Did you know that kids who have access to a salad bar at school consume three times the fruits and vegetables as kids in schools without a salad bar?* That’s why we think salad bars are just about one of the best changes a school can make to their school lunch program. And the benefits don’t stop there. Salad bars give kids a choice.
A healthy choice.
In the school setting kids are more apt to explore foods they haven’t tried before — especially if one of their friends or someone they look up to makes a new or different choice. Whole Kids Foundation opens in a new tab® is incredibly excited to partner with HBO to help kids create lifelong healthy habits.
Every few years HBO profiles a pressing public issue and this spring the topic is obesity in America. The multi-part The Weight of the Nation series opens in a new tab airs on Monday, May 14 and Tuesday May 15, exclusively on HBO with two films airing back-to-back each night starting at 8:00 pm. Interested? Take a peek at the trailer opens in a new tab.
The Great Cafeteria Takeover, the first of three documentary films in The Weight of the Nation for Kids series debuts the next day on Wednesday, May 16 at 7:00 pm. In addition to raising awareness and educating viewers about the obesity epidemic in the US, HBO wanted to do something significant to make a difference.
Realizing that good nutrition is key to a healthy mind and body, they partnered with Whole Kids Foundation to grant 100 salad bars to schools across America by September 2012. On May 1, HBO and their partners hosted school events in 12 cities to kick off their campaign.
Whole Kids Foundation team members joined in by celebrating with a school district who is receiving their very first salad bar (Baltimore, MD) and with another district for which this gift means that all of their schools now have a salad bar (New Haven, CT). From Philadelphia to Lakewood, Colorado; from New Orleans to New York City, these school salad bars mean that more than 50,000 children will have access to a salad bar 175 days each year!
Tune in to The Weight of the Nation — available on HBO GO and all HBO Platforms. It’s also available to watch at HBO.com. For more information about salad bars in schools, including how your school can apply for a grant, visit www.saladbars2schools.org opens in a new tab.
Whole Kids Foundation is proud to be a sustaining member of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools. Will you be tuning in?
