THOMASVILLE, Ga. — Celebrating the founding spirit of an iconic brand that has brought joy, wonder, and innovation to kitchen tables and lunch boxes for 100 years, Wonder® Bread has announced the $100,000 “Wonder of Science” initiative to support ongoing scientific learning for students across America.
The program consists of partnerships with AdoptAClassroom.org and Emily Calandrelli, an American science communicator, MIT engineer, and co-executive producer and host of Emily’s Wonder Lab, a children’s educational series on Netflix. Wonder Bread will donate $100,000 to fund science education in U.S. middle and high schools, and present a series of virtual science events hosted by Calandrelli.
“We are honored to be part of such an ambitious and rewarding project,” said John Steed, senior vice president of legacy brands at Flowers Foods. “For the past 100 years, Wonder Bread has had a deep connection with classrooms and learning, so we are proud to be working with AdoptAClassroom.org to support education and are fortunate to have Emily accompany us along the way.”
As part of the initiative, Wonder Bread will donate $100,000 to AdoptAClassroom.org to support middle and high school teachers with supplies and equipment for science education. Also, Calandrelli will host an online series of publicly available science experiments for students.
“Working with Wonder Bread to bring more funding to science programs is the kind of partnership that we get very excited about,” said Ann Pifer, executive director of AdoptAClassroom.org. “Supporting STEM education is critical and is an important part of our mission to advance equity in education, to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn and succeed in school. We look forward to seeing how Wonder Bread’s donations will empower students with real life skills.”
“Getting kids excited about science and interested in how it affects our lives every day is the best part of what I do,” said Calandrelli. “Joining Wonder Bread to spread that message of wonder not just through my show but directly into classrooms is a fantastic opportunity. I can’t wait to share my love of science with them.”
About Wonder Bread
Founded in 1921 in Indianapolis, Indiana, Wonder® Bread is credited with the popularization of sliced bread in the U.S. and captures the “wonder” that founder Elmer Cline experienced when first watching a hot air balloon race. A century later, Wonder Bread remains an iconic brand in lunchrooms, at barbecues, at picnics and in lunch boxes across the country.
About Flowers Foods
Headquartered in Thomasville, Georgia, Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO) is one of the largest producers of packaged bakery foods in the United States, with 2019 sales of $4.1 billion. Flowers Foods operates bakeries across the country that produce a wide range of bakery products. Among the company’s top brands are Nature’s Own, Dave’s Killer Bread, Wonder and Tastykake. Learn more at flowersfoods.com.
About AdoptAClassroom.org
We are a national, award-winning nonprofit that provides the most flexible and accountable funding for PreK-12 teachers and schools throughout the U.S. Our proprietary, easy-to-use education fundraising platform helps teachers, principals, and administrators give every child the tools they deserve to succeed in school. Since 1998, we have raised $50 million and supported 5.5 million students. As a 501(c)(3) organization, we hold a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and a platinum rating of transparency from GuideStar. For more information, or to make a donation, please visit www.adoptaclassroom.org.
