More than 114,000 children attending child development and daycare centers in Cebu and Bohol will receive nutritional support under this year’s expanded Supplemental Feeding Program, social welfare officials said Friday.

Shalaine Marie Lucero, regional director for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas, told DAILY TRIBUNE that out of the 114,833 children covered by the regional initiative, 86,629 are in Cebu and 28,204 are in Bohol.

The program was rolled out 22 June as an intervention to combat malnutrition and support early childhood health.

Under the initiative, beneficiaries receive either cooked meals or approved food items, supplemented with fresh milk or milk-based products.

To maximize the health impact, officials extended the program’s timeline this year from 120 days to 180 days.

Food supplies have already been distributed to 28 local government units across Central Visayas.

The distribution was handled through contracted community-based organizations and associations under the Sustainable Livelihood Program.

This feeding initiative comes as child malnutrition continues to challenge several cities and municipalities in the region.