CLEVELAND, Ohio-Cleveland is one of two starting points for a nationwide campaign that will provide families in need with kits for making affordable, nutritious meals through what is dubbed healthy meal kits, an initiative that has former first lady Michelle Obama at the helm.
Obama will kick off her healthy foods 'Pass the Love' virtual tour in Cleveland.
Cleveland Metropolitan School District Chief Executive Officer Eric Gordon will join the former first lady and other guests at 1 p.m. Wednesday for a virtual Partnership for a Healthier America Summit. (Register for the free summit here.)
Families in at least five cities will receive produce and other ingredients for 1 million meals, including nearly 400,000 in Cleveland and Atlanta combined.
Some 140,000 of those meals will be handed out to people in Northeast Ohio.
The summit will focus on the Pass the Love campaign and ways to create equitable access to good food.
The Partnership for a Healthier America will kick off the Pass the Love with Waffles + Mochi campaign in Cleveland and Atlanta with PHA Honorary Chair Michelle Obama and Higher Ground Productions. (Video: Michelle Obama announces the selection.)
"Cleveland has historically ranked at or near the top nationally in child poverty, so our schools understand well the need to ensure our students have access to affordable, healthy food," schools CEO Gordon said. "We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in a comprehensive program devoted to that purpose."The campaign’s ultimate goal is to highlight the need for equitable access to healthy food.
Pass the Love will include distribution of meal kits with recipes and ingredients inspired by the new Netflix series, Waffles + Mochi, which the former first lady stars in and serves as executive producer. The series follows two puppets as they explore the world, learning about food culture and cooking with healthy ingredients.
The food distribution will occur in June at nine CMSD sites, according to Chris Burkhardt, district executive director of school nutrition. Registration information and other details will be announced later.
Appearing on “CBS This Morning,” to promote today's Pass the Love virtual kickoff in Cleveland, Mrs. Obama said the healthy foods campaign considered cities with high need, including many urban areas where families have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We could have gone to any city, but Cleveland and Atlanta were sort of prime for this partnership,” she told host Gayle King.
Clevelandurbannews.com and Kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com, Ohio's most read Black and alternative digital newspaper and Black blog.Tel: (216) 659-0473 and Email: editor@clevelandurbannews.com.
