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SALT LAKE CITY — In 2004, Utah-based energy bar company PROBAR was created with the promise to make convenient, healthy, plant-based food products that were not just packed with nutrients but that tasted good, too.
Along with the company’s commitment to quality, PROBAR decided early on that 5 percent of its profits would go to benefit others, with a main focus on nutrition — specifically, helping children.
Over the past 10 years, the company has donated thousands of dollars to this cause, and the 2014-15 year will be no exception.
This November, PROBAR partnered with the Utah Food Bank to begin what will be a year-long effort to help Utah kids.
“Utah Food Bank’s mission of ‘fighting hunger statewide’ is very much aligned with our charitable focus,” explains PROBAR CEO Jeff Coleman. “When we learned that 1 in 5 Utah kids are unsure where their next meal is coming from, we realized the critical nature of this work. We are delighted to be able to make an impact to help children at risk by providing convenient, delicious and healthy food to Utah children.”
- 15.8 million children lived in food-insecure households in 2012.
- 20 percent or more of the child population in 37 states and D.C. lived in food-insecure households in 2012
- New Mexico (29%) and Mississippi (29%) had the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food.
- In 2012, the top five states with the highest rate of food-insecure children under 18 were New Mexico, Mississippi, Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada.
Info: Feeding America
Over the next 12 months, PROBAR will be donating 50,000 Meal bars to help feed schoolchildren at risk of hunger.
“The Backpack Program works together with after-school programs to ensure that come Friday afternoon, participating children receive a nondescript backpack containing easy to prepare, child-friendly food to help sustain them through the weekend,” said marketing director Jesse Malman. “PROBAR is proud to be in a position to donate bars to this cause and is thrilled to help our local Utah communities."
Utah Food Bank is excited for the partnership as well. Chief development officer Ginette Bott released this statement, “Utah Food Bank is incredibly grateful for PROBAR’s support of this important program, which helps ensure hunger-free weekends for Utah children. Being able to include such a nutritious and wholesome product that the children will also enjoy not only contributes to the success of the program, but also to our mission of Fighting Hunger Statewide.”
The first shipment of Meal bars was picked up on Monday, Nov. 3, and will begin showing up in backpacks almost immediately.
Arianne is a mother to six young children. Her down time is spent running the mountain trails of the Wasatch Mountains and beyond. Contact her at ariannebrown1@gmail.com, follow her on Twitter @arimom6 or search her Facebook page, "A Mother's Write."
