October 2017

Auxiliary Services Department, in partnership with the Urban Experience Program recently donated about $2,000 in meal tickets to UEP’s Food Assistance Program. The latter works to aid low-income students with food instability and food shortage issues in obtaining healthy and nutritious meal options.

Auxiliary Services donated more than 200 meal cards through its dining partner Chartwells Higher Education. Students can use these cards in any of the University’s dining halls.

“UEP uses an innovative holistic advising model that services the whole student,” Raven Jones, director of the Urban Experience Program said in a press release. “We examine not only students’ academic, professional and personal goals, but also their health and wellness. A vast amount of our students do not have a meal plan. Therefore, they need other means to properly nourish their bodies.”

The Urban Experience Program has more than 300 UH students enrolled and accepts 50 to 60 new students per semester. Many students from low-income homes find themselves cutting back on bare essentials for college expenses. Cheap, usually unhealthier food is typically their only option.

To get a meal card, students must come to the Urban Experience Program in Student Service Center 1 and undergo an interview with a staff member to evaluate their monetary situation.