Cheerios Teams Up With Matter in Student Volunteer Event

Armed with a goal of helping improve the health of the communities they call home for four years, students at 50 college campuses in 26 states are lending volunteer support to Matter and Cheerios to pack 30,000 healthy snack packs for after-school programs.

Between Feb. 26 and March 2, each campus location will pack 300 Matterboxes with two snack packs, including General Mills items such as Whole Grain Cheerios, Nature Valley Bars and Larabars. Once packed, the boxes will be distributed locally to schools, after-school programs and healthcare providers, along with nutrition education.

The partnership “closely ties to our philanthropic focus areas of strengthening hometown communities and ending hunger,” said Mary Jane Melendez, executive director of the General Mills Foundation. “And equally important is inspiring college students to see how wonderful it feels to do an act of good for those in their community.”

The novel Matterbox program strives to activate healthy eating for kids and families through innovative partnerships serving local communities, according to Quenton Marty, president of Matter. “Joining together with dedicated partners like Cheerios that want to make a real difference allows increased access to healthy food and broadens the reach of nutrition education to many more people.”

The Minnesota-based Matter is a global health nonprofit whose mission is “to move people forward by eliminating barriers to a healthier life” by giving hospitals the tools they need to care for the sick and injured in dignified ways, and by designing solutions to create diversified and resilient farms. Locally, Matter activates healthy eating for kids and families with the Matterbox program.

A list of participating campus locations can be found here.