Despite soaring temperatures and high humidity on Tuesday, enthusiastic Minnesota Vikings fans packed over 1,600 MATTERbox Snack Packs at the Vikings’ new state-of-the-art training facility. This surpassed last year’s number and scored a new record for our annual Vikings training camp packing event!
Distributed to children and youth in our community, each snack pack contains a delicious protein, a healthy carbohydrate, and a yummy fruit, along with a nutrition education card and a personalized note of encouragement.
MATTER works in partnership with local organizations such as Urban Ventures to ensure the snack packs get into the hands of those who need them. Laura Rosenboom, Director of Nutrition Services for Urban Ventures, described the popularity of the snack packs among the kids she works with,
“The kids simply LOVE the snack packs and MATTER made me a hero with 115 kids yesterday – I wish I could send their hugs and love via email!”
Some of the fans most eager to assemble snack packs on Tuesday were school teachers who know first hand the importance of students having access to healthy food during the day. As she was writing a note of encouragement for the recipient of the snack pack she was about to assemble, one teacher explained,
“I love this! It’s not unusual for some of my students to come to school hungry, and it’s hard for hungry kids to learn. These snack packs can make a huge difference in a student’s day.”
MATTER is grateful for our valuable partnership with the Minnesota Vikings and the Vikings Women who embrace our mission to increase access to healthy food in our communities. In addition to the annual training camp packing event, players Kyle Rudolph and Xavier Rhodes use MATTERbox Snack Packs at their summer football camps for youth. The young attendees get a nutritious boost of energy in the middle of their strenuous camp day and learn the important connection between eating healthy and optimal performance for sports and school.
We wish the Vikings well in their upcoming season, and thank them for their generous support!
