Through Fuel Up to Play 60, students will have increased access to healthy eating and physical activity resources on campus
SAN JOSE (November 22, 2017) – Students, teachers and leaders at Olinder Elementary School today celebrated the award of $10,000 in grant funding to support student nutrition and physical activity programs. The ‘Hometown Grant’ is a partnership between California’s dairy families and the San Francisco 49ers through the Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60) program. The award was presented during a special school assembly where students learned about the importance of fueling up with healthy foods and getting 60 minutes of physical activity a day and participated in on-field activities with 49ers Youth Football, former 49ers defensive end Dennis Brown and mascot Sourdough Sam.
“It’s exciting to see Olinder rewarded in this way. They’ve exhibited tremendous leadership in their approach to youth wellness by implementing a pilot partnership with the Santa Clara Public Health Department to provide comprehensive nutrition education for students, families, and members of the community,” said Peter Allen, Public Information Officer for San José Unified School District (SJUSD). “These additional resources will help to sustain this program, which can be a model for the rest of our district.”
The ‘Hometown Grant’ will help ensure students in the SJUSD join the 13 million students who are eating healthier, 16 million students who are more active and 130,000 adults who are enrolled and empowering youth in the United States through one national program – FUTP 60.
“California dairy families have a 100-year tradition of supporting student health and nutrition education because we know healthy kids are better students. We’re impressed with the steps Olinder Elementary has taken to promote nutrition literacy for students and parents and hope these additional resources will help extend the reach of the school’s program,” said Jennifer Giambroni, Director of Communications for the California Milk Advisory Board/Real California Milk.
Developed by FUTP 60 and the National Football League (NFL), the ‘Hometown Grant’ program provides teams and dairy organizations like Real California Milk with the opportunity to identify deserving schools in their area and provide them with funding to help meet their health and wellness goals. Each of the 32 NFL Clubs, Fuel Up to Play 60 and local dairy representatives are providing $10,000 grants in communities throughout the country totaling a $320,000 investment in youth health and wellness.
“The 49ers have partnered with SJUSD in the past to promote physical activity as a part of our youth football program and are proud to be expanding our partnership with the community even further to incorporate the importance of nutrition,” said Brent Schoeb, Vice President of Corporate Partnerships for the San Francisco 49ers. “By partnering with the state’s dairy families, we are able to continue the conversations around the importance of a healthy and balanced diet with real foods such as dairy.”
Created in partnership by the NFL and National Dairy Council, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Fuel Up to Play 60 is the nation’s largest in-school wellness program creating real transformational change in more than 73,000 schools nationwide. The national in-school nutrition and physical-activity program is activated in California by the state’s more than 1,300 dairy farm families. Since fall 2014, FUTP 60 has helped to award more than $565,000 in equipment and grants to schools throughout California in support of their wellness goals.
About the San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers, owned by Denise and John York, currently play in the NFC West division and have won five Super Bowl trophies including Super Bowl XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV and XXIX. The franchise also has six conference championships and 19 divisional championships and was the first major league professional sports team to be based in San Francisco 70 years ago. Please visit www.49ers.com and follow the 49ers on Facebook and Twitter @49ers.
About Fuel Up to Play 60
Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program launched by National Football League (NFL) and National Dairy Council (NDC), which was founded by America’s dairy farmers, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fuel Up to Play 60 is designed to engage and empower youth to take action for their own health by implementing long-term, positive changes for themselves and their schools. The program additionally encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods (low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains) and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Because of the program, last year 13 million students made better food choices and 16 million are getting more physically active during the school day. Visit FuelUpToPlay60.com to learn more.
About San José Unified
San José Unified is an innovative urban school district that prepares today’s students to be the thinkers, leaders, and creators of tomorrow. We are reinventing the education system by bringing together teachers and staff with parents and students, inspiring each to discover their own greatness. Serving over 30,000 students from transitional kindergarten through high school in 41 schools from Downtown San José to the Almaden Valley, San José Unified is Silicon Valley’s largest and most diverse school system.