lunch program. The entire city of Pittsburgh qualifies for the food program.

Allegheny County runs a separate free meals program at another 150 sites, most of which are outside Pittsburgh. That program, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, runs from June 7 to Aug. 20 and costs more than $1 million a year.

Sally Petrilli, program administrator for the county program, said she has offered to help the city find local agencies to provide meals in areas where recreation centers are closed.

"There's not always a way, but sometimes there are other ways to go about it," Petrilli said. "But they have to have a site take on the responsibility."

The Brashear Association, a private community service organization in the South Hills, heads a consortium of local groups working with Mercy Health Systems to reopen the Warrington recreation center, said Lola O'Dea, Brashear's services director.

Mike Radley, assistant parks director, said Mercy has contacted the city but has yet to file a permit application to use the center. Mercy's spokeswoman, Linda Ross, declined comment.

The city requires groups to apply for a permit, obtain their own insurance and pay a $5 hourly fee to use the centers, Radley said. It also will review permit applications on a month-to-month basis.

Parochial and public schools have used the Magee, West Penn and Arlington recreation centers for basketball and soccer leagues, he said.

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