Campbell Announces Plans to Invest in the Health and Well-Being of the Children of Metro Detroit
CAMDEN, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) today announced plans to improve
the health of young people in Metro Detroit by helping to reduce
childhood hunger and obesity through the launch of Campbell’s Healthy
Communities Metro Detroit. The program will be modeled after the
company’s efforts in Camden, New Jersey, the site of Campbell’s World
Headquarters where Campbell’s Healthy Communities was launched in 2011.
Campbell will partner with organizations in the Detroit area in order to
create and expand upon programs aimed at:
- Providing increased access to affordable, healthy food;
- Increasing nutrition and health education; and
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Engaging the public as a partner in creating and sustaining a healthy
community.
Campbell’s Healthy Communities model uses data to understand community
needs and resources and works across areas such as academia, government
and the private sector to identify three types of sites for programs:
schools, a food access system and a healthcare partner. Campbell
identifies partners with expertise in areas such as cooking, nutrition
education and food access, and provides resources for those
organizations to create programming. This model will serve as the
framework for Campbell’s Healthy Communities Metro Detroit.
“Campbell’s Healthy Communities is another step toward unleashing the
power of our Purpose, Real food that matters for life’s moments,”
said Campbell’s President and Chief Executive Officer Denise Morrison.
“We’re excited to bring this program to the hometown of our Garden Fresh
Gourmet business. We want to give back to the communities where we live
and work in ways that can make a difference. Campbell’s Healthy
Communities leverages our expertise in food and nutrition to help
children live healthier lives. This program creates shared value by
investing, engaging and helping address complex social issues through
public and private partnership and collaboration.”
Campbell acquired Ferndale, Michigan-based Garden Fresh Gourmet in 2015.
Campbell’s Healthy Communities Metro Detroit will begin by working with
one school in each of Oakland and Wayne Counties: Roosevelt Primary
School, a K-2 school in Ferndale, and Neinas Dual Language Learning
Academy, a K-6 school in Detroit. The program will fund school gardens,
mobile food pantries, nutrition education and cooking classes. Campbell
will also work closely with Detroit Public Schools to support their
existing nutrition programs and will partner with other community
organizations.
In addition to providing dedicated Campbell resources and expertise on
the ground, Campbell is committed to investing $125,000 to Campbell’s
Healthy Communities Metro Detroit in its first year. Campbell is in the
process of identifying prospective partner organizations both nationally
and in Detroit that will receive funding. The program will be finalized
in advance of the 2016-2017 school year.
“Our program provides a framework for how the private sector can drive
collaboration with partners from health and education to government and
nonprofit organizations,” said Kim Fortunato, Director of Campbell’s
Healthy Communities. “We’re looking forward to partnering with the many
strong organizations throughout Metro Detroit currently involved in the
food economy to help increase access to healthy foods for all Metro
Detroit residents.”
The Metro Detroit program will be led by Melanie Mena, daughter of Jack
and Annette Aronson, the founders of Garden Fresh Gourmet. Mena will
serve as the newly appointed Director of Community Engagement for
Campbell Fresh.
Since its launch in Camden, Campbell’s Healthy Communities has helped 45
stores that serve more than 20,000 city residents increase healthy food
options, and in the past year the program increased children’s physical
activity by 75 percent and provided nearly 200,000 hours of nutrition
education. The program has since expanded to other communities where
Campbell operates including Henry County, Ohio; Everett, Washington; and
Norwalk, Connecticut.
About Campbell Soup Company
Campbell (NYSE:CPB) is driven and inspired by our Purpose, “Real food
that matters for life’s moments.” We make a range of high-quality soups
and simple meals, beverages, snacks and packaged fresh foods. For
generations, people have trusted Campbell to provide authentic,
flavorful and readily available foods and beverages that connect them to
each other, to warm memories and to what’s important today. Led by our
iconic Campbell’s brand, our portfolio includes Pepperidge Farm,
Bolthouse Farms, Arnott’s, V8, Swanson, Pace, Prego, Plum, Royal Dansk,
Kjeldsens and Garden Fresh Gourmet. Founded in 1869, Campbell
has a heritage of giving back and acting as a good steward of the
planet’s natural resources. The company is a member of the Standard &
Poor’s 500 and the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes. For more
information, visit www.campbellsoupcompany.com
or follow company news on Twitter via @CampbellSoupCo.
To learn more about how we make our food and the choices behind the
ingredients we use, visit www.whatsinmyfood.com.
Contacts
Campbell Soup Company
Carla Burigatto, 856-342-3737
carla_burigatto@campbellsoup.com
