Arizona Diamondbacks staff will join UnitedHealthcare employees today to
stuff backpacks with food to support Kitchen on the Street’s childhood
hunger program. Both organizations are working together to fight hunger
and help the Arizona-based nonprofit feed nearly 700 children this month.
This project supports Kitchen on the Street’s Bags of Hope program. Bags
of Hope provides nutritious, kid-friendly meals, which include cereal,
juice and fruit cups, to underserved children who do not have access to
school lunch programs during the weekend.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Diamondbacks
and Kitchen on the Street to help build a healthier community and
provide Phoenix-area children access to nutritious food,” said Jeri
Jones, west region president, UnitedHealthcare Community & State.
There is a direct correlation between obesity and hunger due to the
limited availability of healthy food options. Households with limited
resources often try to stretch their food budgets by purchasing
inexpensive, energy-dense and filling foods. According to the Trust for
America’s Health, nearly one in five children in Arizona ages 10 to 17
are considered obese.
“The Diamondbacks are happy to be able to assist in the community in any
way possible,” said Diamondbacks President & CEO Derrick Hall. “Helping
to solve hunger issues in the Valley is something that is very important
to us, and we are proud to be able to partner with past Grand Slam Award
recipient Kitchen on the Street and UnitedHealthcare.”
This project is the latest in UnitedHealthcare’s “Do Good. Live Well.”
employee volunteer initiative, whose mission is to prevent hunger and
obesity, inspire service and encourage volunteerism in communities where
UnitedHealthcare employees live and work. The D-backs Foundation and
Arizona Diamondbacks have surpassed $33 million in combined donations
since their inception in 1998, and this season the Diamondbacks have
already raised $1 million from their 50-50 Raffle as well as a record
$1.8 million at Evening on the Diamond earlier this year.
For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to find
local opportunities to get involved, visit www.DoGoodLiveWell.org.
Follow @DoGoodLiveWell on Twitter or “like” Do Good. Live Well. on
Facebook.
About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to
helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health
care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and
sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers
the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers
and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with
780,000 physicians and other health care professionals and 5,900
hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves
more than 40 million people in health benefits and is one of the
businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50
health and well-being company.
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Copyright Business Wire 2013