The Produce Mom Teams Up With Department Of Education & Indianapolis Colts

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — The Produce Mom® is collaborating with the Department of Education and the Indianapolis Colts to promote healthy messaging to students in an effort to guide them in making healthy nutrition and physical activity choices through the Find Your Favorite® program and school show. The Find Your Favorite show will visit 15 schools throughout Indiana in April and May and is expected to reach 5,500 students and their families, as well as school staff and community members.

The show, funded in part by a USDA Team Nutrition grant, will star the Indianapolis Colts Mascot, Blue, and the USDA Team Nutrition Mascot, Power Panther. Blue and Power Panther will guide students through fresh produce sampling and echo the industry-wide messaging of MyPlate and Fruits & Veggies—More Matters throughout the presentation. Video messages from Colts players will also be a part of the program. After the show, The Produce Mom, Indianapolis Fruit Company, Piazza Produce, and The Produce Mom Family of Partners will host a fruit and vegetable sampling party in the school cafeteria.

In addition to the school shows, the Indianapolis Colts will promote the Find Your Favorite program on their website and social media pages. Find Your Favorite activity sheets will be passed out at team events and games. The entire Indiana youth community was invited to participate in a Nutrition Month coloring contest which encouraged children to draw their favorite fruits and vegetables and answer questions about their wellness and fitness goals.

The USDA has recognized that students do not eat the recommended serving of fruits and vegetables. While school cafeterias are offering more variety as well as more servings of fruits and vegetables, students do not take advantage of this and produce items often end up in the trash. By associating fruits and vegetables with Find Your Favorite Heroes, students will develop a more positive attitude and be more willing to incorporate produce into their diets. The Department of Education hopes that the Find Your Favorite program and school show will not only prompt students to select more produce items from the cafeteria line, but also encourage students to request additional fruit and vegetable menu options.

The Department of Education alongside Indiana University will conduct a nutritional data study on students to define the impact and prove the effectiveness of the Find Your Favorite program and school show.

About Find Your Favorite®

Find Your Favorite is a community outreach initiative of The Produce Mom and Indianapolis Fruit Company designed to educate elementary students on the nutritional benefits of eating fresh fruits and vegetables by combining the influence of Heroes with simple, fun learning opportunities about fresh produce. In 2012, Find Your Favorite was piloted in 67 schools in the Indianapolis Public Schools system (IPS), which is the largest public school system in the State of Indiana. Volunteer Heroes participated in the 2012 IPS Find Your Favorite program by sharing personal stories about their favorite fruits and vegetables in short video segments and 2’ x 3’ sized posters. Approximately 18 professional artists, athletes and public service officials served as volunteer Heroes. The Hero posters were placed in cafeterias of participating schools.

About The Produce Mom®

Launched in January 2012, The Produce Mom is the official blog and consumer brand of Indianapolis Fruit Company, a supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables to retailers in more than 14 Midwestern states. The blog is authored by Lori Taylor, Marketing Manager, wife and mother. She combines her professional and personal experiences to share relevant industry knowledge with consumers.

The Produce Mom provides consumers with information on how to select, store and serve fruits and vegetables through resources such as the Find Your Favorite® elementary school education program, the Produce Mom Picks® initiative in grocery stores and restaurants, an online recipe directory, blog posts, social media and partnerships with fruit and vegetable suppliers.

As The Produce Mom, Lori has received national recognitions, including the top 40 Under Forty from Produce Business Magazine, Fruit & Veggies–More Matters Industry Champion by Produce for Better Health Foundation, Walt Disney Kids Concern, Well Dunn Recipient by the WNBA Indiana Fever, Woman of Influence by the National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health, Indiana’s Most Influential Dame at the Social Media Summit, a community partner for the Indianapolis Public Schools’ Foodservice Department and one of the most influential produce industry professionals in the “Packer 25” by leading trade journal, The Packer.

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About The Indianapolis Colts

The franchise has won four World Championships. Since relocating to Indianapolis, the Colts have won 10 division titles, including five consecutive AFC South crowns from 2003-07. The Colts are the only NFL team to have 12+ victories in seven consecutive seasons. The Colts won 115 regular-season games from 2000-09, the highest decade total in NFL history, and the team’s 23 consecutive regular-season wins (2008-09) set another NFL record. The club won Super Bowl XLI following the 2006 season, and the Colts reached Super Bowl XLIV after winning the AFC title during the 2009 season.

The Indianapolis Colts take great pride in playing an active role in the community and are committed to corporate citizenship throughout Indiana. Leading by example, we hope to encourage and inspire our fellow Hoosiers to participate in the practice of giving back. Our goal is to create lasting philanthropic partnerships and maximize those relationships for the betterment of our community, thus, building a legacy of goodwill as we share the heart behind the horseshoe.

Source: The Produce Mom®