Get schools cooking!

Dear Friend of the Chef Ann Foundation,

We are reaching out with sincere gratitude for your support. Your generosity and commitment to the Chef Ann Foundation’s mission has helped us reach over 2.8 million children in every state with healthy school food. 30.5 million children eat school meals each day—together we will make sure they are getting the nutrients they need to be their best in school and out.

2016 was a big year for the Chef Ann Foundation! In our 2016 Annual Report, you will see how our programs impact the lives of children, parents, and school food service employees across the country.

• We launched our first School Food Support Initiative cohort, working with them to transition their school food operations to a scratch-cook production model and giving 22,321 children access to healthy school meals.
• We awarded 122 schools with Project Produce grants which allow kids to touch, smell, and taste fresh fruits and vegetables while learning about their nutritional value, how they are grown and harvested, and how to cook them.
• We delivered 621 salad bars to schools and now kids across the country are eating more fresh fruits and veggies every day.
• We launched a new awareness and fundraising event – Real School Food Challenge – where chefs compete to make a USDA-compliant recipe within a school budget. It’s not easy, but now home chefs, celebrity chefs, and entire communities know it can be done!

While 2017 began with uncertainly about our children’s futures, the Chef Ann Foundation is continuing to make big strides in school food reform. Here is a small sample of what we are working on:

• We expanded our School Food Support Initiative to include two more school districts than the previous cohort, reaching nearly 30,000 more students.
• We are excited to launch the School Food Institute this fall! Chef Ann herself will be teaching the courses geared toward school food service professionals looking to learn more about scratch-cook operations. 
• This fall we will roll out the Plant-Forward Menu Initiative on The Lunch Box, which will include recipes, menus, and marketing materials to support increased consumption of plant-based proteins in schools.

The new administration’s Secretary of Agriculture has already begun weakening the healthy school food requirements created during the Obama administration, but with your continued support, we will remain tireless in providing schools with the tools and funding they need to ensure every child has access to the healthy food they need to thrive.

Thank you for considering the Chef Ann FOundation when choosing your charitable contirbutions this year. Enjoy the Annual Report.

With Gratitude,

Mara Fleishman

Chief Executive Officer