Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States announced its donation of salad bars to seven public schools in Washington, DC, in Wards 7 and 8. The donation was announced at an event at Burrville Elementary School.

Kaiser Permanente's donation builds on its commitment to improving the health and wellness of children in Wards 7 and 8 communities and supports Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools. The salad bars will benefit 2,300 students by increasing their access to fresh fruits and vegetables at school lunch.

Tom Stenzel, United Fresh president & CEO; Kathy Murray, general manager Mid-Atlantic of Revolution Foods; Buzz Morrissey, vice president of sales of Hearn Kirkwood; and Marty Quinn, national accounts director of Hearn Kirkwood. "Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States works with individuals and institutions to transform the way people experience health in neighborhoods, schools and workplaces," Celeste James, director of community health initiatives for Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, said in a press release. "Through our partnership with the United Fresh Foundation, we are increasing students' daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables. If we want children to practice healthy eating behaviors we need to ensure that healthy options are readily available."

Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States awarded a Healthy Eating and Active Living grant to the United Fresh Foundation to provide salad bars to seven elementary schools in Wards 7 and 8 including Burrville, Beers, Nalle, Patterson, Randle Highlands, Kimball and Garfield.

The United Fresh Foundation is a founding partner of Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools which supports First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative to end childhood obesity in a generation.

"Partners like Kaiser Permanente and the United Fresh Foundation are a vital component of the healthy changes under way in America's schools through First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative," Audrey Rowe, USDA administrator for the Food & Nutrition Service, added in the press release. "I am encouraged by their commitment to the health and wellness of children in Washington demonstrated here today."

Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States awarded a grant to the United Fresh Foundation to provide salad bars to seven elementary schools in Washington, DC.Federal and District officials and Wards 7 and 8 community leaders participated in the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools event at Burrville Elementary School, highlighting recent efforts to improve the healthfulness of school meals. New USDA nutrition standards for school lunch require schools to dramatically increase the amount and variety of fruits and vegetable served to students each day and the District's Healthy Schools Act also provides Washington, DC, public and charter schools with additional resources to serve more fresh local produce and other healthy foods.

"United Fresh is honored to partner with Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States to improve children's eating habits and health," Lorelei DiSogra, vice president of nutrition and health for the United Fresh Produce Association, added in the press release. "Salad bars are an effective strategy for increasing children's consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and are the easiest way for schools to meet the new federal nutrition standards for school lunch that emphasize more fruits and vegetables. Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools has donated salad bars to many public and charter schools in the district.

"DCPS is excited and grateful that the students in Wards 7 and 8 have this wonderful opportunity to expand their choices to more fresh vegetables as a result of these salad bars," Robert Jaber, interim director of the DCPS Office of Food & Nutrition Services. "We are very proud to say that there are 30 salad bars in operation throughout the District in our elementary, middle and high schools benefitting thousands of students every day. DCPS is committed to increasing children's fruit and vegetable consumption through school lunch, school breakfast, the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program and the supper program."

Research and experience in schools across the country demonstrate that children significantly increase their fruit and vegetable consumption when given a variety of choices in a school salad bar. When offered multiple fruit and vegetable choices, children respond by incorporating greater variety and increasing their overall consumption. Nationwide, more than 2,800 schools have received salad bars from the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign.