Falls Church, Va. — The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) today presented the final award in its 2018 ‘Apples4Ed’ grant program to Jackson, Mo., school East Elementary. The school received $5,000 to help purchase a ‘Charlie Cart’ mobile kitchen classroom for its students.
According to East Elementary school administrators, many of the students consume their only meals of the day during school hours because of the lack of meal and snacking options at home. Without access to nutritious foods at home, it is up to the school to teach students about the connection between health and the foods they eat. The Apples4Education grant will help East Elementary purchase a Charlie Cart, an integrated educational program that combines rigorous curriculum with a mobile kitchen classroom to deliver hands-on nutrition education to students.
“The Charlie Cart will allow educators to provide the tools and knowledge students need to make lifelong healthy choices,” said USApple President and CEO Jim Bair. “Students in the classroom will learn about where their food comes from and then be able to assemble their own healthy snacks.”
East Elementary was one of three schools selected from more than 275 applicants to receive a 2018 healthy snacking grant. St. Martin North elementary school in Biloxi, Miss., and P811X, a Bronx, N.Y. special education high school, were awarded earlier this year.
Apples4Ed is a program created by USApple, in partnership with the School Nutrition Association and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, to financially award schools that encourage daily consumption of healthy, balanced snacks that positively impact student achievement, focus and fitness. Applications for 2019 Apples4Ed funding will open in August. To learn more, visit apples4ed.com.
U.S. Apple Association is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 40 state and regional associations representing the 7,500 apple growers throughout the country, as well as more than 400 individual firms involved in the apple business.
Source: The U.S. Apple Association
