Feeding Hungry Minds – TABLE FOR TWO and Alcoa Foundation Support Harlem School with Nutrient Dense Foods and Nutrition Education
New York, NY (PRWEB) June 18, 2015 -- Childhood nutrition is equal parts healthy feeding, addressing obesity, and nutrition education. Alcoa Foundation and TABLE FOR TWO (TFT) are proud to announce the successes of Harlem Prep Elementary School in Harlem, New York, recipients of the Alcoa foundation grant; the students received funding to be fed nutrient dense meals along with receiving nutrition education to help prepare for a lifetime of healthy food choices.
According to Suzanne van de Raadt, Program Director, Alcoa Foundation, “In the United States, 1 in 5 children live in food insecurity households where they are unable to consistently access enough nutritious food. These children have a higher risk of obesity because nutritious meals are replaced by low quality and unhealthy foods. The sheer numbers of children affected makes this a serious health issue. Healthy, balanced and tasty school meals play a critical role to address this issue. “
TABLE FOR TWO supported to provide 397 students with nutrient dense meals prepared fresh daily that included lean protein, fresh fruits, vegetables, calcium/dairy, and whole grains. With unique real food ingredient standards, more than fifty “unacceptable” ingredients including High Fructose Corn Syrup, trans fats, artificial ingredients and preservatives were excluded. Specially developed Kid- inspired recipes were well accepted and meal waste percentage was as low as 6%.
“With all of the unhealthy options available to scholars, it's so comforting to know that they have a consistent source of nutritious food for lunch and breakfast everyday. The difference between a scholar who has had a good breakfast or lunch and one who is not is clearly visible” said Mary Marshall, 5th grade teacher. “Scholars who are eating well are more alert, calm, and focused. ”
TFT’s desire was to assist schools in low-income neighborhoods that strive to provide healthy meals but also to implement curriculum work that incorporated nutrition education into Harlem Prep Elementary School’s aftercare classrooms twice a week during the school year. A new vegetable was introduced each time and the students had valuable hands-on interactive learning experiences. One day the students made smoothie with Kale, banana, yogurt and honey and enjoyed the new taste.
“We are grateful for the support of Alcoa Foundation, providing TFT with the opportunity to provide healthy meals and nutrition education to Harlem Prep Elementary students,” shared co-TFT USA President Mayumi Uejima-Carr. “This grant allows us to continue our mission and positively impact the lives of these low-income students.”
Visit http://www.alcoafoundation.com and http://www.tablefor2.org for more information about the grant and TABLE FOR TWO initiatives.
###
TABLE FOR TWO (TFT) addresses the opposing issues of malnutrition and obesity through a unique “calorie transfer” program. TFT partners with corporations, restaurants, university dining halls and other food establishments to serve healthy, TFT-branded meals. The reduced calorie meals are then monetized and $0.25 per meal is donated to provide one school lunch for a student in need. To date, TABLE FOR TWO has served over 50 million meals globally, with over 630 partnering institutions throughout the world.
Alcoa Foundation is one of the largest corporate foundations in the U.S., with assets of approximately $480 million. Founded 63 years ago, Alcoa Foundation has invested more than $615 million. In 2014, Alcoa Foundation contributed more than $22 million to nonprofit organizations throughout the world, building innovative partnerships to improve the environment and educate tomorrow's leaders for careers in manufacturing and engineering. The work of Alcoa Foundation is further enhanced by Alcoa's thousands of employee volunteers who share their talents and time to make a difference in the communities where Alcoa operates. Through the Company's signature Month of Service program, in 2014, 58 percent of Alcoa employees took part in more than 1,000 events across 24 countries, benefiting more than 700,000 people and 500 nonprofit organizations. For more information, visit alcoafoundation.com and follow @AlcoaFoundation on Twitter.
CONTACT:
Mayumi Uejima-Carr, Co-President TABLE FOR TWO USA
Email: [email protected] Phone: 318-359-9736
Mayumi Uejima-Carr, TABLE FOR TWO USA, http://www.tablefor2.org, +1 318-359-9736, [email protected]
Share this article