SUMMERSVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Students in Nicholas County will be able to receive free breakfast and lunch at school through the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.
The initiative, created under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, offers universal meal service to children in high-poverty areas.
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The CEP allows schools to bypass the process of collecting and verifying household applications for free and reduced-price meals if at least 25 percent of a school’s students are directly certified for free meals. In that case, all students qualify for the program.
“I am proud that Nicholas County Schools will be participating in the CEP program to help meet a crucial need for many students in our county,” said Scott Cochran, Superintendent of Nicholas County Schools.
“We know academic achievement increases when our students are well-fed and ready to learn, and we must provide secure and reliable access to nutritious meals so all students have a chance to achieve at the highest level possible.”
The county expects all 13 schools, including elementary and secondary, to participate. The program will serve roughly 3,300 students each school day.
According to the 2017 Feeding America: Map the Meal Gap report, more than 14 percent of West Virginians — including over 79,000 children — live in food-insecure households.
