Jenn LaVardera of Dole will cycle approximately 200 miles from Napa Valley to Monterey, Calif. on behalf of Watertown Public Schools to raise funds to donate a salad bar to the district.
They will both ride as part of the third-annual Tour de Fresh Cycling Event benefitting the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign, which has provided more than 100 salad bars to schools across the country in the last two years – providing tens of thousands of students with fresh produce options on a daily basis.
The event, a collaborative effort by fresh produce industry professionals and presented by The California Giant Foundation, will begin in Napa Valley on July 26 and conclude in Monterey, Calif. on July 28 just before the industry’s annual PMA Foodservice Conference. Each rider participating in the three-day cycling event has selected a school district of their choice to support that has requested a salad bar through Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools with a goal to raise $3,100 to donate 1 salad bar to the district.
“Bringing nutritious foods into schools is the best way to ensure every child has access to a healthy choice every day, and healthy habits that start in childhood are likely to last a lifetime,” said Jenn LaVardera, MS RD of Dole. “As a graduate of Tufts University, I chose to ride for Watertown to give back to the community where I received my education in nutrition.”
The event organizers chose the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign in an effort to increase the availability of fresh fruits and vegetables in schools and encourage children to make healthy choices. With a growing roster of 35 confirmed riders, the Tour de Fresh event aims to personally finance 55+ salad bars in school districts around the country by raising more than $175,000.
“This is an incredibly personal event for the riders who are choosing to give up their time to train, fundraise, and miss a work week for the purpose of supporting local schools” said Cindy Jewell, VP of Marketing for California Giant Berry Farms. “Our hope is that school districts and members of the community will, in turn, rally together to support the riders who have chosen to ride on behalf of their schools.”
To support this rider and the Watertown community, visit www.tourdefresh.com/riders and navigate to their rider profiles to make a donation.
For more information, please visit www.tourdefresh.com and follow Tour de Fresh on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For more information on Dole go to www.dole.com
Wow thanks so much…love to have a salad bar at the high school! I wonder if the middle school would also like this option..we shall see how it will be received at the High School due to your kind effort!
Cool! I grew up in Watertown and live in Monterey now with my husband who works at a bike shop in town. Stop into Bay Bikes in Monterey and ask for Brian when you get here! Watertownies on the West Coast!