Kate Olender with United Fresh Start Foundation Shares on Inaugural Conference and Gala
SAN DIEGO, CA - It’s not everyday that we get to feel the impact of our work endeavors throughout our communities. United Fresh Start Foundation is creating new and exciting ways for our industry to reach beyond our everyday happenings and into the lives of those around us to create healthier and happier habits with its inaugural Annual Conference and Gala, which runs January 16-18.
Here to give me the inside scoop on how these events are biting into the eating habits felt throughout the communities we serve is Kate Olender, United Fresh Start Foundation’s Senior Director of Health & Wellness.
Q: What is/are the event(s), when will they be held, where will they be held?
Kate Olender: The inaugural United Fresh Start Foundation Annual Conference will take place this January 16-18 at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, California. Kicking off Tuesday, January 16th, the event features the annual United Fresh Start Foundation Golf Tournament, where retail and foodservice executives will spend the morning on the course with industry leaders. That evening, there will be a silent and live auction during the United Fresh Start Foundation Gala reception and dinner. This year, United Fresh will be honoring H-E-B’s Group Vice President of Produce Procurement Hugh Topper with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Proceeds from the golf tournament and the silent and live auctions benefit the United Fresh Start Foundation and its mission to increase children’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
To maximize support opportunities for the industry, anyone interested in supporting our mission can participate in the silent auction, even if they aren’t attending the event! However, we’ve saved some of the best items and opportunities for the live auction taking place during the gala dinner.
To register to bid in the silent auction or to prepare to bid in the live auction, visit https://www.501auctions.com/unitedfreshstart. I encourage everyone to check it out as there are lots of great items, experiences, and business opportunities available. New this year, Wednesday, January 17th features the Breakfast & General Session in addition to our traditional volunteer leaders’ meetings and meals, where three panels of industry leaders will share case studies and insights on how and why they are engaging within their schools, communities, and businesses to advance the mission of the Foundation.
Q: What is the impact of an event like the inaugural United Fresh Start Foundation’s Annual Golf Tournament and Gala?
KO: Still in its first couple of years, the United Fresh Start Foundation has made a significant impact on the way kids across the country are interacting with fresh fruits and vegetables, but there’s much more work to do! The golf tournament and the new Bids for Kids auction raises funds so our foundation can increase children’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables through existing programs, such as Salad Bars to Schools and the Community Grant Program. In 2017 alone, the foundation helped over 30,000 kids through our community grants program and helped donate 400 salad bars to cafeterias. We’re excited to reach even more kids through current and new programs this coming year, and a successful event in January will help us achieve greater impact.
Q: What are the goals of the event and how do you hope to affect change in the industry?
KO: The event aims to rally our industry around the mission of the foundation and to inspire everyone to get involved in increasing children’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Our new education sessions showcase the incredible ways our industry is already increasing access; they also feature other ideas for how we can continue increasing access now and in the future. We hope that attendees will be inspired and energized by all the opportunity and will commit to supporting the mission both personally and professionally.
Q: Why do you believe businesses should get involved in this event, and rally around the cause?
KO: Absolutely! From a business perspective, ensuring that kids grow up with access to fresh produce means they’re more likely to become lifelong consumers of fruits and vegetables. More importantly, our industry is poised to play a unique role in solving many important health issues, like hunger, obesity, and diabetes. As businesses, we can help address these issues through our distinct roles in shaping the food landscape.
And there are immediate and actionable benefits to participating. The event hosts the January meeting of United Fresh’s volunteer leaders’ boards and councils. As businesses advance their missions to stay relevant in the industry, they will not want to miss the opportunity to network with Association leadership. Whether on the golf course, at the gala reception and dinner, or in volunteer meetings, the networking opportunities are ample.
Q: What programs will this support, and how do these events assist in the health and wellness of the region when paired with the industry’s top professionals?
KO: The United Fresh Start Foundation fulfills its mission to increase children’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables by focusing on three core mission areas: in schools, in communities, and in our businesses. Each of these focus areas include a variety of initiatives to fulfill our mission, such as Salad Bars to Schools, where we contribute salad bars to school cafeterias; the Community Grants Program, where we provide community organizations with funds to increase children’s access to produce beyond the school day; and the School Foodservice Forum, where school foodservice members gain insights and build relationships with our industry so they can best serve fresh fruits and vegetables to kids in school. We have a lot of new programs on the horizon as well!
Q: What is the history behind this event?
KO: United Fresh has been hosting winter leadership meetings for over a decade. With the growing significance of the United Fresh Start Foundation’s work, the January meeting has transitioned to focus more on the opportunities for the industry to get involved with the foundation, which is now the host of the meeting. United Fresh has maintained a number of their traditional events with the perspective that the more the industry can learn, engage, and participate with the Foundation in a valuable and meaningful way, the more the industry and the organizations will benefit.
Our volunteer leaders look forward to this event each January, as do their industry peers who come to network, play golf, celebrate, and learn. We welcome everyone to join us in San Diego—especially if you’re currently experiencing the cold temps of winter weather. We promise it will be nicer than where you might be now!
To learn more about how you can attend or get involved, check out our link for more details: http://www.unitedfreshstart.org/support-our- cause/foundation-annual- conference-and-gala/
