The Next Chapter

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Thank you all for following along AND cheering me on this week as I met with industry & government organizations in Washington, DC.  It was the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me in my professional life.

21 months & 17 days ago I got permission from my bosses to roll with my idea of adding a blog to our marketing efforts & TheProduceMom.com officially went LIVE with a blog titled “Who is The Produce Mom?”.

A year ago I was putting the finishing touches on the Find Your Favorite™ website, reviewing the poster proofs, heating up the PR efforts & media buzz, anxiously awaiting the launch day of this brainchild dream-come-true school program of The Produce Mom… a program that would later be recognized by The Packer as one of the best fruit & vegetable marketing program for kids that our industry has ever seen.

Yesterday I was wrapping up a tour of the most influential organizations in the fresh produce industry as well as our First Lady’s Partnership for Healthier America & the White House’s Obama Food Initiatives.

We’ve come a long way in 21 months & 17 days.

My focus in Washington was simple.  We are taking Find Your Favorite to elementary schools across the nation.  In order to do this, we need support.  We need our leading trade organizations: Produce Marketing Association, Produce for Better Health Foundation & United Fresh to validate this program and support me as we broaden this community-serving dream of The Produce Mom.  We want to better align ourselves with the Let’s Move Salad Bars to School Movement.  Of course every organization was asked the magic question: What can I do to help YOU?

We also need underwriters.  Find Your Favorite is a great program with a proven impact, and tons of star-power support… but things like this always cost money.  We’ve realized that it will cost us $25 per Find Your Favorite kit; or to reach our goal of 10,000 schools across the nation – $250,000. Each kit will include a 20 piece poster set highlighting the Find Your Favorite heroes and their favorite fruit or veggie. It’s incredible how much kids connect with the Find Your Favorite heroes!

Finally… I met with the Founder, Editor & official historian of our First Lady’s White House Food Initiatives.  I also met with Partnership for Healthier America, which was founded in conjunction with Let’s Move.  PHA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit that is supported by its honorary chair, First Lady Michelle Obama.

The Produce Mom’s circle of support has expanded.  The Next Chapter has begun.

XOXO

Produce Mom

 

About Lori

Lori Taylor is the Founder & CEO of The Produce Moms. For ten years she sold fresh produce to over 300 grocery stores throughout the United States, and today she is fully focused on working with the produce supply chain, media, and government to increase fresh produce access & consumption in the US and around the globe. Connect with Lori on LinkedIn.

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