GENYOUth, the Arizona Super Bowl Host
Committee, Fry's Food Stores, Dairy Council® of Arizona, and NFL Legend Drew Stanton Launch
Mission 57
High impact statewide initiative will tackle
food insecurity among Arizona
youth
GLENDALE, Ariz., Sept. 8,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As excitement builds for Super
Bowl LVII in February 2023,
GENYOUth, the national non-profit organization founded by
America's dairy farmers and the NFL that creates healthier school
communities, announced today a partnership with the Arizona Super
Bowl Host Committee, Dairy Council® of Arizona, and purpose-minded corporate sponsors
including Fry's Food Stores, Frito-Lay
North America, The Quaker Oats Company and Frontdoors Media
to kick off Mission 57: End Student Hunger, a
community-based initiative that will equip schools in high-need
communities with Grab and Go school meal equipment packages to
tackle hunger among youth in Arizona.
Mission 57: End Student Hunger was launched at the Glendale
Elementary School District Office in Glendale, Arizona with a celebratory student
event featuring special appearances by former Arizona Cardinal and NFL Legend Drew
Stanton, Arizona Super Bowl Host
Committee Mascot Spike, school district and government officials
including Glendale Mayor
Jerry Weiers, and community leaders.
Through the generous support of Fry's Food Stores, the Glendale
Elementary School District is receiving 11 Grab and Go meal
equipment packages to increase access to and participation in the
school meal program. These systems include a breakfast/meal cart, a
milk cooler, and an NFL FLAG-In-School kit. In total, Mission 57:
End Student Hunger will benefit 57 schools throughout Arizona in the coming months and will increase
access to over 8.5 million school meals for over 31,000
Arizona students each school
year.
GENYOUth's Grab and Go school meal equipment packages have
proven to be a game-changer in helping schools grow school meal
participation. Of all the steps schools can take toward creating
healthier, higher achieving students, implementing school breakfast
is perhaps the simplest and most cost effective, with very possibly
the most direct impact. Breakfast is linked with numerous health
and educational benefits including improved academic performance,
student behavior, school attendance, and nutrition intake, while
also addressing hunger.
"School meals are a lifeline and critical for students'
nutrition security, well-being, and learning. But the statistics
underscore that child hunger is at a crisis stage in Arizona, exacerbated by a 10.9% annual food
inflation rate that is making it harder than ever for families to
afford meals," said Ann Marie
Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., CEO of GENYOUth. "September
is Hunger Action Month and there is no better time to underscore
the urgent need for action to nourish hungry children and elevate
the important role that school meals play, especially school
breakfast."
- 84% of Arizona students
qualify for free/reduced price school meals based on household
income.*
- In Arizona, only 55% of
students who qualify for free/reduced price school meals
participate in school breakfast.*
- Arizona ranks in the bottom
half – 29th out of 51 states – in school breakfast
participation.*
Added Krautheim, "Through the generous support of our
partners like Fry's Food Stores, Mission 57 will help End Student
Hunger in Arizona. The only hunger
a child should experience is the hunger to learn!"
"We are excited to be introducing new Grab and Go meal equipment
in our schools to help provide access to healthy school meals which
will enhance our students' ability to learn and thrive in the
classroom," said Cindy
Segotta-Jones, Superintendent of Glendale Elementary
School District. "A nutritious start to the day is critical to
student success. I would like to thank GENYOUth, Fry's Food Stores,
the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, and the Dairy Council of
Arizona for their commitment to
ending student hunger in Arizona."
In the coming months, GENYOUth with support from additional
sponsors including Frito-Lay and The Quaker Oats Company will
provide Mission 57: End Student Hunger grants for meal equipment
packages to be donated to schools throughout Arizona to increase access to and
participation in nutritious school breakfast and throughout the
school day. Multiple school events will be held in Arizona communities leading up to Super
Bowl LVII and its premier purpose-driven culinary event, Taste of
the NFL, on Saturday, February 11,
2023, of which GENYOUth is the charitable partner. Proceeds
raised from Taste of the NFL will benefit schools across
Arizona and the nation -- the 2022
Taste of the NFL event held in Los
Angeles generated $1.5 million
in revenue, which supported over 600 school nutrition program
grants nationwide to increase access to and participation in school
meal programs.
"Mission 57: End Student Hunger is a crucial part of the Arizona
Super Bowl Host Committee's goal of driving lasting social and
economic impact across our local communities," said Jay Parry, President & Chief
Executive Officer of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. "We
are proud to be partnering with GENYOUth in tackling food
insecurity and delivering the equipment and resources Arizona schools need to help their students
succeed all year long. Students' health and well-being is a top
priority not just today, but every day."
As a leader in the fight against hunger in Arizona for the past 60 years, Fry's has
provided more than 55 million meals in the past five years to
families fighting food insecurity in Arizona as part of Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero
Waste.
"Fry's is excited to partner with GENYOUth on Mission 57: End
Student Hunger to tackle food insecurity in Arizona," said Monica Garnes, President of Fry's Food
Stores. "We want students to be able to focus on their studies
rather than be distracted by hunger. This donation will help
provide additional access to nutritious school meals for thousands
of local students helping to ensure no student goes hungry."
"Mission 57: End Student Hunger reflects the deep commitment of
Arizona dairy farmers to the
health and well-being of Arizona's
children. Students need healthy meals and nourishment to thrive,
and we are proud to collaborate with GENYOUth and other partners to
ensure all students have access to nutritious dairy products as
part of their school meals," said Tammy
Baker, General Manager, Dairy Council of Arizona.
"I am proud to be supporting Mission 57: End Student Hunger in
Arizona and participating in
today's school event in Glendale,"
said former Arizona Cardinal
and NFL Legend Drew Stanton. "My role as a professional
football player and father has helped shape my view on the critical
role that school nutrition plays in the lives of students. We must
all do our part to ensure students have ready access to and can
participate in school meal and physical activity programs."
For more information on Mission 57: End Student Hunger and Taste
of the NFL, visit GENOUthNow.org/ Mission57 and
TasteoftheNFL.com.
To help GENYOUth End Student Hunger, visit
GENYOUthNow.org/donate.
* Source: Food Research & Action Center
About GENYOUth
GENYOUth is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that creates
healthier school communities. Founded by America's dairy
farmers and the NFL, GENYOUth convenes a network of private and
public partners, including Fortune 100 companies and foundations,
to raise funds for youth wellness initiatives that give youth the
inspiration, motivation, and programs to be healthy high-achieving
students. GENYOUth's flagship program, Fuel Up to Play 60, enrolls
over 73,000 U.S. schools, reaching over 38 million students. Our
school nutrition grants increase access to healthy school meals
among food insecure students. NFL FLAG-In-Schools is the
fastest-growing youth sport in the country (ages 6-14) with over
32,000 flag kits to school communities reaching over 15 million
students. AdVenture Capital brings out the entrepreneurial spirit
and creativity of students with the support of corporate mentors to
solve real world problems. GENYOUth is the official charitable
partner of Taste of the NFL, a purpose-driven Super Bowl culinary
experience that raises awareness and generates funds to fight
hunger and food insecurity to support the organization's commitment
to end student hunger.
About Arizona Super Bowl Host
Committee.
The Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee is an Arizona non-profit responsible for planning
and executing a successful Super Bowl LVII in 2023. The goal of the
Host Committee is to galvanize local stakeholders in a united
approach to hosting the largest single-day sporting event in the
world by maximizing positive media exposure, fueling the economic
engine of Arizona, and leaving a
lasting legacy. The Host Committee serves as liaison between the
NFL and all regional efforts, culminating with the game in 2023 at
State Farm Stadium, home to the Arizona Cardinals. This is
the fourth time Arizona is hosting
the Super Bowl, following 1996, 2008 and 2015. Only four other
sites (South Florida, New Orleans, Los
Angeles, and Tampa Bay)
hold this distinction. For more information, visit azsuperbowl.com
or follow @AZSuperBowl on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
About Fry's Food Stores
At Fry's Food Stores, a company of The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR), we
are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our Purpose: To Feed the
Human Spirit®. Headquartered in Tolleson, we employ more than 21,000
associates and operate 125 Fry's Food Stores and 97 fuel centers
across the state. Fry's has been serving Arizonans since 1960 and
was selected as the 2019 Business of the Year by the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. As a
division of The Kroger Family of Companies, we care about the
communities we serve, working to end hunger and eliminate waste
across the company through our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste social
impact plan. In 2021, we provided nearly 12 million meals to
Arizona's hungry families
Dairy Council® of
Arizona
Dairy Council® of Arizona (DCAZ) is a the
not-for-profit, nutrition education branch of Arizona
Milk Producers. Staffed by registered dietitians, DCAZ strives to
contribute to the achievement of optimal health for the
Arizona community by providing
nutrition education based on the latest scientific research and the
concept of a balanced diet that includes milk and milk products. To
address hunger initiatives in the local community, DCAZ provides
food preparation and storage equipment to food banks and school
food service programs.
About Frito-Lay North America
Frito-Lay North America is the $18
billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc.
(NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y.
Frito-Lay snacks include Lay's and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos
tortilla chips, Cheetos snacks, Tostitos tortilla chips and branded
dips, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company
operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and
Canada, more than 200 distribution
centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its
direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the
corporate website, http:www.fritolay.com/, on Twitter fritolay, on
Instagram @fritolay and on Facebook Frito-Lay.
About The Quaker Oats
Company
The Quaker Oats Company, headquartered in Chicago, is a
unit of PepsiCo, Inc., one of the world's largest consumer packaged
goods companies. For more than 140 years, Quaker's brands have
served as symbols of quality, great taste and nutrition.
Quaker® Oats, Quaker® Rice Cakes
and Quaker Chewy® Granola Bars are consumer
favorites. For more information, please
visit www.QuakerOats.com, www.Facebook.com/Quaker or
follow us on Twitter and Instagram @Quaker.
About Glendale Elementary School
District No. 40
Glendale Elementary School District (GESD) provides educational
services to more than 9,500 students in pre-kindergarten through
eighth grade in 12 schools, one online school, and one alternative
program. The District's 1,500 employees are focused on meeting
the needs of a diverse student body in Glendale, Arizona. Visit gesd40.org or
follow GESD on social media at @GESD40 for more information.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mission-critical-to-end-student-hunger-in-arizona-301620863.html
SOURCE GENYOUth