Two hundred students at Sully Elementary School will receive
backpacks filled with healthy food each weekend throughout the school
year, made possible through a Cigna Foundation grant to Blessings
in a Backpack. The national child hunger relief non-profit will
implement a three-year program as part of Loudoun County Public Schools
Backpack Coalition Program, which supports existing school programs that
provide food for hungry students during the weekends and extended
breaks. To kick off the program, which is sponsored by Cigna (NYSE:CI),
all 500 Sully Elementary School students will receive backpacks during a
special event tomorrow morning.
200 students at Sully Elementary will receive backpacks filled with healthy food each weekend throughout the school year, made possible through a Cigna Foundation grant to Blessings in a Backpack. (Photo: Business Wire)
The event will begin with an assembly to teach students about the
importance of proper nutrition for healthy bodies, and will include a
special performance from the fourth and fifth grade classes at Sully
Elementary. Loudoun County Public School Superintendent Dr. Eric
Williams will attend, along with representatives from the Loudoun County
Public School Board, Cigna and Blessings in a Backpack.
"Our backpacks give children the food they need during those times when
free or reduced-priced school lunches are not available, such as on
weekends," said Kevin Beam, chief operating officer for Blessings in a
Backpack. "Working with the Cigna Foundation and Cigna will help bring
national attention to the Blessings mission of feeding hungry children.
Together, we can fight to end childhood hunger."
“The Cigna Foundation is committed to building a future where every
child has the opportunity to achieve a healthier, more secure life,”
said David Figliuzzi, executive director of the Cigna Foundation.
“Hunger has a significant impact on a child’s physical, mental and
academic well-being. By working together with Blessings, we can ensure
students come to school each day healthy, engaged and ready to learn.”
“Loudoun County faces a 10.7 percent food insecurity rate among
children, meaning more than 10,000 kids in our community do not know
where their next meal will come from,” said Julia Huggins, president of
Cigna's Mid-Atlantic market. “We are proud to work with Blessings in a
Backpack to help ease this worry for families in Loudoun County and to
help them stay well."
Blessings in a Backpack is a results-oriented program designed to feed
elementary school children whose families qualify for the federally
funded National School Lunch Program and have little or no access to
healthy food on the weekends. The program is supported nationally and
locally by the Cigna Foundation and Cigna. Child wellness is a key focus
of Cigna’s corporate responsibility platform, Cigna Connects. In
addition, Rich Stephens, Cigna's vice president of business development,
serves on the Blessings in a Backpack board of directors.
Funding for the food-filled backpacks was provided by the Cigna
Foundation. Cigna and the Cigna Foundation have contributed $450,000 to
Blessings in a Backpack, including a $100,000 World
of Difference grant to expand the program’s reach nationwide.
About Blessings in a Backpack
Blessings in a Backpack, People Magazine’s Charity of 2012, is a
results-oriented program that is designed to feed elementary school
children whose families qualify for the federally funded National School
Lunch Program and have little or no food on the weekends. Better test
scores, improved reading skills, positive behavior, improved health and
increased attendance have all been attributed to the success of this
program. As little as $100 feeds one American school child in our
program for an entire 38-week school year. Blessings in a Backpack is
currently feeding over 72,000 children in 44 states, the District of
Columbia and 700+ schools. Please visit www.blessingsinabackpack.org.
We are Feeding the Future of America® – one school at a time.
About the Cigna Foundation
The Cigna Foundation is a private foundation funded by contributions
from Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) and its subsidiaries. The Cigna
Foundation supports organizations sharing its commitment to enhancing
the health of individuals and families, and the well-being of their
communities, with a special focus on those communities where Cigna
employees live and work.
About Cigna
Cigna Corporation (NYSE:CI) is a global health service company dedicated
to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of
security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or
through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including
Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life
Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna
Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include
an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental,
behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other
related products including group life, accident and disability
insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and
jurisdictions, and has approximately 85 million customer relationships
throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna®, including links to
follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
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