Chicago-Area School Helps Life Time Foundation Celebrate Millionth Lunch Free of Seven Harmful Ingredients
More than 90 schools have seen positive impact on school lunches through unique partnership aimed at school lunch reform
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Yesterday, the Life Time Foundation, a private foundation created by Life Time – The Healthy Way of Life Companysm (NYSE:LTM) celebrated its one millionth lunch free of seven harmful ingredients. The event was held during National School Lunch Week at Anne M. Jeans Elementary, part of Community Consolidated School District 180 in Chicagoland.
Bill Kurtis, founder Tallgrass Beef, serves lunches at Anne M. Jeans Elementary in Burr Ridge, Ill. (Photo: Business Wire)
Students at Anne M. Jeans and Burr Ridge Middle School, as well as more than 40,000 students across more than 90 schools nationwide have enjoyed meals free of high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors, artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives, trans fats and hydrogenated oils, bleached flour, and hormones and antibiotics. These ingredients have been linked to various issues, including: weight gain, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, hyperactivity, digestive problems, asthma and more. In fact, many of them are banned in other countries.
The Life Time Foundation provides support to school nutrition directors to help them source whole, real foods in place of highly processed ingredients, while still serving the same, familiar foods kids love, such as chicken nuggets and pizza, but in a much healthier form. The Foundation supplements the cost difference for the healthier lunches and provides grants for various kitchen equipment to help increase scratch cooking and onsite preparation for challenging items such as salad dressings.
The Life Time Foundation has created elementary nutrition education programs, Hooray 4 Healthy, and through its work with school partners, the non-profit is creating sustainable models that schools across the nation can implement and replicate.
The Life Time Foundation currently has impacted more than 90 schools in Arizona, Illinois, Minnesota and Ohio to remove the seven unhealthy ingredients from their menus and is seeking new school applicants. Email schoollunch@lifetimefitness.com to submit a school for consideration. For more information about the Life Time Foundation’s school lunch program, visit www.ltffoundation.org or www.facebook.com/lifetimefitnessfoundation.
B roll footage of event: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/4xpmja2ijlhlthu/AAAKLr-caw01zzC67MoWJz2Qa?dl=0
B roll footage of interviews: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hkh1i09ct9se8o4/AABQJgYehALlfMDjtwd-JHsya?dl=0
About the Life Time Foundation
As a private operating foundation created by Life Time Fitness, Inc. (NYSE:LTM), the Life Time Foundation is about inspiring healthy people and a healthy planet one mission 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 ltffounation.org.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20141018005019/en/
Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Amy Henderson, 952-229-7721
ahenderson2@lifetimefitness.com
Source: Life Time Fitness, Inc.
Released October 18, 2014