Beginning this school year, American Dairy Association North East will shift to the new “Fuel Up” (Get Active) platform after 13 years of “Fuel Up to Play 60,” the nation’s largest in-school student health and wellness campaign that started with National Dairy Council and the National Football League.
“The changes with Fuel Up align with our strategies to increase student access to dairy and other nutritious foods in school meals while also promoting physical activity,” said ADA North East CEO John Chrisman. “Thanks to our long-term relationships with school nutrition decision-makers who have helped pave the way, we’re able to continue to protect dairy’s place on school menus.”
“Dairy farmers want to ensure all children have milk and dairy foods in their diets, and their checkoff investment is making this happen.”
More than 70% of the schools in ADA North East’s region were enrolled in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program last year. Fuel Up will continue to promote nutrition and physical activity, with a greater emphasis on dairy education in lesson plans for teachers and farm to school programming.
According to Dairy Management Inc., it is a transition from a partnership with the NFL to new collaborations, which pave the way to co-create programs that support youth wellness. In addition, as students’ food choices and understanding of nutrition is increasingly impacted by factors outside the school building, Fuel Up will allow for a more integrated approach to engaging youth and their parents.
In the past, ADA North East partnered with the seven NFL teams in the six-state region that helped provide access to schools. Moving forward, partnerships will continue with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants and the Buffalo Bills for 2023. Starting in 2024, more diverse and inclusive sports opportunities will include the Women’s National Basketball Association’s Washington Mystics and New York Liberty.
“These teams will serve as our highly visible partners to promote and create awareness of the Fuel Up program, as well as continue to open the doors for our innovative dairy menu enhancements in school meal programs,” said ADA North East President Audrey Donahoe, a staunch supporter of the program.
“I whole-heartedly support the Fuel Up campaign and know that this multi-partner approach will allow us to meet the changing needs of the communities in our region and provide our kids with the best possible chance for success,” added Donahoe.
For more information, visit www.fuelup.org.
About American Dairy Association North East
American Dairy Association North East (ADA North East) is the dairy farmer-funded organization funded by participating dairy farmer’s checkoff investment to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout the local region. Representing nearly 9,000 dairy farm families in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia, ADA North East develops and implements local programs to drive milk and dairy sales at retail outlets and in schools. The organization also conducts consumer education about dairy through events, traditional and social media, and in collaboration with health professionals through National Dairy Council®. ADA North East works closely with Dairy Management Inc.™, the national dairy checkoff organization, to support nutrition research, national partnerships and developing export markets for dairy to bring a fully integrated promotion program to the region. For more information, visit www.AmericanDairy.com, or call 315.472.9143.
