AP) — Kansas Food Bank officials are expecting a new record this year for the number of weekend backpacks the agency sends home to hungry schoolchildren as it continues to extend its reach beyond Wichita.

The Food Bank says it’s now giving backpacks to 6,352 schoolchildren every week in Wichita and the counties it serves in Kansas. By the end of the school year it expects to be giving out food to 7,500 to 8,000 schoolchildren.

That would easily surpass the record set last year of 7,158 receiving the assistance.

The Food Bank and other charities say they have seen a steady increase in poverty and hunger in recent years as parts of the state economy continue to suffer from the recession.