OAKLAND, Calif. -- Community leaders in Oakland want to be sure that low income summer school students do not go hungry.

Students at Franklin Elementary School in Oakland are some of the first ones to benefit after Alameda County's Summer Food Service Program kicked off today.

The Oakland Unified School District, the Alameda County Community Food Bank, the City of Oakland, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and AT&T teamed up to offer the free meals to children under the age of 18 years old.

State Senator Don Perata, Oakland/Alameda democrat, was on hand for the start of the program today at Franklin School.

The service relies on government funds and community donations.

Perata said budget cuts are a constant threat to the program, which is vital to low-income families.

He said "so far it hasn't been completely destroyed. But every year we cut back further and pretty soon we're not going to be able to sustain what we need to do to make sure that these kids grow up healthy, safely and contribute their fair share to our economy and to this country."

Perata says state budget cuts have affected both education and food programs this summer.

Some school districts canceled summer school entirely.