Tour de Fresh, the four-day cycling event presented by the California Giant Foundation, celebrated six years of success with a record-breaking donation of more than $180,000 to the United Fresh Start Foundation to provide salad bars to schools.
From Oct. 12 to Oct. 16, nearly 50 cyclists came together to embark on a 300-plus mile ride throughout California in an effort to make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible to children across the nation. This year, through a collaborative effort from riders, friends, family members and the fresh produce industry leaders, the ride surpassed its 2018 total of $149,588 to deliver 51 salad bars to schools in California, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio and Texas.
“The Tour de Fresh has truly become a special event in the industry, and it’s incredible to see so many friends come together for an important cause,” said Tom Stenzel, president and chief executive officer of the United Fresh Produce Association. “The idea of rallying around school salad bars, getting kids access to fresh produce, and helping create excitement in schools and communities for our products, it makes sense on so many levels, and the United Fresh Start Foundation is honored to play our part in moving these efforts forward.”
To date, Tour de Fresh has raised more than $930,000 to fund and place more than 265 salad bars into schools. By providing salad bars to schools, children are learning to incorporate a greater variety of fruits and vegetables into their diet, creating a healthy eating lifestyle at a young age.
"We’re thrilled about our record-breaking donation to the United Fresh Start Foundation,” said Cindy Jewell, vice president of marketing for the California Giant Berry Farms. “By providing more students with access to fresh fruits and vegetables during school, we’re shaping heathy eating behavior far beyond school hours and for years to come.”
Tour de Fresh would not be possible without the support of its generous sponsors, including Americold, Arctic Apples, Atlas Produce, Basil Seasonal Dining, C&S Wholesale Grocers, California Giant Berry Farms, CHEP, Church Bros., Coosemans, DMA Solutions, Earthbound Farms, EBX Logistics, Emerson, Evolution Fresh, Famous Software, Fight Like Britt Foundation, Gold Coast Packing, Good Foods, Gusto Handcrafted Pasta & Pizza, Interfresh, iTrade Network, JAZZ Apples, Jerue Trucking, Lipman Produce, Markon, Misionero, Mission Produce, Ocean Mist Farms, Paramount Export, PRO*Act, Procurant, Produce Marketing Association, Regal Marketing, Renaissance Food Group, Sakata, Specialty Produce, SunFed Produce, Sunkist, Tat-On Inc., Taylor Farms, Total Quality Logistics, United Fresh Start Foundation and Western Precooling.
