YUMA, ARIZONA – Nestled in the middle of the Desert Southwest, where you would expect to see cactus and roadrunners, you will surprisingly find the Winter Vegetable Capital of the World, Yuma, Arizona. And within that "growing" community, JV Smith Companies, an agriculture-based company, has taken a proactive approach to sharing the message of the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. In fact, on September 20th at 4:30 p.m. EDT on the national Fox Business Network, JV Smith Companies will be highlighted during an episode entitled, "Healthier Food Choices."
JV Smith Companies is made up of several entities which include JV Farms, JV Farms Organic, Southern Colorado Farms, Skyline Potato, and Skyview Cooling. True to their tagline, "Produce for a Healthier Tomorrow", JV Smith Companies believes strongly in the products they grow for families across the nation. "I believe we all have a responsibility to share the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. Not only for our industry, but for our children and their children. We all know that eating fruits and vegetables are important for quality and longevity of life, now we need to get that message into everyone's minds," said Vic Smith, CEO, JV Smith Companies.
Last Spring, JV Smith Companies had an opportunity to share this message with a national production company who is responsible for the In View with Larry King series. The production company visited Yuma and filmed various ways that JV Smith Companies is pushing the nutrition message. "We were so happy to have them not only in our fields, but also visiting the school garden we created at Gary Knox Elementary School and also witnessing the POWer PLAY'te program, which is being used by school districts across the country, in action," said Vic Smith, CEO, JV Smith Companies.
JV Smith Companies sponsored the POWer PLAY'te program in Yuma schools for the 2012-2013 school year. This program includes fun, kid-friendly materials that encourage kids to fill have their plates with fruits and veggies and eat them! The program does this through a fun, character plate, "I'm a taster, not a waster" stickers, crop of the week materials and more. Schools across the country have adopted the program and host a POWer PLAY'te day, once a week throughout the school year! Schools using this program have seen a major increase in consumption and a decrease in produce waste!
The team at JV Smith Companies also recognized the importance of teaching children where their food comes from and the value that lesson has on encouraging kids to also eat healthier foods! Fatima Corona, JV Smith Companies food safety expert, spearheaded the garden project for the 2012-2013 school year with a very passionate JV team right beside her. They continue to work with the elementary school children to prepare the field, plant, maintain and harvest the crops. The school has taken it a step further and are now teaching lessons in all subjects using the interactive garden. Gary Knox has seen an increase in their test scores, which they attribute to the hands-on learning the garden provides.
To learn more about JV Smith Companies, visit www.jvsmithcompanies.com or find them on Facebook at www.facebook/jvsmithcompanies
To learn more about the POWer PLAY'te program, visit www.powerplayte.com
To learn more about the "In View" series, visit www.inview.com
Source: JV Smith Companies