Chelan Fresh Joins Fuel Up to Play 60 to Help Increase Student Access to Nutritious Food Choices in Schools
LYNNWOOD, WA - One of Washington’s preeminent apple, pear, and cherry providers, Chelan Fresh, is teaming up with in-school wellness program Fuel Up to Play 60 to provide portable breakfast/salad bar carts to be used in 15 schools in 11 states across the country, increasing increasing student access to more nutritious food choices.
“As one of the original supporters of the Fuel Up to Play 60 team, Chelan Fresh has been a leader in the produce industry ensuring kids try and continue to choose nutritious food items at school and at home,” said Mac Riggan, Director of Marketing at Chelan Fresh.
According to a press release, Fuel Up to Play 60 and Chelan Fresh noted that, in the United States, more than 13 million students come from food insecure households that lack the means to get enough nutritious food on a regular basis. The portable breakfast/salad bar carts provided by Chelan Fresh represent an innovative solution to food insecurity and will reach nearly 9,000 students, serving an estimated 1.3 million meals annually.
The rolling carts from Chelan Fresh will provide easy solutions to school nutrition and meal service teams, allowing them the opportunity to position the cart in areas that provide students easy access to nutritious foods. Cooling trays and other features on the cart also provide easy serving opportunities, reduce the need for ice and other resources needed to keep food cool, and provide easy clean-up for school food service and maintenance staff.
Recipient schools in Arizona, California, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, South Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Washington are expected to receive portable breakfast/salad bar carts in time for the 2018-19 school year.
2018 is the seventh consecutive year that Chelan Fresh has supported Fuel Up to Play 60. The company began its support of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program in 2011, and since that time has provided more than $750,000 in funding and in-kind resources to support increasing student’s access across the country to nutritious foods including fruit, vegetables, dairy, and whole grains.
“On behalf of National Dairy Council, dairy farmers and the dairy community, we’re thankful to continue our longstanding relationship with Chelan Fresh and their growers, and to have their support in nourishing schools and communities through the Fuel Up to Play 60 program,” noted Jean Ragalie-Carr, RDN, LDN, FAND, President, National Dairy Council. “The joint effort from Chelan Fresh and Fuel Up to Play 60 will provide more students across the country with access to nutritious meals in a convenient, on-the-go setting, providing them the nourishment that students need to help fuel greatness.”
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