LISLE, Ill. – Nathan's Famous and KaBOOM! brought a little piece of Coney Island to the Greater Scranton area on Tuesday. The world famous hot dog company and the national non-profit organization honored the youth of the Greater Scranton YMCA with an evening of fun as a part of their Ready. Set. PLAY. program which celebrates play and the "playmakers" who are making play possible in communities around the country.
The Greater Scranton YMCA was chosen for the event because of their passion for the importance of play for youth and their commitment to promoting and protecting balanced and active play. Nathan's and KaBOOM! will stage similar events as part of Ready. Set. PLAY. to honor organizations and schools in other locations and to further encourage activities that promote active play as a part of healthy development of children.
"We are really excited to work with KaBOOM! and are proud to honor those working to make active play an important part of the lives of children and communities around the country," said Mike Paribello, senior director of marketing for the John Morrell Food Group, a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods and licensing partner of Nathan's Famous. "Nathan's is all about fun, family and community so being able to give back to the community, to organizations such as the Greater Scranton YMCA, with a fun-filled night means a lot to all of us."
"The fundamentals of healthy, active lifestyles begin at home with our parents and in our communities," said KaBOOM! CEO and Founder Darell Hammond. "With support from Nathan's Famous through Ready. Set. Play., we are able to bring play opportunities to communities across the nation and inspire families to participate and incorporate balance and active play with their everyday lives."
The fun-filled night included the flavors of Coney Island with delicious Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, carnival-like games, giveaways and much more. Leading up to the event, children ages eight to 12 were encouraged to submit a poem, photo, play journal or essay that speaks to the important role play serves in their life. Four winners were selected at event and as a prize, received tickets to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on Sunday, June 8 at Pocono Raceway. Prior to the NASCAR race, the winners will be given the opportunity to participate in a special pedal car race right on the race track. In addition, Nathan's and KaBOOM! are providing the YMCA with 400 tickets to Kid's Day at Pocono on Saturday, June 7. All youth who enter the contest will receive four tickets to Kid's Day for themselves and their families.
"We are honored to host this community event with KaBOOM! and Nathan's Famous," said Meghan Davis, mission advancement director, Greater Scranton YMCA. "Like KaBOOM! and Nathan's Famous, the Greater Scranton YMCA understands the key role play serves in the lives of children. The Ready. Set. PLAY. initiative is in alignment with the Y's commitment to fostering creativity and playful, innovative thinking in our youth and family participants."
For more information, please visit Nathan's Famous and KaBOOM! online.
About Nathan's
Nathan's is a Russell 2000 Company that currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Cayman Islands and nine foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs and product licensing activities.The Nathan's restaurant system currently consists of 329 units, comprised of 324 franchised units and five company-owned units (including one seasonal unit). Nathan's was ranked #55 on the Forbes list of the Best Small Companies in America and was listed as the Best Small Company in New York State in October 2013. Last year, over 430 million Nathan's Famous hot dogs were sold. For additional information about Nathan's please visit our website at www.nathansfamous.com.
About John Morrell Food Group
With over a century and a half of experience, John Morrell Food Group brands have become respected and well known for providing premium-quality meat products to families across the United States. With products ranging from lunchmeat and franks to smoked sausage, bacon and pepperoni, the John Morrell Food Group is an important part of consumers' mealtimes. The John Morrell Food Group offers several national and regional brands including Armour®, Eckrich®, John Morrell®, Curly's®, Patrick Cudahy®, Carando®, Healthy Ones®, Margherita® Kretschmar® and LunchMakers®.
About Smithfield Foods
Smithfield Foods is a $14 billion global food company and the world's largest pork processor and hog producer. In the United States, the company is also the leader in numerous packaged meats categories with popular brands including Smithfield®, Eckrich®, Farmland®, Armour®, Cook's®, Gwaltney®, John Morrell®, Kretschmar®, Curly's®, Carando®, Margherita®, and Healthy Ones®. Smithfield Foods is committed to providing good food in a responsible way and maintains robust animal care, community involvement, employee safety, environmental, and food safety and quality programs. For more information, visit www.smithfieldfoods.com and www.smithfieldcommitments.com.
About KaBOOM!
KaBOOM! is the national non-profit dedicated to the bold new goal of ensuring that all children, particularly the 16 million American children living in poverty, get the balance of active play they need to become healthy and successful adults. KaBOOM! has been a powerful champion for play since its founding in 1996, working with partners to build, improve and open more than 15,000 playgrounds, engage more than 1,000,000 volunteers and serve more than 6,600,000 children. KaBOOM! creates and catalyzes great places to play, inspires, empowers and leads play advocates, and educates and elevates the societal conversation about the importance of play in children's lives. For more information, visit kaboom.org/act or follow the conversation on why #playmatters at twitter.com/kaboom or facebook.com/kaboom.
Source: John Morrell Food Group