(NewsUSA) – Sponsored News – An apple a day keeps the doctor away and also keeps school programs in shape via a fundraiser sponsored by the U.S. Apple Association. The “Buy an Apple, Help a Student” program from the nation’s apple growers offers a simple formula for supporting students and encouraging healthy snacking.
Each time people share photos of themselves or someone they know enjoying an apple or apple product, such as applesauce, or a product from partner brand Marzetti, the U.S. apple industry will pledge a financial contribution to a selection of student projects at schools across the United States. The “snack, snap, tag, share” theme starts with a visit to Apples4Ed.com between now and November 12 to review the eligible projects and schools. Projects include school gardens, book clubs, new science equipment, and improved teacher resources.
Supporting these causes takes four simple steps:
Snack: Grab an apple, apple juice, applesauce, or Marzetti product.
Snap: Take a picture of you or someone you know enjoying the snack.
Tag: Find a school cause at Apples4Ed.com. Tag the photo with #Apples4Ed and the school’s unique hashtag.
Share: Vote for your favorite school cause by uploading photos to an Instagram or Twitter account.
Those without a public account can upload photos through the Apples4Ed.com site.
In addition, USApple will be offering weekly drawings in which participants can win prizes from USApple members and Marzetti, and can have an additional $100 in funds donated directly to the weekly winner’s favorite school project.
Apples4Ed.com offers facts about apples’ health benefits plus a variety of apple recipes. “There’s always been a deep connection between apples and education, and with Apples4Ed we bring it to life by pairing the health benefits of eating apples with supporting students and schools nationwide,” says Wendy Brannen, USApple’s director of consumer health and public relations. “We encourage everyone to visit Apples4Ed.com, check out these meaningful student causes, and vote for the schools nearest them or the program they feel matters the most,” she says. “During last year’s inaugural program, we received more than 20,000 votes,” she adds.
In December, USApple will announce the final votes and the correlating level of funding based on the votes cast for each school.
Here are the schools and locations of this year’s causes and their hashtags:
Saint Bede the Venerable, Chicago, IL: #SaintBedeGarden
Hyde Park Elementary, Jacksonville, FL: #HydeParkTechnology
Central ISD, Pollok, TX: #CentralISDAppleMonth
Rancho Minerva Middle School, Vista, CA: #RMMicroscopes
Busy Bee and Butterfly Christian Academy, Fort White, FL: #BusyBeeGarden
Moore Elementary School, Bath, PA: #MooreElementaryLiteracy
St. Mary’s Catholic School, Alexandria, VA: #StMarysiPads
Central Lutheran School, New Haven, IN: #CentralLutheranGym
Sterling Elementary, Warrensburg, MO: #SterlingElementaryGarden
Westminster Community Charter School, Buffalo, NY: #WestminsterBookClub
Montgomery Learning Academy, Troy, NC: #MontgomeryArtClass
Faith Elementary, Faith, NC: #FaithFruitsandVeggies
St. Louis Park Middle School, St. Louis Park, MN: #StLouisParkFoodShelf
Walter Biddle Saul High School, Philadelphia, PA: #WBSaulCompost
Academy of World Languages, Cincinnati, OH: #WorldLanguagesPlayground
Sherwood Forest Elementary, Federal Way, WA: #SherwoodForestApples
St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Prior Lake, MN: #StPaulNatureCamp
The U.S. Apple Association is the national trade association for the apple industry. Visit USApple.org for more information.