Falls Church, VA — The U.S. Apple Association (USApple) announces the launch of the 2023-24 Apples4Ed grant program. This USApple charitable initiative supports healthy eating projects in public schools across the country. Five $5,000 grants will be given to schools that are bringing awareness to nutrition and exposing students to a wider variety of fresh fruits and vegetables.
This year, Apples4Ed is focused on teaching children the basics of healthy eating and pairing that knowledge with fun outcomes. USApple’s social media will highlight some of the fun benefits of kids choosing nutritious foods – like having more energy to play basketball or better focus to enjoy a good book.
“Teaching students how to make healthy food choices benefits them long after the school year ends,” said Lynsee Gibbons, Director of Communications for USApple. “Exposing them to fresh produce in a fun and enjoyable way makes them more apt to develop healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. We’re honored to invest in the health and well-being of our future generation with Apples4Ed.”
From healthy snack “fuel stations” and cooking lessons to 5K races and rooftop gardens, Apples4Ed has supported a diverse array of programs in schools across the country. You can learn about past winners here.
The 2023-24 Apples4Ed submission form can be found here. Public schools with students enrolled in any grade from kindergarten through 12th are eligible to apply. Applications are due by January 25, 2024. Winners will be selected and announced in March of 2024.
Applications are juried by a panel of judges that take into consideration the level of creativity, longevity, student impact, logistics, and community involvement of the program.
Apples4Ed also has new resources available for teachers, including posters for classrooms and coloring workbooks for students. You can find those here.
To learn more or to submit your school, visit Apples4Ed.com.
USApple is the national trade association representing all segments of the apple industry. Members include 36 state and regional apple associations, representing 26,000 apple growers throughout the country and more than 3,700 apple-related companies. Our members collectively grow more than 10 billion pounds of apples a year on average, supporting about 150,000 jobs and generating more than $8 billion in total wages and almost $23 billion in economic activity.
