Tour De Fresh Cycling Event Will Raise Funds For School Salad Bars
May 17, 2016 Tour de Fresh event is already breaking records with more than 50 riders and 32 sponsors. Riders represent all areas of the fresh produce industry, including growers, retailers, foodservice, industry associations, service providers, and registered dieticians. Participants will ride from Napa Valley to Monterey, CA, July 26-28, with the goal of raising at least $175,000 in order to donate 50-plus salad bars to schools across the country through Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools. Currently, riders have raised $28,047.
Tour de Fresh, which is presented by The California Giant Foundation, is a collaborative event that uniting brands and influencers in the fresh produce industry for a three-day cycling event that raises funds to benefit the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign. In its first two years (2014-2015), Tour de Fresh received more than $300,000 in donations to support the placement of more than 100 salad bars in schools across the country.
As an incentive, anyone who donates to a rider now through May 31 will automatically be entered into a raffle for the chance to win a $1,000 Visa gift card, courtesy of Premier sponsors California Giant Berry Farms, Church Brothers Farms, Dole Fresh Vegetables, Enza Zaden, Fresh Point, J&J Family of Farms, Mission Produce, Sunripe Certified Brands, Tanimura & Antle, and Tsamma.
“In order to meet our goal of placing 50 more salad bars in schools this year, we’ll need support from industry professionals, family, friends, and local community members,” said Cindy Jewell, Vice President of California Giant Berry Farms. “We want everyone who supports this event to feel a sense of ownership and pride, knowing that their contribution lasts far beyond 2016 — it provides fresh fruits and vegetables to thousands of students for years to come.”
This year’s event takes place three months earlier than in years’ past, which puts additional pressure on riders to fundraise quickly. To help support a shorter fundraising window, Tour de Fresh encourages everyone to share rider donation pages on social media, lead community fundraising events, and encourage businesses and schools to get involved.
“We believe wholeheartedly in the mission of Tour de Fresh, which is why Sunripe Certified Brands has chosen to be a Premier sponsor this year,” said Jon Esformes, CEO of Sunripe Certified Brands. “It is our hope that companies and communities will rally together to support the riders who have committed their personal time to make a significant impact on the lives of thousands of students.”
Opportunities are still available to join the following confirmed sponsors: And Now U Know, Arctic Apples, California Giant Berry Farms, CHEP, Church Brothers Farms, DMA Solutions, Inc., Dole Fresh Vegetables, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, EBX Logistics, Enza Zaden, Evolution Fresh, Fresh Point, Growers Express, Hort Americas, Interfresh, iTrade Network, J&J Farms, Lipman Produce, Mission Produce, Pajaro Valley Fresh, PMA Foundation, PRO Act, Rehrig Pacific Company, Renaissance Food Group, Sakata Seed America, Inc., Specialty Produce, SunFed, Sunripe Certified Brands, Tanimura & Antle, Tessamae’s, The Wharf Marketplace, Tsamma, United Fresh, Watsonville Coast Produce, and Western Precooling.
For more information about Tour de Fresh sponsorships and riding opportunities, contact Brock Nemecek at [email protected].