By Ann Cooper | President
Since the Chef Ann Foundation began in 2009, we have reached more than 2.7 million children in all 50 states. For that, we thank you. Your donations go directly to changing school food from processed, heat-and-serve food to scratch cooking with fresh produce.
Unfortunately, real school food appears to be on the chopping block with the new administration. We understand that there are many causes you could choose to support at this time, but we thank you for your continued commitment to putting the health of our children first.
The country is divided on many issues, perhaps more divided than ever before, but on this critical point, we hope we can all agree: the key to our nation's future is our children. They are our greatest national treasure. Day in and day out we must devote ourselves to making sure they lead long and healthy lives, and that their opportunities for success far surpass our own.
Today more than 30 million children eat school lunch daily, and over 21 million of those kids come from disadvantaged households, often struggling with food insecurity. If lunch provided at school is going to be the only meal of the day for a child, shouldn't it be nutritious?
This is not just a matter of social justice or public health. This issue impacts our economic viability. We spend a staggering $1.4 trillion every year on obesity-related illness, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that one in three American children is overweight or obese. This generation of kids may be the first in our country's history to die at a younger age than their parents, in large part due to their poor diets.
These children face increasing risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure—all of which affect their quality of life, their ability to learn, and their opportunity to become successful members of society.
It may not be clear what the new administration means for school food, but supporting Chef Ann Foundation's programming can ensure that children are receiving healthy meals at school and changing the way they think about what they eat.
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