ORLANDO, Fla. – The second annual Produce for Kids Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign is set to kick off this September and will raise money for local health and nutrition-based classroom projects in each of the participating grocers’ markets through DonorsChoose.org. Last year, the campaign raised more than $169,000 and supported 652 classroom projects throughout the country.
More than 20 fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers will support the campaign by making a consumption-based donation to DonorsChoose.org to help local schools. The more items from participating companies that shoppers add to their grocery lists, the more local classrooms benefit. Grocery retail partners participating in the campaign include ACME Markets; Meijer Stores; and Publix Super Markets.
This September through October, shoppers can be on the look out for Produce for Kids signage, featuring characters from the popular Sprout® television show, The Chica Show, in the produce section of more than 1,300 grocery stores in 15 states. In-store signage will direct shoppers to www.produceforkids.com the new Produce for Kids website featuring more than 120 Ideal Meals recipes, meal planning tools, campaign information, and tips and solutions to help shoppers keep their families healthy for back-to-school and year-round.
“We’re delighted to be partnering with DonorsChoose.org again this year and continuing to help our grocery retail partners support local classrooms in their areas,” said John Shuman, president, Produce for Kids. “We’re helping to educate kids, both at home and in the classroom, on the importance of a healthy diet with fresh fruits and vegetables by funding health and nutrition-based projects.”
DonorsChoose.org is an online charity aimed at helping public and charter schoolteachers across America obtain the supplies needed for their classrooms. To date, 230,000 public and charter schoolteachers have used DonorsChoose.org to secure $120 million in books, art supplies, technology and other resources to enhance student learning. All funds raised during the campaign will go to match public donations to participating projects in each grocer’s local communities.
“We are proud to partner with Produce for Kids and participating retailers to bring healthy eating resources into public schools,” said Janelle Lin, vice president of partnerships and business development for DonorsChoose.org. “We can’t wait to build on the momentum of last year’s campaign to help improve the eating habits of students across the country.”
Produce for Kids will promote the campaign through all platforms of social media, and will host various sweepstakes and giveaways on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Produce for Kids will also engage mom bloggers in each participating retail partner’s markets to help spread the healthy eating message.
As part of the Produce for Kids and Sprout partnership, LazyTown, and other Sprout characters will interact with kids at Produce for Kids’ in-store appearances encouraging exercise and healthy eating. Sprout will promote the campaign through daily national campaign-focused television spots and web banners on www.SproutOnline.com, which receives more than 1 million visits monthly.
Sponsored products for each supermarket can be found on display materials in the grocery stores’ fresh produce departments and online at www.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 raise funds for local children’s non-profit organizations. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Produce Inc., Produce for Kids has raised more than $4.2 million to benefit kids. To learn more about Produce for Kids and healthy eating, visit www.produceforkids.com, http://www.facebook.com/produceforkids, http://www.twitter.com/#!/Produceforkids, http://www.pinterest.com/produceforkids or http://instagram.com/produceforkids
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, 230,000 public and charter school teachers have used DonorsChoose.org to secure $117 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.
About Sprout®
Sprout is the first 24-hour preschool destination available on TV, on demand and online for children ages 2-5 and their parents and caregivers. Available in over 50 million homes, the 24-hour digital channel is the only network that follows the day of a preschooler from breakfast to bedtime with its distinctive, interactive programming and original hosted day part blocks that parents and kids share together. Viewers are encouraged to submit artwork, birthday wishes, videos and more through SproutOnline.com, which has received over five million viewer interactions to-date. Sprout’s VOD offering is the #1 on demand service for younger children with over one billion views. Sprout is a top-rated kids’ network with six consecutive quarters of year-over-year double-digit household percentage growth.
The network’s program lineup of gold-standard, curriculum-based preschool series includes originals like The Chica Show, Noodle and Doodle, and Pajanimals (co-produced with The Jim Henson Company), as well as Sesame Street®, Barney & Friends™, The Wiggles®, Caillou®, Thomas & Friends™, LazyTown™, and more. Sprout is a partnership among NBCUniversal, PBS and Apax Funds.
www.SproutOnline.com
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Source: Produce for Kids
