ST. PAUL, Minn., Oct. 19, 2010 – C.H. Robinson Worldwide, one of the largest global logistics and transportation providers, donated a new salad bar to Community of Peace Academy today through the United Fresh Foundation's A Salad Bar in Every School campaign. In a "passing of the tongs" ceremony at the school, community officials and program partners unveiled the new salad bar to the children. In addition to Community of Peace Academy, the Harambee Community Cultures/Environmental Science School and the Achieve Language Academy in St. Paul also received salad bars donated by C.H. Robinson.
"As one of the largest produce suppliers in North America, we think it's important to give back to our industry and support great causes," said Jim Lemke, C.H. Robinson, senior vice president of produce. "We all want what's best for the kids in our community. Unfortunately, in many school districts, affording the necessary equipment to serve fresh fruits and vegetables is a challenge. Through the A Salad Bar in Every School campaign, we were happy to step in to help. These three salad bars are the first part of our three-year commitment to help the United Fresh Foundation get salad bars in schools across the country."
The A Salad Bar in Every School campaign, launched in February 2010 by the United Fresh Foundation, is a multi-year public health commitment from the fresh produce industry designed to bring 1,000 salad bars to schools across America. C.H. Robinson is the first Minnesota-based company to support the campaign.
"Research has shown that children significantly increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables when their school has a salad bar," said Dr. Lorelei DiSogra, United Fresh Produce Association, vice president of nutrition and health. "Kids love choices, and salad bars provide a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Kids try new items, and increase their daily consumption of fruits and vegetables," she said.
"We would like to thank C.H. Robinson and the United Fresh Foundation for their support and generosity. The salad bars teach our children how to make nutritious decisions," said Jean Ronnei, director of nutritional and custodial services for St. Paul Public Schools. "These children are our future, and we're pleased to offer them opportunities that enrich their lives from the classroom to the cafeteria."
The United Fresh Foundation's A Salad Bar in Every School campaign is based on the personal involvement and charitable commitment of produce growers, distributors and marketers to raise private funds to donate salad bars to schools in cities and counties across the country. These schools can then become models of excellence in their communities, serving to empower school boards, parent-teacher associations, health organizations and allied businesses to build public and private support to bring salad bars to more schools across the country.
About C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc.
Founded in 1905, C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc., is a global provider of multimodal logistics services, fresh produce sourcing and information services to 35,000 customers through a network of more than 235 offices and approximately 7,500 employees around the world. The company works with over 47,000 transportation providers worldwide. C.H. Robinson is a Fortune 500 company and had annual revenues of $7.6 billion in 2009.
Through the company and its foundation, C.H. Robinson and its employees contribute millions of dollars annually to a variety of organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Community Health Charities, the American Cancer Society, the American Logistics Aid Network, Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota, Sustainable Harvest International and the United Way. The company is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn., and has been publicly traded on the NASDAQ since 1997. For more information about C.H. Robinson, visit http://www.chrobinson.com/.
United Fresh Foundation
Founded in 1998, the United Fresh Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that offers specialized programs to meet members' needs in educational training, leadership development, food safety outreach and industry research. Foundation programs are designed to promote knowledge, leadership and growth in the produce industry.
The A Salad Bar in Every School campaign, launched in February 2010 by the United Fresh Foundation, is a philanthropic produce industry initiative to donate salad bars to schools to increase children's fruit and vegetable consumption. Salad bars provide a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to try, and this increased access helps them develop personal experiences that can shape their behavior far beyond the school lunch line. The goal is for children to develop a lifetime of healthy eating habits.
The United Fresh Foundation is an affiliate organization of the United Fresh Produce Association. For more information, visit http://www.unitedfresh.org/.
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