For March -- National Nutrition Month -- Brothers-All-Natural has donated 3,000 bags of Asian Pear Fruit Crisps to the Imperial Valley Food Bank for their partnered Backpack Program, and urges other organizations to do the same. “At Brothers-All-Natural, we are committed to providing healthy, convenient snacks for all ages. Child nutrition is extremely important to us, and we are pleased to support such a valuable program," said Travis Betters, Co-CEO of Brothers International Food Corp., in a prepared statement.
The Imperial Valley is located in the most southeasterly region of California, and consists of both rural and small-town communities. Imperial County has a food insecurity rate of 27.6 percent (California as a whole is 17.1 percent) and a child food insecurity rate of 43.8 percent (California as a whole is 26.8 percent), according to Feeding America. The Imperial Valley Food Bank works with almost 60 partner organizations in the community to provide food for 20,000 community members per month. They are a “Partner Distribution Organization” of Feeding America San Diego and they distribute food for the USDA Emergency Food Assistance Program. Their mission statement is “Fighting Hunger – bringing Health and Hope to the Imperial Valley”.
The Backpack Program is a partnership with the Imperial Valley Food Bank and 35 schools around the Imperial Valley, and provides almost 600 students with backpacks of food. Students are referred to the program through their teacher or the school counselors, who are trained to look for signs of chronic hunger. Roughly 68 percent of students in Imperial Valley are eligible for federal nutrition programs (free/reduced price breakfasts and lunches, etc.) and they have found that the free breakfasts and lunches are the only meals some children are getting, according to Feeding America. The Backpack Program provides these students, who only get regular meals through the free breakfast and lunch programs, with food to eat over the weekend.
Brothers-All-Natural freeze-dried Fruit Crisps are 100 percent fruit, with no additives or preservatives, and have the same nutrition as fresh fruit.
