Whole Kids Foundation is kicking off back-to-school season with a goal
of raising $3 million to fund salad bars and gardens for schools and
nutrition education classes for teachers.
The effort is part of the foundation’s annual campaign aimed at raising
awareness around the importance of childhood nutrition and helping
schools provide healthier food choices for students. Throughout
September, Whole Foods Market (NASDAQ: WFM) stores will host a variety
of educational and interactive fundraising events and shoppers can also
get involved by making a donation at store check-outs or online at wholekidsfoundation.org.
“Well-nourished kids miss fewer days of school and are better able to
pay attention in class, improving academic performance, and as Whole
Kids Foundation celebrates its third anniversary, we’re excited to see
visible results from our work,” said Nona Evans, executive director of
Whole Kids Foundation. “School salad bars are getting kids excited about
school lunches and eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and school
gardens are not only connecting kids to the roots of their food and how
nutrition helps their bodies, they are increasing their curiosity around
trying new foods.”
Each of the following Growing Healthy Kids supplier partners has pledged
to donate $40,000 to support the foundation’s work: Annie’s, Applegate,
Cascadian Farm, Lady Moon Farms, Lug Life, Organic Valley, Roots, Rudi’s
Organic Bakery and Suja. During this year’s campaign, many of these
brands in addition to others, including Health Warrior, Honest Kids,
Horizon Organic, Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and Vega will donate a portion
of proceeds from product sales at Whole Foods Market stores to benefit
Whole Kids Foundation programs.
A recent
study of the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign in
partnership with the Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition found that
salad bars increased students’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables,
increased student participation in the school lunch program, reduced
plate waste and are complemented by other health promotion activities in
school.
Applications for the foundation’s Salad
Bar Grant Program, created in partnership with Let’s
Move Salad Bars to Schools, are accepted year-round at wholekidsfoundation.org.
Recent studies have found that gardens play a key role in improving
children’s knowledge, understanding and curiosity about whole foods.
Having funded more than 2,000 gardens to date, schools can apply for a
grant through the foundation’s School
Garden Grant Program, which was created in partnership with FoodCorps,
from Sept. 1 through Oct. 31 in the U.S. and from Sept. 1 through Nov.
30 in Canada.
Rooted in three simple principles - eat a rainbow of colors, eat leafy
greens first and eat as close to nature as possible - Whole Kids
Foundation offers a variety of resources for parents and children to
make healthier choices at home ranging from book
club suggestions and “Better
Bites” lessons to hands-on
art projects and a free app, Awesome
Eats™.
Since its inception in 2011, the foundation has invested $10,000,000
into its programs funding more than 3,400 salad bars and 2,110 school
gardens, giving more than 3 million children access to healthier food.
To learn more about Whole Kids Foundation and its programs, visit wholekidsfoundation.org.
About Whole Kids Foundation
Whole Kids Foundation, a Whole Foods Market foundation, is based in
Austin, Texas, and operates as an independent, nonprofit organization.
Its mission is to improve children's nutrition and wellness, with the
goal of ending the childhood obesity epidemic. Through partnerships with
innovative organizations, schools and educators, the foundation works to
provide children access to healthier choices and aims to help children
reach their full potential through the strength of a healthy body. To
learn more about Whole Kids Foundation and its salad bar, school garden
and healthy teacher programs, visit www.wholekidsfoundation.org.
Copyright Business Wire 2014