New York, NY — March 6, 2014 — Today, nine corporate visionaries announced their commitment to support FoodCorps in its mission to give all youth an enduring relationship with healthy food. FoodCorps is a national organization that connects children to real food in order to help them grow up healthy.

The inaugural FoodCorps Corporate Council pulls together the passion and expertise of proven corporate leaders who care about investing in a healthier America and believe in FoodCorps’ model of placing AmeriCorps leaders into limited resource communities to transform school food environments.

“A healthier future, one where all children have real food on their lunch trays and an understanding of where it comes from, is within reach thanks to FoodCorps,” said Gary Hirshberg, Co-Founder and Chair of Stonyfield Farm. “Stonyfield is honored to work with FoodCorps to help transform schools into healthier environments, and support service members to go into the world with the knowledge and purpose of a better way to feed our children.”

Said Jeff Dunn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bolthouse Farms, “FoodCorps’ commitment to introducing healthy foods and teaching children where food comes from aligns with Bolthouse Farms’ mission to make healthy foods more accessible. We believe they have the power to change the food decisions of the next generation throughout their lifetime. I look forward to working with FoodCorps to identify new opportunities to expand their work and reverse America’s health crisis one child at a time.”

“I am so deeply impressed by the passion and energy these young people have as they set off to change the food system in America. Helping K-12 kids form healthy food habits before they head to university or get a job—which is the soonest Bon Appétit is able to begin to feed them—is absolutely essential,” said Fedele Bauccio, CEO and Co-Founder of Bon Appétit Management Company. “I’m proud to join FoodCorps’ Corporate Council, and I hope other corporations will join us in investing in the health of the next generation.”

Through its Corporate Council, FoodCorps celebrates what’s possible with public-private-partnerships as it collaborates around the collective goal of a healthy future for all children.

“Solving the complex problems surrounding diet-related disease requires not working in a vacuum. FoodCorps is thrilled to work with our Corporate Council to give all children the healthy future they deserve,” said Debra Eschmeyer, Co-Founder and VP of External Affairs for FoodCorps. “The successful business and social leaders on our inaugural Council will be close collaborators as we strive to grow a nation of well-nourished children: children who know what healthy food is, how it grows and where it comes from, and who have access to it every day.”

Members of the first FoodCorps Corporate Council include:

• Gary Hirshberg, Co-Founder and Chair, Stonyfield Farm (Londonderry, NH)
• Sarah Bird, Senior VP of Marketing, Annie’s Homegrown (Berkeley, CA)
• Jeff Dunn, President and CEO, Bolthouse Farms (Bakersfield, CA)
• Fedele Bauccio, CEO and Co-Founder, Bon Appetit Management Company (Palo Alto, CA)
• Gina Asoudegan, Director of Communications, Applegate Organic and Natural Meats (Bridgewater, NJ)
• Lori Sobelson, Director of Corporate Outreach, Bob’s Red Mill (Milwaukie, OR)
• Michelle Lamison, Vice President, Marketing for Cooking Light and MyRecipes.com (Birmingham, AL; New York, NY)
• Marc Brush, Editorial Director, New Hope Natural Media (Boulder, CO)
• Vitamix (Cleveland, OH)

For more information on the FoodCorps Corporate Council and for ways to get involved, please contact Michele Matyasovsky, FoodCorps’ Director of Corporate and Foundation Giving, [email protected]

FoodCorps is a nationwide team of leaders that connects kids to real food and helps them grow up healthy. FoodCorps places these leaders in limited-resource communities for a year of public service where they conduct hands-on food education, build and tend school gardens, and facilitate getting high-quality local food into public school cafeterias.

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