Tour de Fresh cycling event raises funds for new salad bars
August 01st, 2018
WaveCrest Cafe is thrilled to have been selected as 1 of 4 school districts in the country to be a recipient of several new salad bars for some of our elementary schools. One of the primary means of funding the new salad bars is the 5th annual Tour de Fresh. The tour is a four-day, 275-mile cycling event that engages those who work in the produce industry to donate toward bringing more salad bars to schools across the country.
The California Giant Foundation hosts the event, working closely with the United Fresh Start Foundation, a founding partner of the national Salad Bars to Schools initiative.
Riders at the Tour de Fresh finish line in Monterey, CA
Through the Tour de Fresh, the fresh fruit and vegetable industry has raised more than $600,000 for school salad bars since 2014. The group hopes to finance 50 more through the 2018 ride. WaveCrest Cafe is thrilled to be one of the districts to benefit from this event.
WaveCrest Cafe’s Director, Jamie Phillips, spoke with SaladBars2Schools for their website, and expressed his anticipation for being able to better serve the students of Vista Unified. Says Phillips, “I can’t wait to see the excitement on the students’ faces when they see the new salad bars with these products. Thank you to all of the riders that are taking the time out of their busy schedules to fundraise for new salad bars for Vista Unified’s WaveCrest Café.”
Riders in official Tour de Fresh gear power their way through the 275-mile course.
“No one – especially kids – should have to struggle to think about where their next meal will come from,” says Andrew Marshall, Director of Foundation Programs & Partnerships at the United Fresh Produce Association. “And from our perspective, giving kids the ability to choose fresh fruits and veggies, whether from a school salad bar or elsewhere, is an important step toward better nutrition.”
The course took riders from the Lake Tahoe area to Monterey, CA, and gained attention from media outlets along the route.
The new salad bars are expected to arrive in the fall of 2018, and WaveCrest Cafe will be sure to update the Vista Unified community as they arrive.