Rite Aid Foundation's KidCents donates $50K to Hurley Children's Hospital
The Rite Aid Foundation announced that its KidCents Program has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Hurley Foundation, on behalf of the Hurley Children's Hospital in Flint, Mich.
The grant is to help improve access to healthy foods for underserved children and support the hospital’s Nutrition Prescription Program, which provides fruit and vegetable prescriptions to pediatric patients.
“Approximately 60 percent of children in Flint are living in poverty and don’t consume enough nutrient-dense food, which is critical to their healthy development,” Tracy Henderson, director of The Rite Aid Foundation and charitable giving initiatives, said. “The Rite Aid Foundation is proud to support this initiative and provide Flint-area children with access to fresh, high-quality produce that we hope not only helps to improve their overall health but also guides them on a lifelong path to good nutrition.”
Any child over the age of six months who visits the Hurley’s Children Center is eligible to participate in the program, which gives children a prescription order that can be redeemed for $15 of fresh fruit and vegetables at the Flint Farmer’s Market or Flint Fresh Mobile Market.
“Flint has a limited number of full-service grocery stores within city limits. As a result, many impoverished children are consuming poor-quality, calorie-dense foods and are not receiving the nutrients they need,” Mona Hanna-Attisha, founder and director of the Michigan State University (MSU) and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, said. “Early childhood is an important time to establish healthy eating habits. Thanks to the generous and continuing support of The Rite Aid Foundation, our pediatric patients are gaining access to healthy foods that provide the nutrients they need to grow up healthy and happy and succeed in life.”
Through its KidCents initiative, members of Rite Aid’s wellness + rewards can round up their in-store or online purchases to the nearest dollar and give their change to one of more than 440 nonprofit organizations focused on improving the well-being of children.
The grant is to help improve access to healthy foods for underserved children and support the hospital’s Nutrition Prescription Program, which provides fruit and vegetable prescriptions to pediatric patients.
“Approximately 60 percent of children in Flint are living in poverty and don’t consume enough nutrient-dense food, which is critical to their healthy development,” Tracy Henderson, director of The Rite Aid Foundation and charitable giving initiatives, said. “The Rite Aid Foundation is proud to support this initiative and provide Flint-area children with access to fresh, high-quality produce that we hope not only helps to improve their overall health but also guides them on a lifelong path to good nutrition.”
Any child over the age of six months who visits the Hurley’s Children Center is eligible to participate in the program, which gives children a prescription order that can be redeemed for $15 of fresh fruit and vegetables at the Flint Farmer’s Market or Flint Fresh Mobile Market.
“Flint has a limited number of full-service grocery stores within city limits. As a result, many impoverished children are consuming poor-quality, calorie-dense foods and are not receiving the nutrients they need,” Mona Hanna-Attisha, founder and director of the Michigan State University (MSU) and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, said. “Early childhood is an important time to establish healthy eating habits. Thanks to the generous and continuing support of The Rite Aid Foundation, our pediatric patients are gaining access to healthy foods that provide the nutrients they need to grow up healthy and happy and succeed in life.”
Through its KidCents initiative, members of Rite Aid’s wellness + rewards can round up their in-store or online purchases to the nearest dollar and give their change to one of more than 440 nonprofit organizations focused on improving the well-being of children.