The New England Produce Council, Inc. proudly donated a salad bar to the East Boston High School on Thursday at a dedication ceremony held at the High School. In attendance at this event was Bob McGowan, President NEPC; Tom Murray (Roche Bros.) 1st VP NEPC; Bob Duperre (C&S Wholesale Grocers) NEPC Board Member; Bill Brophy (Ahold) NEPC Board Member and Laura Sullivan, Executive Director NEPC.
The New England Produce Council, Inc. was introduced to the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools program in May 2011. Tom Stenzel, President United Fresh Produce Association, spoke at an NEPC dinner meeting and introduced the program. Immediately, the NEPC Board of Directors decided to support this program as it coincides with their mission to promote the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Tom introduced NEPC to Andrew Marshall, Policy and Grassroots Manager for United Fresh Produce Association, who guided them through the process of selecting a school and ordering the unit. The NEPC Board of Directors decided to select an inner city school within the New England area. “Our objective is to donate an electrical salad bar unit each year to a school within the New England area”, states Laura Sullivan.
Alison Smizer, Community Initiatives Coordinator for Let’s Get Movin’, together with the “Healthy Hood Girls”, five East Boston High School students, completed the application process required by the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools program. The students completed the application as freshman and today as they begin their junior year, they are able to enjoy the salad bar and offer a better lunch option for their classmates. Michael Smith, S-House Dean East Boston High School, was instrumental and very supportive throughout the process.
Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools is a comprehensive public health initiative to provide salad bars to schools across the country in order to increase children’s consumption of fruits and vegetables. Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools supports First Lady Michelle Obama’s Lets Move! initiative to end childhood obesity in a generation. The United Fresh Produce Association Foundation is a founding partner of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools. Their role has been to engage the produce industry to support salad bars for schools, as a strategy to increase children’s access and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables every day at school. They believe that using salad bars is the easiest way for schools to meet the new USDA school nutrition standards, which require schools to significantly increase the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables offered as part of the National School Lunch Program.
Source: New England Produce Council, Inc.