Dole Sunshine Company continues to drive affect in underserved communities by bringing its Sunshine For All® Cities Program to Central California, partnering with native leaders and organizations to coach and supply entry to more healthy meals choices
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As Dole Sunshine Company (DSC) continues to ship on the Dole Promise to convey sustainable diet to all, at the moment it introduced the launch of the Dole Sunshine For All® Cities Program in Merced, CA – the third group to host this impactful initiative designed to convey diet entry to these in want. To commemorate the start of the Sunshine For All® Cities program, Mayor Matthew Serratto has proclaimed at the moment, November third, as Sunshine for All® Day in Merced.
Merced is situated inside the San Joaquin Valley in California, a area recognized for its wealthy farmland and recent crop manufacturing. While the world is accountable for producing a lot of the state’s agricultural bounty, Merced County’s baby meals insecurity price is greater than 27% – which means greater than 1 in 4 kids within the space are experiencing starvation1.
Dole Sunshine Company believes that so as to enhance entry to meals in a method that creates an enduring impact on the group, the problem must be met with complete options. To convey Sunshine For All® Cities to fruition in Merced, DSC is partnering with the Boys & Girls Club of Merced County to function this system hub.
“We’re thrilled to associate with DSC to convey this program to our households,” mentioned See Lee, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Merced County. “Having spent a few years working with disenfranchised youth within the space, I’ve seen firsthand how starvation can affect the wellbeing within the brief and long run. I’m excited to see the constructive impact this system can have on our membership and past.”
Mitchell Vanagten, longtime meals entry advocate and Executive Chef of Catering at UC Merced, will lead the youngsters’ culinary and diet schooling program. “Education round good diet in addition to purchasing and making ready wholesome meals on a funds is a important element to creating systemic, lasting change,” mentioned Vanagten. “I stay up for getting within the kitchen with the Boys & Girls Club youngsters to instill information and keenness for cooking, utilizing native components paired with Dole’s large portfolio of good-for-you packaged fruits and juices.”
As a part of the initiative, the Dole Kids Cooking Camp will equip youngsters to navigate the challenges of meals insecurity and diet schooling, with courses overlaying primary cooking abilities, wholesome recipe preparation, good grocery purchasing and meal planning ideas. Beyond cooking courses, this system will finally develop to incorporate pop-up farmers’ markets and Good Stuff Kiosks, a system of free-standing refrigerated meals kiosks to be positioned at Boys & Girls Clubs all through the nation that had been introduced on the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in September.
“Leveraging our assets and partnerships to assist locations like Merced is on the coronary heart of our efforts to extend entry to sustainable diet to 1 billion folks by 2025,” shared Orzse Hodi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Americas, Dole Packaged Foods, LLC. “We stay up for seeing this system’s continued and lasting affect on communities like Merced, Baltimore and Jackson.”
The program, first launched in Jackson, MS in 2020 adopted by Baltimore, MD in 2022, has served over 30,000 households to-date with assist from companions together with GE Appliances, Bumble Bee Seafoods, Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation and extra.
To be taught extra in regards to the Dole Sunshine For All® Cities Program and its affect in Merced and past, go to dolesunshine.com.
About Dole Sunshine Company
The title Dole Sunshine Company is used to symbolize the worldwide pursuits and mixed efforts of Dole Asia Holdings, Dole Worldwide Packaged Foods and Dole Asia Fresh. Dole Sunshine Company will not be an precise enterprise entity and doesn’t function as such in any nation or area. For extra data on Dole Sunshine Company, please go to dolesunshine.com.
About the Dole Promise
In June 2020 Dole Asia Holdings introduced The Dole Promise, with its three pillars round diet, sustainability, and the creation of shared worth.
Better for People: Access to sustainable diet for 1 billion folks by 2025, transferring in the direction of zero processed sugar in all Dole Packaged Foods merchandise by 2025.
Better for Planet: Working in the direction of zero fruit loss from Dole farms to markets by 2025, aiming for zero fossil-based plastic packaging by 2025. Working in the direction of web zero carbon emissions in Dole operations by 2030.
Better for all Stakeholders: Dole will proceed to positively affect all farmers, communities and other people working for Dole – by its dedication to equal alternative, dwelling wages, and an ever-increasing degree of security, diet, and wellbeing. The firm additionally seeks to advance human rights inside the direct operations and provide chains by constructing a tradition of transparency and accountability. The firm additionally goals for a 50% enhance within the worth of its enterprise by 2025.
About Boys & Girls Clubs Merced
The Boys & Girls Club of Merced County is a part of one the biggest and most impactful group organizations throughout America. We got down to serve youth, their households, and communities by evidence-based youth growth applications. We are a non-profit group that’s working exhausting to fill within the gaps for our youth and it’s our aim that each baby graduates highschool prepared for alternatives within the workforce, vocational commerce, post-secondary schooling, and/or the navy.
About Chef Mitchell Vanagten
Chef Mitchell Vanagten started his culinary profession within the Bay Area as an ACF apprentice on the prestigious Menlo Circus Club, the place he labored his method as much as sous chef. He then additional refined his abilities at Sharon Heights Country Club in Palo Alto, and finally took on his first Executive Chef function at ALZA Pharmaceuticals. He has been the Executive Chef Lakeside Catering at UC Merced since 2005. With an intensive information of worldwide delicacies, and ‘farm to desk’ cooking, Chef Mitch is commonly known as on for his experience and volunteers for philanthropic causes each on campus and within the Merced group. The major focus of his efforts are starvation aid, wholesome consuming schooling, and native sustainable agriculture.
SOURCE Dole Sunshine Company
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