Blessings in a Backpack, Cigna Foundation and Cigna Provide Weekend Meals to Mission Ridge Elementary School Students
October 20 2016 - 12:00PM
Business Wire
- Goal is to reduce hunger among
school-age children
- Program will feed 200 grade-school
students throughout the school year
- 830 students get food-filled backpacks
at kickoff event tomorrow
- Attending Kickoff: SISD officials and
trustees, Cigna market president, Mission Ridge students
Two-hundred students at Mission Ridge Elementary will receive
backpacks filled with healthy food each weekend throughout the
school year, made possible through a Cigna Foundation grant to
Blessings in a Backpack. The national child hunger relief
non-profit organization’s three-year program will kick off tomorrow
afternoon at an event sponsored by Cigna (NYSE: CI). All 830
Mission Ridge Elementary students will receive backpacks during the
special event.
The program will open with remarks encouraging students to adopt
healthy habits and to stay in school. Guests will be entertained by
the Mission Ridge Elementary folklorico student performance group.
Representatives from Mission Ridge, Socorro Independent School
District (SISD), Cigna and Blessings in a Backpack will attend.
"Our backpacks give children the food they need during those
times when free or reduced-priced school lunches are not available,
such as on weekends," said Brooke Wiseman, chief executive officer
for Blessings in a Backpack. "Partnering with the Cigna Foundation
and Cigna brings national attention to the Blessings mission of
feeding hungry children. Together, we can fight to end childhood
hunger."
“The Cigna Foundation is committed to building a healthier and
more secure future for every child,” said David Figliuzzi,
executive director of the Cigna Foundation. “When kids come to
school hungry, it has a significant impact on their physical,
mental and academic well-being. By working together with Blessings
to reduce hunger, we can help students come to school each day
healthy, engaged and ready to learn.”
“More than 25 percent of El Paso County children go to bed
hungry1, which is five points higher than the national average.
That’s unacceptable,” said LaMonte Thomas, president for Cigna’s
North Texas market. “Cigna's work with Blessings in a Backpack is
an important part of our commitment to building healthy communities
in Texas.”
Blessings in a Backpack is a results-oriented program designed
to feed elementary school children whose families qualify for the
federally funded National School Lunch Program and have little or
no access to healthy food on the weekends. The program is supported
nationally and locally by the Cigna Foundation and Cigna. Child
wellness is a key focus of Cigna’s corporate responsibility
platform, Cigna Connects.
Funding for the food-filled backpacks was provided by the Cigna
Foundation. The Cigna Foundation and Cigna have contributed
$450,000 to Blessings in a Backpack, including a $100,000 World of
Difference grant to expand the program in schools nationwide.
About Blessings in a Backpack
Blessings in a Backpack, People Magazines Charity of 2012, is a
results-oriented program that is designed to feed elementary school
children whose families qualify for the federally funded National
School Lunch Program and have little or no food on the weekends.
Better test scores, improved reading skills, positive behavior,
improved health and increased attendance have all been attributed
to the success of this program. As little as $100 feeds one
American school child in our program for an entire 38-week school
year. Blessings in a Backpack is currently feeding over 88,000
children in 48 states, the District of Columbia and 900 schools.
Please visit www.blessingsinabackpack.org. We are Feeding the
Future of America® – one school at a time.
About the Cigna Foundation
The Cigna Foundation is a private foundation funded by
contributions from Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) and its
subsidiaries. The Cigna Foundation supports organizations sharing
its commitment to enhancing the health of individuals and families,
and the well-being of their communities, with a special focus on
those communities where Cigna employees live and work.
About Cigna
Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company
dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and
sense of security. All products and services are provided
exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna
Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company,
Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of
North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such
products and services include an integrated suite of health
services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy,
vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including
group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains
sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more
than 90 million customer relationships throughout the world. To
learn more about Cigna®, including links to follow us on Facebook
or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.
1 FeedingAmerica.org:
http://map.feedingamerica.org/county/2014/child/texas/county/el-paso
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161020005100/en/
CignaMark Slitt, 860-226-2092Mark.Slitt@cigna.comorBlessings in
a BackpackErin Kerr,
773-415-3053erinkerr@blessingsinabackpack.org
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