ORLANDO, FL – Last fall, Produce for Kids teamed up with ACME Markets; Meijer Stores; Publix Super Markets and more than 20 fruit and vegetable suppliers for the second annual Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign. During the 2013 campaign, more than $190,000 was raised to benefit local health and wellness classroom projects through DonorsChoose.org .
Funds raised during the campaign are now sponsoring health and wellness classroom projects within participating grocers’ markets to be matched by public donations made to the site over the coming months. The match funding will include projects like Ms. Soble’s
“We are extremely pleased to announce the success of our Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign to benefit local classroom projects in each of our participating retail partners’ local communities,” said John Shuman, president, Produce for Kids. “Together, we’ll be able to help support hundreds of classroom projects across the country and help students make healthier choices.”
The 2012 Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign raised more than $169,000 to support 652 classroom projects. The 2013 campaign is on track to support even more classroom projects this year. Teachers in participating grocers’ markets are encouraged to upload their health and nutrition-based classroom projects to receive funding from the Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign.
Produce for Kids will be enlisting the help of the public to match donations to all projects that meet these requirements. For more information on teacher eligibility, please visit http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/viewChallenge.html?id=242936
About The Campaign
From September through October 2013, participating fresh fruit and vegetable companies made a donation to DonorsChoose.org, an online charity aimed at helping public and charter school teachers across America, based on the support of their fresh produce items at participating grocery stores. The more items shoppers added to their shopping lists, the more local classrooms would benefit.
Participating produce companies include: Acosta Sales & Marketing; Amco Produce®; Bolthouse Farms®; Crunch Pak®; Del Monte Foods®; DOLE® Salads; Earthbound Farm®; Fresh Express®; Georgia Pecan Commission; Highline® Mushrooms; JOH; Mastronardi Produce; Michigan Apple Committee; Oppenheimer™; POM Wonderful®; Potandon Produce; Stemilt Growers; Shuman Produce; T. Marzetti® Co.; Ventura Foods; Village Farms®; Westmoreland Sales; and Zeigler’s®.
For more information about the Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign visit produceforkids.com.
About Produce for Kids®
Produce for Kids® is a philanthropically based organization that brings the produce industry together to educate consumers about healthy eating with fresh produce and raises funds for local children’s non-profit organizations. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Produce Inc., Produce for Kids has raised more than $4.8 million to benefit kids. To learn more about Produce for Kids and healthy eating, visit www.produceforkids.com, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.
About DonorsChoose.org
Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that makes it easy for anyone to help students in need. Public school teachers from every corner of America post requests, and individuals can give directly to the ones that inspire them. To date, 152,000 public and charter schoolteachers have used DonorsChoose.org to secure $187 million in books, art supplies, technology, and other resources that their students need to learn. Visit www.donorschoose.org/intro to hear Oprah Winfrey and Stephen Colbert tell the DonorsChoose.org story.
Source: Produce for Kids®
