Minnetonka School Receives Donation To Encourage Healthy Eating Habits

MINNETONKA, Minn., Nov. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Students at Glen Lake Elementary may soon see some positive changes in their cafeteria thanks to a donation by the UNCLE BEN'S® Brand and Lunds & Byerlys. Glen Lake Elementary received the donation as part of Lunds & Byerlys' retail participation in the UNCLE BEN'S® Ben's Beginners™ Cooking Contest, which is designed to inspire healthy lifelong eating habits by encouraging parents and kids to cook together. The Ben's Beginners™ Cooking Contest has also had a mission to help schools reinforce those healthy habits by supporting school cafeteria makeovers to help foster a culture of health.   

"We strive to partner with organizations that promote nutrition education so we're thrilled to team up locally with the UNCLE BEN'S® Brand on this national program," said Steve Sorensen, senior category manager for grocery at Lunds & Byerlys. "We're excited that a school in a community we serve can directly benefit from this unique contest."

As part of the Ben's Beginners™ Cooking Contest, individual grand prize winners receive money to makeover their school's cafeteria. This donation to Glen Lake Elementary is a great complement to the Ben's Beginners™ movement of inspiring healthy lifelong eating habits.

Glen Lake Elementary will use the $5,000 donation towards overall school improvements.

"We are thrilled that Lunds & Byerlys and the UNCLE BEN'S® Brand have given us this generous donation. The faculty and lunchroom staff are very excited, "said Jason Bodey, Glen Lake Elementary Principal. "We're eager to see the impact that these funds will have towards promoting healthy lifestyles and learning for our students."

"The goal of Ben's Beginners™ is to inspire more families to get in the kitchen together," said Tim Snyder, vice president of sales, Mars Food US, the parent company of the UNCLE BEN'S^® Brand. "By partnering with Lunds & Byerlys, we hope to inspire retailers and schools nationwide to promote healthy eating for children."

To celebrate, a check presentation with UNCLE BEN'S® Brand, Lunds & Byerlys and Glen Lake Elementary will be held at the grand opening ceremony of Lunds & Byerlys Glen Lake on Thurs., Nov. 5 at 9:45 a.m. at 14400 Excelsior Blvd in Minnetonka, MN. More information on the Ben's Beginners™ Cooking Contest, family-friendly recipe ideas and cooking tips can be found at www.unclebens.com.

About the UNCLE BEN'S® Brand
The UNCLE BEN'S® Brand, the number one rice brand in America, is proud to offer a wide range of rice dishes with flavors and textures that will help bring more to your meals, both for convenient side dishes and savory main courses. The UNCLE BEN'S® Brand offers a wide variety of white, whole grain brown, and flavored rices in cook times ranging from 30 minutes to 90 seconds, as well as rice for food service operations such as restaurants, schools and hospitals. The first mass-produced parboiled rice, UNCLE BEN'S® Brand is the top-selling branded rice in the United States and products can be found in more than 100 countries worldwide. The UNCLE BEN'S® Brand products are manufactured by Mars Food NA, part of Mars, Incorporated. For more information, visit www.unclebens.com.

SOURCE The UNCLE BEN’S Brand

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