On Oct. 6 two students representing Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools from Freeman Elementary School, Flint Community School District helped First Lady Michelle Obama harvest the White House Kitchen Garden.

Xavier Purches, a 5th grade student, and A’Layia Howard, a 4th grade student, also helped White House chefs prepare a meal with fruits and vegetables from the White House garden. Two of only 22 kids in the entire country invited to participate, Xavier and A’Layia were joined by students representing other Let’s Move! initiatives.

Two Flint students help harvest White House Garden

To add to the excitement of the day, President Barack Obama visited the White House garden to meet the students and joined First Lady Michelle Obama in a group photo. Xavier and A’layia were thrilled to meet the President and First Lady. A’layia worked side-by-side in the garden with the First Lady, and enjoyed preparing a grilled flat bread with basil pesto and garden fresh veggies with the First Lady and Sam Kass. As an added bonus, she got to eat the flatbread with the First Lady too! Xavier spent the day harvesting, preparing and enjoying the fruits of their labor with Al Roker from NBC. 

To improve child nutrition and mitigate exposure to lead, 19 schools in Flint, including Freeman Elementary School, received salad bars this year from Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The United Fresh Start Foundation, a founding partner of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, lead efforts to coordinate the donation of salad bars to all schools in the Flint Community School District and four other school districts in Flint.  

Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, the United Fresh Start Foundation and North Bay Produce, are committed to supporting additional salad bars to benefit the children of Flint.

To date, Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools has donated salad bars to 4,800 schools nationwide; 300 in Michigan alone. Schools interested in requesting salad bars can visit www.saladbars2schools.org.

Source: United Fresh