Spartan, Blessings in a Backpack Launch Spartan KidFit to Promote Healthy Lifestyles for Kids
The Spartan Kids Foundation, Spartan's not-for-profit arm, is expanding its alliance with Blessings in a Backpack, one of the nation's largest providers of donated food for kids. The new initiative, called Spartan KidFit, is a unique opportunity for elementary- and middle-school children to be healthy and have fun through exercise, strength, and teamwork.
Spartan KidFit will provide students served by Blessings in a Backpack with Spartan fitness training, free access to Spartan Kids races, onsite coaching, and fitness grants to promote healthy lifestyles. The program is designed to complement the nutritional service that Blessings provides by addressing a growing need, heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, that more than half of the children in the United States are not getting enough exercise.
“Blessings in a Backpack looks forward to adding the Spartan physical fitness components to our growing food distribution programming for thousands of children nationwide,” Blessings in a Backpack CEO Erin Kerr said. "We hope this new campaign will address the need for fun and healthy physical activity that many kids have been missing this past year.”
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With the growing hope that schools will safely return to onsite classes this year, Spartan KidsFit will operate through Blessings in a Backpack’s national school network, with programming onsite and online.
Too Much Screen Time, Not Enough Time Outside
According to a recent New York Times article, children’s screen time has doubled during the pandemic as computers, tablets, and phones have become the centerpiece of school and social life. Ideally, the innovative and engaging Spartan Kids fitness programming will offer a healthier alternative and help to refocus attention on physical activities, such as running, jumping, and other kid-friendly forms of exercise.
“Spartan is proud and excited to expand our partnership with Blessings to launch this campaign," Spartan Kids Foundation co-director Al Schreiber said. "This includes fitness training, coaching, and free race events and fitness grants for their national school network.
"Building on the success of our partnership last year, adding the fitness component to Blessings in a Backpack’s food platform delivers a Spartan-proven, pro bono physical education toolkit for schools that offers the opportunity to encourage healthier and more active lifestyles.”
Related: Spartan Kids Basics: Race FAQs & Everything Parents Should Know
$250,000 Raised and 60,000 Hunger-Free Weekends
The Spartan Kids Foundation and Blessings in a Backpack began their successful partnership in the spring of 2020 to help kids struggling with food insecurity during the COVID-19 school closures. Through a series of effective campaigns and combined fundraising efforts, the Spartan Kids Foundation and Blessings in a Backpack raised almost $250,000 to provide more than 60,000 hunger-free weekends for kids across America.