I can’t remember the last time I got to write about C&S Wholesale Grocers — they’re what we call “uncooperative” in the trade journalism biz — but this week’s announcement regarding childhood obesity is all the reason I need to talk about them.
The company, #2 on SN’s list of Top Wholesalers (behind Supervalu), is footing the bill to help keep the kids of in C&S’s hometown of Keene, N.H. in shape and healthy. C&S is funding the program, called 5-2-1-0 (isn’t this also part of the Beverly Hills zip code?), while the Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene covers the clinical care, and the city’s public schools provide a structured learning environment.
The accompanying photo tells the story: Each child has pledged to do the following every day: Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables, reduce screen time (i.e., television, computers) to two hours or less, get one hour of vigorous physical activity, and no sugary beverages.
The program is part of a bigger initiative called Vision 2020 covering all of Cheshire County, which covers 23 towns (including the county seat of Keene) and 707 square miles in the southwestern corner of the state. The 2003 estimated population was 75,965, according to the county’s official website.
The C&S donation pays for a range of programs and services, including school wellness policy implementation consultation, school outreach, pediatric clinical assessments, and parent/child wellness classes. The medical center will organize and track the progress of the program in the coming months and years.
The overall goal of the larger program, Vision 2020, is to make the community the healthiest in the nation by that year. That’s 11 years away, and might seem like a long time, but it acknowledges that changing behavior on such a large scale requires time.
And remember, it takes us a a few years to fall out of shape, too.
(Photo credit: Mark Corliss)