U.S. Apple Association’s Apples for Education donates $20,000 to school causes
U.S. Apple Association’s Apples for Education donates $20,000 to school causes
The season of giving is well under way as U.S. Apple Association and supporting brands donate $20,000 to 12 school programs this month as part of the first-ever Apples for Education: Buy an Apple, Help a Student classroom fundraising campaign. The social media-fueled cause program featured 20,000 photo uploads of fans snacking on apples and partner products to vote for and support school nominees.
“It’s incredible that, with our ‘Apple Buddies’ Marzetti, KIND Snacks, Johnsonville Sausage and Roth Cheese, we have been able to raise $20,000 in our inaugural year for participating schools,” Wendy Brannen, director of consumer health and public relations for USApple, said in a press release.
Brannen said making announcement phone calls to the project leaders was emotional — with teachers expressing gratitude and even breaking out in tears.
“To know we can brighten these kids’ days with a piece of playground equipment, enhance their chances of a sustainable education through iPads or robotics equipment, feed their bellies something nutritious from a new family garden — it is really moving,” Brannen said.
The top five recipients are:
- Langston Chapel Elementary School in Statesboro, GA. Playground Makeover: Creating a fun and safe space for kids to play with a total playground makeover.
- Trinity Lutheran School in Conklin, MI. Rural Robotics: Enhancing STEM programs through a hands-on approach to exploring robotics.
- Langston Chapel Elementary School in Statesboro, GA. iDon’t Have iPads: Enhancing small group reading with iPad applications, e-books and other activities.
- Sherwood Forest Elementary School in Federal Way, WA. Apple a Day: Providing access to healthy snacks for students and their families — with apples.
- Marie L. Greenwood Academy in Denver. Backyard Gardens: Greater access to fresh produce through a network of backyard gardens and a school farmer’s market.
Each of the 12 student causes will receive funds, with the projects that earned the most votes receiving the highest shares of the funding.
“I don’t know that I can properly convey how touching the reactions from all the teachers involved in Apples4Ed have been,” Brannen added. “They are so dedicated to their students, and the circumstances that they’ve shared with me are so dire — high gang rates in their districts, food deserts where access to fresh produce is literally unavailable, diabetes and obesity epidemics stemming from poverty-related nutrition issues, parents who work the fields to put food on other families’ tables when their own children need free and reduced lunch programs.”
