Voting Phase Open for Hood® Sportsmanship Scholarship™ Program Presented by Hood Milk

LYNNFIELD, Mass., Feb. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- HP Hood, New England's leading dairy processor, received more than 2,500 applications for the Hood® Sportsmanship Scholarship™ Program presented by Hood Milk.  As part of the multi-phase process, applicants are now able to engage their communities to encourage votes on Hood.com.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111116/NE07134LOGO )

From now until March 15th, 2012, the general public will help determine which of the thousands of Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship applicants will be named finalists. The top 10 applicants in each of the six New England states who receive the most votes will compete for one of three $5,000 scholarships in their state (18 total).

"The Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship program was established to recognize students who serve as role models in their classes, communities and on their respective sports teams," said Hood spokesperson Lynne Bohan. "We wish all applicants the best of luck and encourage friends, family members and the community to visit Hood.com by March 15th to cast their votes and help local students earn $90,000 in scholarship funds."

The 10 students from each state with the most votes will be interviewed in March by a panel of judges. The final 18 winners will be notified in April and invited to attend an awards banquet and the Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship Hall of Fame induction at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Hood Sportsmanship Scholarship presented by Hood Milk was open to high school seniors in the six New England states. Students must be attending a two- or four-year accredited college or university in the fall of 2012 and meet the following criteria:

* Minimum of a 3.0 GPA
* Participated in a varsity sport in high school
* Volunteered in his/her community
* Displayed a high degree of sportsmanship while participating in sports in high school

For more information, and rules and regulations, please visit Hood.com or Facebook.com/Hood.

About Hood

Founded in 1846, today Hood is one of the largest branded dairy operators in the United States.  Hood is the number-one dairy brand in New England, and Hood's portfolio of national and super-regional brands and franchise products includes Hood, Crowley Foods, Simply Smart Milk, Heluva Good!, LACTAID®, BAILEYS® Coffee Creamers, HERSHEY®'S Milk and Milkshakes, Fiber One® Cottage Cheese and Blue Diamond Almond Breeze®. For more information about Hood, please visit www.Hood.com.

SOURCE HP Hood LLC