Tour de Fresh Provides 51 New Salad Bars to U.S. Schools
WATSONVILLE, CA - This was a banner year for the annual Tour de Fresh, the four-day cycling event that looks to raise funds for Salad Bars for Schools with the United Fresh Start Foundation. And while we reported a big number from the finish line, the biggest yet, in fact, funds still kept rolling in long after the cyclists did.
Now with every dollar tallied, the sixth annual ride is celebrating more than $180,000 to provide salad bars to schools.
“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 CEO 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.”
Through a collaborative effort from riders, friends, family members, and 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, according to a press release.
“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 healthy eating behavior far beyond school hours and for years to come.”
If there is anything I have learned from the privilege of riding along five of the six Tour de Fresh events, it is how hard it is to understand the experience of this unique industry event without experiencing it. Coming pretty close, however, is a video interviewing key contributors to the tour, as well as sharing footage of this year’s journey down California's legendary Pacific Highway.
To experience the beauty of the ride, and to feel even better about being in our industry, click here.
Tour de Fresh would not be possible without the support of its generous sponsors:
- Americold
- AndNowUKnow
- Arctic Apples
- Atlas Produce
- Basil Seasonal Dining
- C&S Wholesale Grocers
- California Giant Berry Farms
- CHEP
- Church Brothers
- Coosemans
- DMA Solutions
- Earthbound Farms
- EBX Logistics
- Emerson
- Evolution Fresh
- Famous Software
- Fight Like Britt Foundation
- FreshPlaza
- 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 (TQL)
- United Fresh Start Foundation
- Western Precooling
To date, the Tour de Fresh has raised more than $930,000 to fund and place more than 265 salad bars in schools across the United States. By providing this access to fresh produce in 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.
