WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — While Carol Danvers fights to save the Earth from a galactic battle as Captain Marvel, other super heroes campaign for a healthier, more heroic world in smaller ways – from advocating healthy recipes and teaching kids to cook at home to challenging students to build vehicles out of fruits and vegetables as a way to teach nutrition and science at the same time.
Inspired by Danvers’ dramatic transformation into the title character of Marvel’s Captain Marvel arriving in theaters on March 8, Dole is acknowledging influential women in food, health and wellness as part of its 10-week “Powering the Hero Within” empowered-living alliance with the blockbuster Marvel Studios film.
The produce giant is spotlighting teachers and school nurses in Maine, Pennsylvania and Virginia this week for everyday heroism associated with creating more nutritious kids and classrooms leading to a healthier, happier planet.
- Christel Driscoll, Science Teacher at Lincoln Middle School in Portland, Maine
- Hope Waller, School Nurse at Kensington Health Sciences Academy in Philadelphia
- Emily Quinn, 3rd Grade Teacher at Evergreen Elementary School in Richmond, Va.
As part of honoring the teachers as “superheroes,” Dole will arrange a donation of DOLE® Bananas and Dole Kids’ cookbooks to each teacher to distribute in their classrooms.
“Christel, Hope and Emily are great examples of everyday heroes who take action to make a huge impact in the world,” said Bil Goldfield, director of corporate communications for Dole. “As a brand that is rooted in health and nutrition, Dole is using its alliance with Captain Marvel to celebrate women everywhere who are using their ‘superpowers’ to build a healthier and more equitable planet.”
Driscoll’s role as sustainability science teacher at Lincoln Middle School includes managing the Lincoln Cooking Club, both of which help students discover their culinary side and the importance of eating more sustainably for better nutrition and environmental health. The Club is part of the Cooking Matters Maine program, which provides students withhands-on cooking and nutrition classes to show them how to prepare healthier alternatives of their favorite foods.
As the school nurse for Philadelphia’s Kensington Health Sciences Academy, Waller leads an afterschool cooking class as part of the My Daughters Kitchen program that encourages students throughout Philadelphia and New Jersey to cook for themselves to experience the benefits of eating at home. She co-teaches with Alijay-nae Knight, a food service employee and chef with the Philadelphia School District.
An advocate of both nutrition and science at Evergreen Elementary School in Richmond, Va., Quinn brings both topics together with the Evergreen Elementary 3rd Grade Fruit and Veggie Derby, which challenges students to design and make vehicles out of fruits and vegetables. The students work with parents and community volunteers to design and build one-of-a-kind vehicles using only fresh produce, race them against each other and then make adjustments to maximize performance. The annual event has grown in size every year.
Launched Feb. 25 and continuing through May 5, Dole’s 10-week “Powering the Hero Within” Captain Marvelcollaboration is meant to honor Captain Marvel’s distinction as the first female super hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to headline her own film. The program combines high-powered blogger and influencer partnerships with special recipes and original content created by Dole RDs and dietitians to address universal female health and wellness needs.
Dole also created limited-edition, Captain Marvel-inspired DOLE® Banana stickers and DOLE® Pineapple hang tags featuring Captain Marvel, Nick Fury, Mar-Vell, Talos and Goose the Cat. Shoppers can find them on tens of millions of DOLE® Bananas and Pineapples in U.S. and Canadian supermarkets continentwide through May 5.
For recipes, nutritional insights and other information about “Powering the Hero Within,” go to www.dole.com. Use #DoleHero to follow us on social.
About Dole Food Company, Inc.
Dole Food Company, Inc., is one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole is an industry leader in many of the products it sells, as well as in nutrition education and research. For more information, please visit www.dole.com.
About Marvel Entertainment
Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2019 MARVEL
