$600,000 Available to Five School Districts Committed to Serving Healthier Meals
Chef Ann Foundation, Life Time Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation
to support clean food and children’s health
BOULDER, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dedicated to improving school meals, three top school food nutrition
foundations have teamed up to provide $600,000 in support to five school
districts across the nation through the School Food Support
Initiative.
Launched by the Life
Time Foundation, in partnership with the Chef
Ann Foundation and the Whole
Kids Foundation, the School Food Support Initiative is seeking
five motivated school districts that want to establish healthier
meal programs, and want the guidance and support to truly improve
the health of children in their communities.
Applications will be accepted now through October 30, 2015. Selected
districts each will receive program services valued at $120,000,
including:
-
Program implementation by a team of renowned school food experts:
-
Chef Ann Cooper, an internationally recognized chef,
educator and advocate of healthy food for all children, and Food
Service Director of Boulder Valley School District -
Chef Beth Collins, a School Food Systems Consultant and
Director of Operations for the Chef Ann Foundation -
Nancy Howatt, a Fiscal Analyst and School District
Administration Consultant at Lunch Lessons LLC
-
A one-day intensive workshop for Food Service Directors at Boulder
Valley School District, focused on human resources, finance,
procurement, menu planning, facilities and community engagement - Three-day on-site assessment and technical assistance
- Report of assessment findings and recommendations
- On-site strategic planning based on assessment findings
- Twenty hours of technical assistance and peer-to-peer collaboration
-
Ongoing peer-to-peer collaboration for best practices, sharing and
support through the Life Time Foundation Collaborative -
As an outcome of each assessment, selected school districts may apply
for a one-time $50,000 grant that is designed to support the
identified needs and goals of each program in implementing sustainable
healthy food recommendations
School districts that have an interest in being considered must meet the
following criteria:-
A firm commitment to improve their meal program, including a
commitment to reduce and remove the Life Time Foundation’s “Seven
Ingredients of Concern”: high-fructose corn syrup; artificial colors;
artificial sweeteners; artificial preservatives; trans fats and
hydrogenated oils; bleached flour; and hormones and antibiotics in
animal products when possible; and focus on scratch cooking. - Participation in the National School Lunch Program
-
Ideally serve 3,000 to 12,000 students and located within 20 miles of
either a Life Time destination or a Whole Foods Market for additional
support
Applications must be submitted by October 30, 2015. Eligible districts
will be ranked for selection based on applications and top candidate
will be invited to participate in an interview prior to final selection.For more information and to submit your application, please visit http://www.chefannfoundation.org/programs/school-food-support-initiative.
About the Life Time Foundation
As a private foundation created by Life Time, The Healthy Way of Life
Company, the Life Time Foundation’s mission is to inspire healthy people
and a healthy planet—one school meal at a time. Currently, the
Foundation is focused on improving children’s nutrition through
education and the elimination of highly processed and unnatural
ingredients from school lunch menus, ensuring every child has a healthy
start in life. Unlike many other charitable organizations in which a
portion of donations is consumed by administrative costs, 100% of every
dollar donated to the Life Time Foundation directly supports its mission
because all administrative costs are contributed by Life Time. For more
information, visit www.ltffoundation.org.About Life TimeSM, The Healthy Way of Life
CompanyLife Time is a privately held, comprehensive health and lifestyle
company that offers a personalized and scientific approach to long-term
health and wellness. Through its portfolio of distinctive resort-like
destinations, athletic events and corporate health services, the Healthy
Way of Life Company helps members achieve their goals everyday with the
support of a team of dedicated professionals and an array of proprietary
health assessments. As of October 2015 the company operates 117 centers
in 26 states and 34 major markets under the LIFE TIME FITNESS®
and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC® brands in the United States and
Canada. Additional information is available at www.lifetimefitness.com.About the Chef Ann Foundation
The Chef
Ann Foundation (CAF) was founded in 2009 by Ann
Cooper, an internationally recognized chef, author, educator, public
speaker, and advocate of healthy food for all children. In a nation
where kids are born with shorter life expectancies than their parents
due to diet-related disease, our mission is to help schools take action
so that every child has daily access to fresh, nourishing food. Carrying
out the vision of Chef Ann, who has been a pioneering leader in the
fields of school food, childhood nutrition, and sustainable agriculture,
the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization actively supports school districts
nationwide through grant programs and resources that help schools serve
children healthy and delicious scratch-cooked meals made with fresh,
whole food. To date, CAF has reached 5,161 schools and over 2,254,128
children.About Whole Kids Foundation
Whole Kids Foundation, a Whole Foods Market foundation, is based in
Austin, Texas, and operates as an independent, nonprofit organization.
Its mission is to improve children’s nutrition and wellness, with the
goal of ending the childhood obesity epidemic. Through partnerships with
innovative organizations, schools and educators, the foundation works to
provide children access to healthier choices and aims to help children
reach their full potential through the strength of a healthy body. To
learn more about Whole Kids Foundation and its salad bar, school garden
and healthy teacher programs, visit www.wholekidsfoundation.org.Contacts
Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Amy Henderson, 952-229-7721
ahenderson2@lifetimefitness.com -
Chef Ann Cooper, an internationally recognized chef,