BHHS Legacy Foundation Team Ups with GENYOUth and Other Partners to Launch Next Phase of Mission 57 to Tackle Youth Food Insecurity in Arizona
PHOENIX, Ariz. (November 29, 2022) – Building on its commitment to address student food insecurity in Arizona, GENYOUth, the national non-profit organization that creates healthier school communities, announced today the expansion of its Super Bowl LVII Mission 57: End Student Hunger community initiative. With the support of its partners, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee and Dairy Council® of Arizona, as well as purpose-driven foundation and corporate sponsors including the BHHS Legacy Foundation, Frito-Lay North America, Fiesta Bowl Charities, Fry’s Food Stores, the ISA Foundation, the PepsiCo Foundation, The Quaker Oats Company and Frontdoors Media, Mission 57 is equipping schools throughout Arizona’s high need communities with critical school nutrition equipment to help end student hunger.
With the support of the BHHS Legacy Foundation, 12 Grab and Go meal equipment packages are being donated to Phoenix area schools including four schools in the Cartwright Elementary School District – Desert Sands Middle School, Estrella Middle School, Marc T. Atkinson Middle School, and Raul H. Castro Middle School – which serve over 2,700 students, the vast majority of which qualify for free and reduced lunch. The donation is part of Mission 57’s larger commitment to promote access for over 31,000 Arizona students to over 8.5 million school meals through the delivery of 57 school meal equipment packages to Arizona schools in the months leading up to the Super Bowl.
“With Arizona ranking in the bottom half of all states in school breakfast participation¹, it is critical to increase access to and participation in school meals. Since introducing the Grab and Go meal equipment program to schools in 2017, we have seen growth in average daily school meal participation by as much as 27 percent! That is a huge number, and it is why, with the help of generous supporters like the BHHS Legacy Foundation, we are donating school nutrition equipment and resources to high need schools in the Cartwright Elementary School District,” said Karen Kafer, RDN, Chief Wellness Officer of GENYOUth.
GENYOUth, with the support of corporate sponsors, is in the midst of a multi-month drive to provide Arizona schools with grants for meal equipment packages that will increase access to and participation in school meals beginning with nutritious school breakfasts. Kafer said, “Stay tuned for more Mission 57 announcements and school events in the months leading up to Super Bowl LVII and Taste of the NFL, the game’s premiere purpose-driven culinary event on Saturday, February 11, 2023.”
“The BHHS Legacy Foundation is honored to partner with GENYOUth on Mission 57: End Student Hunger to tackle youth food insecurity in Arizona,” said Jerry Wissink, Chief Executive Officer, BHHS Legacy Foundation. “We look forward to seeing the impact of Mission 57 on school communities and students in the Phoenix area.”
For more information on Mission 57: End Student Hunger visit GENYOUthNow.org/our-work/Mission-57/
To help GENYOUth End Student Hunger, visit GENYOUthNow.org/donate.
¹ 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.
Dairy Council® of Arizona
Dairy Council® of Arizona (DCAZ) is 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.
Contact:
Eric Slutsky, GENYOUth, eric.slutsky@genyouthnow.org, 917-391-6709