Meijer Steps Up for Mich. School Salad Bars

Meijer and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan have teamed up to provide 20 salad bars to schools as part of a statewide effort to promote healthy eating habits and increase children’s access and consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables in school lunchrooms. The salad bars are being donated as part of the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative, which will benefit 10,000 Michigan students.

“Meijer is best known for the freshness it offers in the grocery aisles, and we are pleased to partner with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to improve children’s access to fresh produce with these salad bars,” said Meijer Health and Wellness Director Jacquelyn DeBruler. “Meijer is committed to helping the communities it serves become better places to live, work and play, and with these salad bars, we aim to really impact the lives of students by making healthy food options readily available at school.”

Many of the schools receiving salad bars are part of Blue Cross’s Building Healthy Communities program, which provides a range of resources for schools across Michigan to help kids establish the knowledge and behaviors needed for healthy lifestyles and for schools to create healthy environments.

Commenting on joining forces to help increase students intake of fresh fruit and vegetables with Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer – which operates 215 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky – Lynda Rossi, Blue Cross EVP described the alliance as "a true community collaboration because people came to the table committed to increasing access to healthy choices. We’re pleased we can help deliver another piece of the puzzle toward helping kids be better prepared for a lifetime of healthy eating.”

The salad bars were arranged through a partnership with the United Fresh Start Foundation, a founding partner of the national Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative. In January 2014, the foundation launched a special Midwest campaign under the umbrella of the national initiative, organizing the produce industry to support salad bars for schools in six Midwest states: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. 

To date, salad bars have been provided to more than 4,000 schools nationwide through the national Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative, benefitting more than 2 million children.  Schools interested in receiving salad bars can visit www.saladbars2schools.org for additional details and information about submitting an application. 

Schools receiving 20 salad bars from the Meijer and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan partnership:

Madison Elementary School
27107 Hales
Madison Heights, MI 48071

Michigan Technical Academy
23750 Elmira Street
Redford Charter Twp, MI 48239

Royal Oak High School
1500 Lexington Blvd
Royal Oak, MI 48073

Oakridge Elementary School
506 E 13 Mile Rd
Royal Oak, MI 48073

Baseline Middle School
7357 Baseline Rd
South Haven, MI 4909

North Shore Elementary School
7320 N Shore Dr,
South Haven, MI 49090

Adler Elementary School
19100 Filmore St
Southfield, MI 48075

Stevenson Elementary School
27777 Lahser Road
Southfield, MI 48034

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