December 2020 - 32

U.S. APPLE
US Apple donates to feeding program for students
TRACY GRONDINE
Vice President,
Communications
USApple
tgrondine@usapple.org
The U.S. Apple Association (USApple)
announced in late October it has donated
funding from its grant program, Apples4Ed,
to the School Nutrition Foundation's " Help
Feed School Kids Now! " emergency feeding
campaign. The $20,000 donation will aid
the foundation's frontline work to ensure
that students who depend on the National
School Lunch Program do not go hungry
while in-person classrooms remain closed
due to COVID-19.
The Apples4Ed donation will help
the School Nutrition Foundation (SNF)
provide grants to school districts across the
country so more kids can be fed. Money
will help purchase food and packaging
for grab-and-go meals, mobile carts and
kiosks for curbside service, or supplies and
personal protective equipment so school
children can remain fed and safe.
The SNF, a 501(c)3 sister organization
of the non-profit School Nutrition
Association (SNA), represents more than
nationwide, SNF school nutrition
professionals were serving healthy
meals to 30 million students every day.
Through the " Help Feed School Kids
Now! " emergency feeding campaign,
SNF is now working with those same
nutrition professionals to identify and
help provide food and resources to
school communities so children do not
go hungry.
" This generous donation from USApple
USApple's Apples4Ed program providse healthy snacks and nutrition education to at-risk
school kids. Photo: U.S. Apple
55,000 school nutrition professionals
nationwide. SNA is a partner of Apples4Ed.
In its fourth year, Apples4Ed provides
funding to schools for healthy eating
initiatives. Typically, schools that have
applied for funding throughout the
year are considered for grant dollars
that are awarded every spring. Earlier
this year, USApple leaders made the
decision to postpone the 2020 spring
announcement due to school closures.
When many schools did not resume
in-person instruction in September, the
decision was made to instead seek out
opportunities to fund emergency feeding
programs for vulnerable school children.
Schools that applied for 2020 funding
will receive primary consideration once
Apples4Ed resumes its normal operation.
" When USApple was unable to award
funding to schools for healthy eating
initiatives, it made sense to look to our
partners to see where we could instead
assist in their efforts during this critical
time, " said USApple President and
CEO Jim Bair. " We applaud the School
Nutrition Foundation's effort to provide
food and meal services for school kids
who are at their most vulnerable. "
Before COVID-19 shutdown schools
will support school nutrition professionals
working on the frontlines to ensure
students continue to receive healthy school
meals that fuel their success, whether they
are learning in school or at home, " said
SNA/SNF CEO Patricia Montague,
CAE. " With this funding, SNF will help
address urgent needs for everything from
carts and coolers for curbside and classroom
meal service to personal protective
equipment to keep staff and students safe. "
Apples4Ed is a program created
by USApple, in partnership with
SNA and the National Association of
State Departments of Agriculture, to
financially award schools that encourage
daily consumption of healthy, balanced
foods that positively impact student
achievement, focus and fitness.
To learn more, visit apples4ed.com. FGN
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December 2020

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