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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan helps increase access to healthy foods for students in Flint Schools
Meghan O'Brien
| 2 min read
Donated salad bars will support efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption
FLINT, May 9, 2016 –Students at 15 schools in Flint will soon have greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables with salad bars donated by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, which is funding the effort to help increase access to nutrient rich food, including iron, calcium and vitamin C. “Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is committed to the health and wellness of children throughout the state of Michigan, and we are proud to support this healthy school lunch initiative to help students in Flint have daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Lynda Rossi, executive vice president at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. “A well-nourished body is important to help prepare kids to learn and succeed in the classroom.” Schools receiving salad bars include Brownell STEM Academy; Doyle Ryder Elementary; Durant-Tuuri-Mott Elementary; Eisenhower Elementary; Freeman Elementary; Holmes STEM Academy; Madison Academy Elementary; Madison Academy High School; Neithercut Elementary; New Standard Academy; Northwestern High School; Pierce Elementary; Potter Elementary; Southwestern Classical Academy; and St. John Vianney Catholic School. The salad bars are part of the national Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative and receive technical support from the United Fresh Start Foundation, a founding partner in the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative. The salad bars are expected to be operational by the end of May. Salad bars in school lunch rooms are an ideal way to increase children’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Research in schools nationwide shows children significantly increase their fruit and vegetable consumption when given a variety of choices in a school salad bar. These salad bars empower students to make their own healthy choices, while helping schools meet nutrition standards that require more varieties of fruits and vegetables. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.5 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies who reside outside the state. For more company information, visit bcbsm.com and MiBluesPerspectives.com. Photo Credit: NatalieMaynor
