Hellmann's serves up real food funds

Real Food Grant program will help fund 24 grassroots food initiatives in communities across Canada

TORONTO, Oct. 13, 2011 /CNW/ - Hellmann's® is once again helping Canadian families eat real though community initiatives such as a mobile greenhouse and cooking classes for kids.

Hellmann's has announced the recipients of the 2011 Real Food Grant Program - $110,000 in funding for local projects that share Hellmann's vision of helping Canadian families learn about and experience real food. Twenty four recipients from Newfoundland to British Columbia were awarded Real Food Grants ranging from $1,000 to $25,000. These deserving initiatives include school lunch programs, real food festivals and even the provision of new kitchen appliances to a school committed to changing its cafeteria menu so it can provide students with real food every day.

"This year we received over 400 applications, which shows both the need and desire for initiatives that connect Canadians with real food," said Stephanie Cox, Senior Brand Manager for Hellmann's® in Canada. "This year's recipients are passionate about introducing real food to their communities and this passion is what inspires Hellmann's to empower Canadians with the support they need to bring their real food aspirations to life."

The 2011 Real Food Grant recipients are helping Canadian families eat real at a grassroots level. In Calgary, the Greenstart Project is using a grant for a mobile greenhouse that travels to schools in Alberta, providing children with a hands-on learning experience with mini-gardens and snacks. The University of Guelph is teaching elementary school students about healthy and sustainable eating practices through its Garden2Table program. Another Real Food Grant will be used to help fund the refurbishment of the kitchen at the Camille J. Lerouge School in Red Deer, Alberta. With these new appliances, this school will be equipped to provide more real food to its students.

"These initiatives are the key to the Real Food Movement and embody our mission to show Canadians just how easy it is to eat real," said Cox. "Real food is - and should be - accessible to everyone and Real Food Grant recipients such as the Camille J. Lerouge School are examples of just how powerful these projects can be."

The 2011 Real Food Grant Recipients include:

• Comox Valley, Our Big Earth, Comox, BC - awarded $5,000
• École St-Jude, Cooking Class, Deux-Montagnes, QC - awarded $2,500
• Father Beauregard, Snack/Sandwich Program, Fort McMurray, AB - awarded $2,500
• River Hebert, Fall Festival, River Hebert, NS - awarded $1,500
• Bradford Market, Chef's at Market, Bradford, BC - awarded $5,000
• Greenstart, Mobile Greenhouse, Calgary, AB - awarded $19,000
• Camille J. Lerouge, Kitchen Refurbishment project, Red Deer, AB - awarded $25,000
• Coquitlam River Elementary School, Thanksgiving Picnic Lunch, Port Coquitlam, BC - awarded $1,000
• FW Gilbert Elementary School Garden Club, Urban Eatin' Fall Workshop, Pinawa, MB - awarded $1,000
• Daerwood School, Creative Cooks, Selkirk, MB - awarded $1,000
• Edgewater Park Public School, Healthy Lunch Challenge, Thunder Bay, ON - awarded $1,000
• Covent Garden, Family Winter Feast, London, ON - awarded $2,000
• Savor Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival, Living Salad Bar, Stratford, ON - awarded $2,000
• Christopher Lake, Healthy lunches/snacks, Prince Albert, SK - awarded $2,500
• Foods of the Fundy Valley, Year end food festival, Hopewell Cape, NB - awarded $2,500
• École Albert Naud, Thursday snacks in Canteen, Alma, QC - awarded $2,000
• École Laflèche, Cooking Classes, Grand-Mère, QC - awarded $1,500
• Nanaimo Foodshare Society, Farm to School Salad Bar, Nanaimo, BC - awarded $4,000
• Project CHEF Education, Cook Healthy Edible Food, Vancouver, BC - awarded $4,000
• Student Nutrition Ambassadors, Student Ambassadors, Yellowknife, NWT - awarded $4,000
• University of Guelph, Garden2Table, Guelph, ON - awarded $10,000
• London Training Centre, Locavore School Lunch Program, London, ON - awarded $4,000
• Norris Arms Boys & Girls Club, Lunch & after school program, Norris Arms, NFLD - awarded $2,000
• The Clean Nova Scotia Foundation, Schools to Farms & Farms to Schools, Dartmouth, NS - awarded $5,000

Chuck Hughes has been working with Hellmann's® since the inception of the Real Food Movement in Canada to help Canadians connect with real food. Along with providing real food tips and recipes and connecting with fans on Facebook, Hughes is appearing at select recipient events to show his hands-on support to Canadians getting involved with the Real Food Movement.

"I know firsthand that when people get their hands on food they try new things and experience the joy that comes from eating real," said Hughes. "That's exactly the kind of experience these initiatives are creating for Canadians and I am thrilled to be a part of it."

2011 marks the second year of the Hellmann's® Real Food Grant Program. Last year, $100,000 in Real Food Grants were awarded to 23 local initiatives. Hellmann's® has been championing the Real Food Movement in Canada since 2007, from temporarily converting city parking lots to urban gardens and informing Canadians about the importance of eating local to simplifying the ingredients in Hellmann's® products.

Visit Facebook.com/HellmannsCanada to hear more about this year's grant recipients, see what Chuck is up to or share your thoughts with the real food community.

About the Real Food Movement
Hellmann's® was founded on the principle of using real, simple ingredients - like eggs, oil and vinegar. This commitment to real ingredients is why Hellmann's® launched the Real Food Movement - a mission to help get more real food on Canadian tables by inspiring families to smell, taste, touch and learn about the pleasure that comes from eating real food. Canadians can join the real food conversation and learn how to eat real at www.facebook.com/HellmannsCanada

About Unilever Canada
Unilever works to create a better future every day. We help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. Each day, around the world, we serve over two billion consumers. In Canada, the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe®, Becel®, Ben & Jerry's®, Breyers®, Degree®, Dove® personal care products, Hellmann's®, Klondike®, Knorr®, Lipton®, Popsicle®, Q-Tips®, Skippy®, Slim-Fast®, Suave®, Sunsilk® and Vaseline®. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 1,600 people across Canada. For more information, visit www.unilever.ca

Image with caption: "Celebrity Chef Chuck Hughes participates in the Savour Stratford Perth County Culinary Festival's Living Salad Bar. Hellmann's Canada is supporting the initiative with a $2,000-Real Food Grant to help Canadians eat more real food. (CNW Group/Hellmanns)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20111013_C3675_PHOTO_EN_4430.jpg

For further information:

Catherine Flint
Harbinger Communications
416.960.5100/1.877.960.5100 ext.226
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