Sara Lee® Bread, Nature's Harvest® Bread and Bimbo® Bread Award a New School Playground in New York City

P.S. 197 receives new playground through the "Eat Well, Play Happy" national contest

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Oct 29, 2015, 09:30 ET

Sara Lee Bread, Bimbo Bread and Nature's Harvest Bread logos.

HORSHAM, Pa., Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Fulfilling a mission to revitalize recess, Sara Lee^® Bread, Nature's Harvest^®Bread and Bimbo^® Bread — leading brands manufactured by Bimbo Bakeries USA — today announced the completion of a new playground facility at P.S. 197 John B. Russwurm Elementary School in New York City. The playground is a result of the 2014 "Eat Well, Play Happy" contest, which awarded the school a new playground valued at $50,000.

"We are honored to invest in the health and wellness of students at P.S. 197 with the construction of this new playground," said Eileen Gonthier, Senior Brand Manager for Sara Lee Bread. "We know how important it is for students to have a safe space to play each day, so we are pleased to provide this opportunity through our 'Eat Well, Play Happy' campaign."

To enter the nationwide contest, entrants were asked to write a 200-word essay on why their school needed a new playground. Tony Hillery, Founder and Director of the nonprofit Harlem Grown, worked closely with P.S. 197 and knew that the current playground was condemned by the city, leaving 350 students without a place to play. After reviewing hundreds of nominations, Hillery's passionate essay demonstrated to Bimbo Bakeries USA that P.S. 197 was the deserving winner. The new playground features numerous activities for the children, including four slides, climbers, a curved balance beam, a maze panel and more.

"This playground has provided our students with a sanctuary of play where there was once nothing available but blacktop," said Natasha Spann, Principal at P.S. 197 John B. Russwurm Elementary School. "Climbing and sliding can now be part of how students enjoy a healthy and well-rounded school day, so we are very grateful to Sara Lee Bread, Nature's Harvest Bread, Bimbo Bread and Tony Hillery for helping us bring fun back to recess."

About Bimbo Bakeries USA

Bimbo Bakeries USA (BBU) is a leader in the baking industry, known for its category leading brands, innovative products, freshness and quality. Our team of 22,000 U.S. associates operates more than 60 manufacturing locations in the United States. Over 11,000 distribution routes deliver our leading brands such as Arnold^®, Bimbo^®, Boboli^®, Brownberry^®, Entenmann's^®, Freihofer's^®, Heiner's^™, Marinela^®, Mrs Baird's^®, Nature's Harvest^®, Oroweat^®, Sara Lee^®, Stroehmann^®, Thomas'^®, and Tia Rosa.^® BBU is owned by Mexico's Grupo Bimbo, S.A.B de C.V., the world's largest baking company with operations in 22 countries.