2013-2014 SCHOOL YEARACCOUNTABILITY REPORT

The good news: This crisis has sparked unprecedented interest in efforts to boost consumption of healthy foods. It’s an exciting time to be working to Change the Way America Eats.

Beecher’s Pure Food Kids Foundation is a nonprofit initiative working to shift demand away from highly processed foods laden with industrial food additives and sweeteners by empowering families with information and skills to make better food choices.

Our goal at Beecher’s Pure Food Kids Foundation is to shift demand away from highly processed foods laden with industrial food additives and sweeteners by sparking curiosity in tens of thousands of kids about what’s in the food they eat, and empowering them with tools to make healthier choices for life. We do this by operating a no-cost, commercial-free, learning standards-aligned, nutrition education and cooking workshop for 4th and 5th graders in hundreds of schools throughout the Seattle Metro area and in New York City.

As we near our 10th anniversary of the first Pure Food Kids Workshop, we are proud to report that more than 56,000 kids have been turned into food detectives since 2006. That’s 56,000 families making different choices with their daily food dollars, shifting millions of dollars away from processed foods and harmful additives. This school year we accomplished three important goals:

1. Significantly expanded our reach. Our program went from turning 7,005 kids into food detectives in the 2012-2013 school year to... drumroll please... turning 11,282 kids into food detectives in 469 classes in 143 schools in the 2013/2014 school year!

2. Increased our efficiency. Generous donations of chili ingredients from Merlino Foods and Whole Foods Markets, as well as a large squad of dynamic, highly qualified instructors, increased our capacity while reducing our per workshop costs.

3. Obtained data on the long term impact the workshop has on kids and families that proves our approach works! The results from survey research demonstrate we are accomplishing our mission– kids are more curious about what they are eating, they are reading labels, and they are sharing what they learned with their families. In addition, teachers and parents have changed the way they shop based on what they learned, and everyone is inspired to do more cooking.

Heartfelt thanks to all the school teachers who invited us into your classrooms, and to our fabulous instructors for turning 11,282 kids into food detectives who can make healthier food choices for life! Kristin HydeExecutive Director

It is a national shame that this generation of American children may be the first in modern history to not outlive their parents as a result of diet-related disease. Major risk factors for those diseases, such as unhealthy eating habits, are often established in childhood.

AMERICAN’S SPEND 90%

OF THEIR FOOD BUDGET

ON PROCESSED FOODS

ERIC SCHOLOSSER FAST FOOD NATION

Leading Causes of Death in America

Data from the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

EXECUTIVE LETTER

COMMITMENTBeecher’s Pure Food Kids Foundation was started in 2006

by Kurt Dammeier, CEO of Sugar Mountain, which operates Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Pasta & Co, Bennett’s, Liam’s,

Fraunhofer Meat & Fish, and Maximus/Minimus.

Sugar Mountain companies are committed to wholesome, fresh, full-flavored foods

and to educating and empowering consumers.

This commitment is demonstrated in two ways:

The foods we produce and sell in our stores and restaurants are wholesome, fresh, full flavored, and

free of industrial food additives.

Sugar Mountain businesses contribute 1% of sales to the Pure Food Kids Foundation.

NEW YORK HERE WE COME!

This spring, we created meaningful connections with other like-minded initiatives such as Food Fight, Wellness in the Schools, TEDx-Manhattan, and Cricket Azima from the Creative Kitchen. Building this net-work exposed us to the breadth of great work already being done in New York City, and forged relationships that will help us demonstrate our impactful approach in the largest public school system in the country!

Get ready friends- the Beecher’s Pure Food Kids Foundation is ready to take a bite out of the Big Apple in the 2014-2015 school year! After a fruitful stay during the month of May 2014, we are proud to have delivered our workshops to:

What a feat!

While facilitating workshops in Seattle has its own unique set of challenges, we have learned that New York City is a completely different beast. From squeezing into a commuter-packed subway with our rolling kits, to finding out the

classroom where you’re presenting is on the 5th floor with no elevator, every day was truly a learning experience.

I am honored and excited to build a strong team of instructors, reach more schools, and train even more Food Detectives in New York City for the 2014-2015 school year. Without a doubt, the Beecher’s Pure Food Kids Foundation will be a formidable presence in the landscape of youth-centered nutrition education initiatives.

Jonathan Saturay Operations Director

KURT BEECHER DAMMEIER FOUNDER, BEECHER’S PURE FOOD KIDS FOUNDATION

6 SCHOOLS | 27 WORKSHOPS | 668 FOOD DETECTIVES

IMPACT

79% OF KIDS SAY THE WORKSHOP GOT THEM MOREINTERESTEDIN COOKING

91% OF KIDS ARE MORE C U R I O USABOUT WHAT IS IN THE FOODS THEY EAT

9/10KIDS LOVE THE PURE FOOD KIDS WORKSHOP

86% OF KIDS ARE MORE LIKELY TO

R E A D NUTRITION LABELS BEFORE BUYING A PRODUCT

136SCHOOLS

17SCHOOLDISTRICTS

10,614NEW FOOD DETECTIVES

PUGET SOUND NEW YORK CITY

6SCHOOLS

668NEW FOOD DETECTIVES

11,282KIDS BECAME FOOD DETECTIVESIN 2013-2014

EXPANDING OUR REACH

+

94% CHOOSE A LESS PROCESSED SNACKWITH A SHORTER INGREDIENT LIST

LESS PROCESSEDMORE PROCESSED

SPARKING CURIOSITY

97% ARE MORE SKEPTICALOF INDUSTRIAL FOOD COMPANIES’ MARKETING TACTICS

56,464 KIDSSINCE 2006

2,200TEACHERSAPPROVE

R

ECOMMENDED

RECOMMENDEDPARENT

“My son volunteered to go to the grocery store, read all of the labels, and help me cook! Thank you so much!” -Meagan (Parent)

“My daughter came home yesterday from your workshop and WOW! She was informed with stuff I never even knew!” -Shay (Parent)

“So impressed with how excited my son was after your presentation in his class! We made your chili recipe last night and it was delicious. You are doing great work. Keep it up! -Misha (Parent)

“Your Pure Food Kids workshops are always one of the favorite activities the students get to participate in. The workshop fits perfectly in line with our district Nutrition curriculum, students always learn something, and they love the preparation of the Hearty Vegetable Chili.” -Peter Ramseth (Kent, WA)

“I was blown away by the information that your instructors provided my students! They were organized, friendly, and did a great job keeping the students on-task. Thank you so much for such a phenomenal opportunity for my class!” -Natalie Sweberg (Mercer Island, WA)

“We loved the program! The students got the PTA to stop selling GoGurt on our popcorn days!” -Tina Criste (Kent, WA)

“Thank you so much for teaching us that wonderful lesson about nutrition. I have never been so fascinated in food! One day kids just like me will stop all of this terrible stuff all because Pure Food Kids inspired them. Even I will make a small change telling my family and friends and then word will go around. As soon as you know it everybody on earth will be healthy. Thank you for make a change one person at a time.” -Nalini (4th Grade Student, Brooklyn, NY)

“Thank you Pure Food Kids! I’m always a food detective now! I always look at the labels and don’t eat any trans-fats or hydrogenated oil. I now know how to stay healthy! Thank you so much!!!” -Laila (4th Grade Student, Bothell, WA)

WHAT PARENTS, TEACHERS and KIDS SAY

OUR TEAM

CHRIS BROWNPROGRAM COORDINATORBefore joining Pure Food Kids Foundation, Chris spent eight years guiding backcountry leadership trips for youth through the YMCA, coordinated outdoor recreation programs outside of Chicago, as well as co-founded and directed a nonprofit called Be Active Outdoors. Chris received a Bachelors of Science in Physics and Mathematics from Beloit College. He is currently getting his Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership at Seattle University. His goal in life is to lead an organization that challenges many of the nega-tive trends that are impacting youth and cultures around the world. He loves the outdoors, is driven by authentic leadership and has a passion to build healthier communities through youth enrichment.

OPERATIONS DIRECTORJonathan Saturay grew up in a Filipino household that put food and community together hand in hand. Combining his passions for music, education, and good food, Jonathan serves as Staff Coordinator for the Seattle School’s All-City Marching Band in addition to being the lead instructor for the Pure Food Kids Workshop. Jonathan finds educating kids about nutrition and instilling a sense of community through cooking an extremely rewarding experience, and the kids just love him!

A South Seattle native, Jonathan grew up in Columbia City, attended high school in Renton, and went on to study Music Educa-tion at Arizona State University. When Jonathan isn’t too busy fighting the good food fight or teaching music, he enjoys reveling in everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer: hiking local trails with his best friends, listening to Seattle Hip Hop, and waiting impatiently for Rainier Cherry season. Jonathan is now leading a bi-coastal life as he heads up Beecher’s Pure Food Kids Foundation operations in New York City.

JONATHAN SATURAY

KRISTIN HYDEEXECUTIVE DIRECTORKristin’s career has centered on empowering consumers with accurate information and tools to make change happen at the personal, marketplace, and policy levels. Before joining the Foundation, Kristin founded Good Food Strategies, providing communications, marketing, landscape analysis, and grantmaking strategy to philanthropic foundations, businesses, and nonprofit organizations working to promote sustainable agriculture practices and food system reform.

After graduating from Middlebury College in Vermont where she grew up, Kristin spent a decade in Washington, DC doing media and campaign strategy in The White House, as a press secretary in the U.S. Senate, Communications Director for Sierra Club, and Publicist at Fenton Communications, and Director at Resource Media. Kristin lives in Seattle with her tweenage son, a posse of backyard chickens, and believes no daily personal act has a greater impact on our health and our planet than what we eat.

KELLY MULLIGAN

KELLY LAKE

INSTRUCTORKelly is a mother of school age kids herself, and comes to the Foundation as a certified teacher and administrator with more than 15 years experience at the preschool and elementary grade levels working in and out of the school setting, providing curricula development, and healthy communication and parenting support to families of diverse backgrounds.

LINDSAY SHARMAINSTRUCTORLindsay completed her Master’s of Public Health, and B.A. in Psychology, and devoted her time to volunteering for numerous healthy eating, obesity prevention, and cooking skills programs for at risk youth and families before becoming a Pure Food Kids instructor.

INSTRUCTORAn M.B.A. and dynamic educator passionate health advocate, Kelly co-founded Take Back the Kitchen, an afterschool program empowering kids with health education and hands-on cooking classes, and she also served as director of education at a community farm designing and teaching health and wellness classes in Massachusetts.

BRI LARSONINSTRUCTORBri’s degree in Nutrition and Culinary Arts from Bastyr University and her work teaching youth cooking skills in a variety of organizations, along with her sunny attitude and dedication to healthy eating, make her a skilled Pure Food Kids instructor.

ELIZABETH LIPMANINSTRUCTORA neuroscience major who went on to get a degree in Nutrition Science and Culinar Arts from Bastyr University, Elizabeth brings extensive experience teaching cooking classes to both youth and adults to her role as a Pure Food Kids instructor where she delights students with her positive and encouraging style.

INSTRUCTORA jack of all trades, with degrees in Community, Environment and Planning, as well as Nutrition and Culinary Arts, and experience teaching a gardening and nutrition education program at Solid Ground’s Marra Farm in Seattle, Nora juggles her roles as chef, bartender, and barista alongside her work as an instructor for our Pure Food Kids program.

NORA DUMMER

CJ CONRADINSTRUCTORCJ is a professional dancer, crossfit trainer, and culinary tour director. He brings a passion for working with children to his role as a Pure Food Kids instructor where he’s been known to break out in song and dance during workshops.

KATE DOUGHTYINSTRUCTORKate holds a B.S. and a Master’s in Nutritional Sciences. She brings a wealth of experience teaching children and adults about healthy lifestyles, managing a SNAP-Ed program, and publishing and presenting numerous studies on nutrition and breastfeeding.

MARGARET SIMONIANINSTRUCTORWith a B.S. in Biology and Public Health, Margaret has a passion for preventative and educational health care, research, and being an entertaining teacher for children, making her a natural Pure Food Kids instructor.

LAUREN WEBERINSTRUCTORLauren brings far-ranging experience teaching English as a foreign language, leading kids cooking classes, being a cheesemaker and farmers market manager, as well as energetic enthusiasm for healthy foods and consumer education to her work as a Pure Food Kids instructor.

PURE FOOD KIDS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

CURIOSITY, TRANSPARENCY& INSPIRATION

INGREDIENTS TO HEALTHY FOOD=

Teachers are influencial role models for their students. Studies show kids’ consumption of fruits and vegetables increases more when teachers model these food choices than with nutrition education alone.

During 2013-2014 we co-hosted 7 Healthy Teachers Workshops for more than 100 teachers in partnership with Seattle Public Schools and the Whole Kids Foundation. The workshops empower educators with food detective skills and tips for shopping and cooking wholesome, nutritious meals. Post workshop surveys showed participants learned something new, felt more curious about what’s in the food they eat, and were inspired to incorporate the shopping and cooking tips into their lives.

“Thank you for supporting the Healthy Teachers workshop Community Partnership we have created over this past 2013-2014 school year with Whole Foods, Beecher’s Flagship Foundation, and Seattle Public Schools. It was a wonderful success! This really is a model program for the entire country!!” -Lori S. Dunn, PreK - 12 Physical Education & Health Literacy Program Manager, Seattle Public Schools

Healthy Teachers Workshop

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

MARK & SUSAN TORRENCE FOUNDATION

WOODMOREELEMENTARY

THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS!

YOU CAN HELP TURN EVERY CHILD

INTO A FOOD DETECTIVE.LEARN HOW.

www.purefoodkids.org

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