The West Virginia University Upward Bound program has announced the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program.

Through the food service program, income-eligible students attending the six-week residential portion of the Upward Bound program, which begins June 30 and will run through Aug. 9, will receive free meals. Approximately 25 students will attend the summer program, which is designed to give students a taste of college life and to give them the skills necessary to be successful in high school and in college.

Upward Bound will receive reimbursement from the USDA for those meals. Upward Bound will be reimbursed approximately $1.94 for breakfast, $3.41 for lunch and $3.41 for dinner. It could receive more than $5,000.

“The money that we save by using the food service program will go directly back into the Upward Bound Summer Program to provide our students with more opportunities and increased services,” said Fran Bennett, director of Upward Bound. “We also feel that the food service program will provide a strong foundation for our students to develop healthy eating habits.”

In order to receive the reimbursement, the meals must meet certain nutritional criteria. Each meal must have a certain amount of milk, fruit, vegetable, grain and meat products. For a list of the complete guidelines, visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer.

Dining Services will be providing the meals at Hatfield’s in the Mountainlair and the Evansdale Caf�.

Students who attended the Upward Bound Summer Program in 2012 reported an increase in confidence and ability to overcome common college obstacles, such as studying, navigating campus, handling roommate issues, adjusting socially and asking for help from instructors.

Students will attend a variety of classes on the WVU campus that range from “College Life Skills” to “Spanish.” Students will also participate in service learning opportunities, tour campus and engage in other cultural activities. Eligible students compete for a UB Mylan Scholarship to take WVU courses for credit.

A federally funded TRiO program, Upward Bound is designed to help high school students overcome social, academic, cultural and class barriers to higher education. WVU Upward Bound serves up to 54 students in ninth through 12th grades from Clay-Battelle High School, Grafton High School and Preston High School.

The high schools are targeted based upon criteria that mark them as needy, including low college-going rates, high student-to-counselor ratios, high drop-out rates and low family income levels. For more information on Upward Bound, visit http://upwardbound.wvu.edu.

Eligibility is based on income guidelines that can be found at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-23/pdf/2012-7036.pdf.

In accordance with federal law and USDA policy, WVU is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

To file a complaint alleging discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250-9410, or call, toll free, 866-632-9992 (Voice). Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay at 800-877-8339 or 800-845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

If a child attending the Upward Bound program is a member of a food stamp household or an Aid to Families with Dependent Children assistance unit, the child is automatically eligible to receive free program meal benefits, subject to completion of the free/reduced application form.

-WVU-

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