Byron-Bergen
Elementary School received some very special guests on November 1, 2019.
Representatives from the American Heart Association and Bonduelle USA kicked
off Eat Smart Month by visiting every classroom and delivering vegetable seeds
and a message about the importance of eating and living healthily.
Marc
Natale and Robin Swan from the American Heart Association were joined by
Janette Bonstead, Diane Cholowsky, Kortney Connell, April Fox, Michelle
Hoffman, and Beth Scroger from Bonduelle USA to greet the Elementary students
as they entered the school, each of whom went home with vegetable seeds and an
informational brochure about eating healthy including a recipe for Simple
Chicken Pot Pie.
“It’s
important for us to be involved in the community,” said one of the Bonduelle
participants. “We are located right here and it’s exciting to share information
on healthy eating with our families and neighbors.”
As
the guests visited classrooms, students became very excited to grow their own
vegetables to eat. “We want to inspire families and
kids to talk about what it means to eat healthy, offer healthy meal options and
seeds to start their own garden,” said Lorri Harkins, IT Service Desk
Manager, Bonduelle Americas Long Life.
The
message of eating healthy was reinforced in the lunchroom where Friday’s
lunches included a special side dish. “We are serving peas and carrots in the
cafeteria today,” said Byron-Bergen Food Service Director Mary Dellapenna.
“This is a very nice community outreach project and we’re happy to
participate.”
Byron-Bergen was one of three districts chosen for a November visit. Bonduelle provided over 1500 seed packets of peas and carrots for distribution to Byron-Bergen, Fyle Elementary, and Lakeshore Elementary school during the first week of November.