Whole Foods Market® Grant Puts Greens in Hawai’i Schools
Maui Haleakalā Waldorf School, Hāna School and Kīhei Charter School on Maui are among the seven schools in Hawai’i to receive grants for salad bars
Whole Foods Market recently awarded grants to seven Hawai’i schools, which will allow them to install salad bars and provide local students with access to fresh fruits and vegetables during school meals. The seven schools include Hālau Ku Mana and Waikīkī School on O’ahu, Kanuikapono Public Charter School and Kapa’a High School on Kaua’i as well as Maui Haleakalā Waldorf School, Hāna School and Kīhei Charter School on Maui. The grants are a part of Whole Foods Market’s Salad Bar Project, a national campaign to help empower schools to increase students’ lunchtime consumption of fruits and vegetables.
“The students and faculty are really excited about the salad bar and already I see them paying more attention to what they are eating in our cafeteria, the athletes especially!” said Steve Sineci, food service supervisor for Hāna School. “We are setting up a couple of different salad menus and hope to be able to use fresh vegetables from the Mahele Farm which we have an agreement for our kids to work the farm. A big mahalo to Whole Foods Market for making this happen.”
All schools receiving grants from the Salad Bar Project will be sent healthy salad bar kits in the next few weeks. The kits include a five-well Canmbro® salad bar complete with utensils, pan inserts, chilling pads and training tools. Salad bar training tools and videos for school nutrition staff will also be available through TheLunchBox.org, which Whole Foods Market shoppers helped to raise funds to build in 2009 so all schools can have access to healthier food tools and tips.
“The Salad Bar Project is a great opportunity for Whole Foods Market to get involved with the community in an area that is important to us and our local families – the health and nutrition of our children,” said Elyse Ditzel, Whole Foods Market Kahului marketing supervisor. “Whole Foods Market is committed to providing the community with access to healthy and all-natural food and this is just one way that we can help get the next generation excited about eating greens.”
“According to a recent study, just one percent of adolescents eat as many servings of fruits and vegetables as recommended by the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” added Ditzel. “By putting salad bars in schools we hope to provide an opportunity for Hawai’i students to make healthy food choices.”
Whole Foods Market shoppers surpassed the goal of $750,000, donating more than $1.4 million to the Salad Bar Project during the grocer’s four-week in-store and online fundraising campaign in September. The company partnered with Chef Ann Cooper’s nonprofit, F3: Food Family Farming Foundation, to administer the grant application process. The Foundation received over 700 applications and has scheduled shipment of 460 salad bars to date, and is finalizing the review of 90 additional qualifying schools. Visit saladbars2schools.org for a current list of schools that have received salad bars.
To make an even larger impact in lunchrooms across the country, Whole Foods Market announced it is a founding partner of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, whose goal is to provide 6,000 salad bars across the nation by 2013.For more information about Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, visit saladbars2schools.org.
For additional information on Whole Foods Market Kahului, please visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/maui/ or call (808) 872 -3310
