ORLANDO, Fla. – The Power Your Lunchbox Pledge by Produce for Kids encouraged families, classrooms and retail dietitians to be re-inspired in the new year by pledging to eat healthier lunches in 2017. Between Jan. 4 and Feb. 15, a total of 21,394 families, classrooms and shoppers took the pledge to pack a healthier lunchbox allowing 235,334 meals to be provided to families in need through Feeding America® and bringing the total Power Your Lunchbox Pledge impact to more than 580,000 meals.
“In listening to our audience through social media, we realized there was not just a need for lunchbox inspiration in August and September, but there was also a need to re-inspire families with new lunchbox ideas and tips mid-year,” said Trish James, vice president, Produce for Kids. “We were able to tailor information we were sharing with families based on the season, offering them cold weather healthy lunch ideas and seasonal tips from our registered dietitian, including blog posts about foods to help fight colds and incorporating citrus into your family’s diet.”
For every pledge, Power Your Lunchbox partners made a collective $1 donation to support Feeding America programs that benefit families struggling with hunger. Sponsors were featured in kid-friendly and registered dietitian-approved lunchbox, snack and dinner recipes on poweryourlunchbox.com, featured in e-newsletters and included in food blogger outreach. After pledging, consumers received coupons encouraging purchase of sponsored products and more information on how to incorporate fruits and veggies into their family’s diet. A #PowerYourLunchbox Twitter party on January 18 saw more than 8 million impressions.
Produce for Kids partners supporting Power Your Lunchbox Pledge 2017 included: Avocados from Mexico – Mexican Hass Avocados, Bee Sweet Citrus, Crispy Fruit Freeze-Dried Fruit Snacks from Crispy Green®, Eat Smart® Fresh Cut Vegetables, Earthbound Farm® Baby Kale, Marie’s® Dressings, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice, Pero Family Farms® Mini Sweet Peppers and Snipped Green Beans, and Wish Farms Strawberries with additional support provided by Bentology™.
The #PowerYourLunchbox hashtag garnered over 39.4 million impressions and the website, poweryourlunchbox.com, had 24,763 pageviews during the six week program. Teachers were encouraged to pledge for their classrooms and had access to nutrition-focused lesson plans to utilize with their students. Eighty-three classrooms took the pledge during the 2017 campaign.
In-store dietitians joined pledge efforts by sharing Power Your Lunchbox Pledge news with shoppers and gathering pledges at in-store and school events.
The Power Your Lunchbox Pledge started in 2014 to help families overcome the challenge of packing a healthy lunchbox. The 2015 program was awarded a Marketing Excellence Award from Produce Business.
Power Your Lunchbox Pledge program partnership opportunities for 2017 back-to-school timeframe are available for produce and health-conscious brands. Companies interested in participating in the program should email Shannon@produceforkids.com.
* $1 donated helps provide 11 meals secured by Feeding America on behalf of local member food banks. Produce for Kids secured $21,674 (238,414 meals) through the overall Power Your Lunchbox campaign period of January 4, 2017 to February 15, 2017.
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About Produce for Kids®
Produce for Kids® believes in creating a healthier generation. As a cause marketing organization, Produce for Kids creates programs that provide easy, fun, and inspiring recipes. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Produce Inc., Produce for Kids has raised more than $6 million to benefit children and families. To learn more about Produce for Kids and healthy eating, visit www.produceforkids.com, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram.
About Feeding America®
Feeding America is the nationwide network of 200 food banks that leads the fight against hunger in the United States. Together, we provide food to more than 46 million people through 60,000 food pantries and meal programs in communities across America. Feeding America also supports programs that improve food security among the people we serve; educates the public about the problem of hunger; and advocates for legislation that protects people from going hungry. Individuals, charities, businesses and government all have a role in ending hunger. Donate. Volunteer. Advocate. Educate. Together we can solve hunger. Visit www.feedingamerica.org, find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Source: Produce for Kids®
