$600,000 Available to Five School Districts Committed to Serving Healthier Meals

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Chef Ann Foundation, Life Time Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation to support clean food and children’s health

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dedicated to improving school meals, three top school food nutrition foundations have teamed up to provide $600,000 in support to five school districts across the nation through the School Food Support Initiative.

Launched by the Life Time Foundation, in partnership with the Chef Ann Foundation and the Whole Kids Foundation, the School Food Support Initiative is seeking five motivated school districts that want to establish healthier meal programs, and want the guidance and support to truly improve the health of children in their communities.

Applications will be accepted now through October 30, 2015. Selected districts each will receive program services valued at $120,000, including:

  • Program implementation by a team of renowned school food experts:
    • Chef Ann Cooper, an internationally recognized chef, educator and advocate of healthy food for all children, and Food Service Director of Boulder Valley School District
    • Chef Beth Collins, a School Food Systems Consultant and Director of Operations for the Chef Ann Foundation
    • Nancy Howatt, a Fiscal Analyst and School District Administration Consultant at Lunch Lessons LLC
  • A one-day intensive workshop for Food Service Directors at Boulder Valley School District, focused on human resources, finance, procurement, menu planning, facilities and community engagement
  • Three-day on-site assessment and technical assistance
  • Report of assessment findings and recommendations
  • On-site strategic planning based on assessment findings
  • Twenty hours of technical assistance and peer-to-peer collaboration
  • Ongoing peer-to-peer collaboration for best practices, sharing and support through the Life Time Foundation Collaborative
  • As an outcome of each assessment, selected school districts may apply for a one-time $50,000 grant that is designed to support the identified needs and goals of each program in implementing sustainable healthy food recommendations

School districts that have an interest in being considered must meet the following criteria:

  • A firm commitment to improve their meal program, including a commitment to reduce and remove the Life Time Foundation’s “Seven Ingredients of Concern”: high-fructose corn syrup; artificial colors; artificial sweeteners; artificial preservatives; trans fats and hydrogenated oils; bleached flour; and hormones and antibiotics in animal products when possible; and focus on scratch cooking.
  • Participation in the National School Lunch Program
  • Ideally serve 3,000 to 12,000 students and located within 20 miles of either a Life Time destination or a Whole Foods Market for additional support

Applications must be submitted by October 30, 2015. Eligible districts will be ranked for selection based on applications and top candidate will be invited to participate in an interview prior to final selection.

For more information and to submit your application, please visit http://www.chefannfoundation.org/programs/school-food-support-initiative.

About the Life Time Foundation

As a private foundation created by Life Time, The Healthy Way of Life Company, the Life Time Foundation’s mission is to inspire healthy people and a healthy planet—one school meal at a time. Currently, the Foundation is focused on improving children’s nutrition through education and the elimination of highly processed and unnatural ingredients from school lunch menus, ensuring every child has a healthy start in life. Unlike many other charitable organizations in which a portion of donations is consumed by administrative costs, 100% of every dollar donated to the Life Time Foundation directly supports its mission because all administrative costs are contributed by Life Time. For more information, visit www.ltffoundation.org.

About Life TimeSM, The Healthy Way of Life Company

Life Time is a privately held, comprehensive health and lifestyle company that offers a personalized and scientific approach to long-term health and wellness. Through its portfolio of distinctive resort-like destinations, athletic events and corporate health services, the Healthy Way of Life Company helps members achieve their goals everyday with the support of a team of dedicated professionals and an array of proprietary health assessments. As of October 2015 the company operates 117 centers in 26 states and 34 major markets under the LIFE TIME FITNESS® and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC® brands in the United States and Canada. Additional information is available at www.lifetimefitness.com.

About the Chef Ann Foundation

The Chef Ann Foundation (CAF) was founded in 2009 by Ann Cooper, an internationally recognized chef, author, educator, public speaker, and advocate of healthy food for all children. In a nation where kids are born with shorter life expectancies than their parents due to diet-related disease, our mission is to help schools take action so that every child has daily access to fresh, nourishing food. Carrying out the vision of Chef Ann, who has been a pioneering leader in the fields of school food, childhood nutrition, and sustainable agriculture, the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization actively supports school districts nationwide through grant programs and resources that help schools serve children healthy and delicious scratch-cooked meals made with fresh, whole food. To date, CAF has reached 5,161 schools and over 2,254,128 children.

About Whole Kids Foundation

Whole Kids Foundation, a Whole Foods Market foundation, is based in Austin, Texas, and operates as an independent, nonprofit organization. Its mission is to improve children's nutrition and wellness, with the goal of ending the childhood obesity epidemic. Through partnerships with innovative organizations, schools and educators, the foundation works to provide children access to healthier choices and aims to help children reach their full potential through the strength of a healthy body. To learn more about Whole Kids Foundation and its salad bar, school garden and healthy teacher programs, visit www.wholekidsfoundation.org.

Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Amy Henderson, 952-229-7721
ahenderson2@lifetimefitness.com

Source: Life Time Fitness, Inc.

Released October 1, 2015