Stop & Shop Hosts Healthy Kids Summit
To help inspire parents, caregivers and others make healthy lifestyle changes, the Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. LLC and local community experts on childhood obesity are presenting a Healthy Kids Summit on Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. at the Dana-Farber Field House at Patriot Place in Foxborough, Mass.
Scheduled participants include Stephen Gostkowski, place kicker, New England Patriots; Julie Menounos, in-store nutritionist at the Stop & Shop in Chelmsford, Mass.; Ed Hurley, president, Hockomock YMCA in Massachusetts; Karen Zangari, registered dietitian, Memorial Hospital, Pawtucket, R.I.; and Suzi Robinson, community relations, Stop & Shop New England Division in Quincy, Mass., who will moderate the panel.
The free, open-to-the-public event will comprise a 30-minute panel discussion and a question-and-answer session to offering health tips for families. The panel will be followed by a HOPSports fitness routine inside the Dana-Farber Field House, led by Brandy Cruthird, owner of Body by Brandy Fitness Studio in Boston.
Free samples and health information will be distributed at the summit by Stop & Shop, the New England Diary Promotion Board in Boston, and Orlando, Fla.-based Produce for Kids.
“Healthy eating choices begin at the supermarket for many families, which is why Stop & Shop is committed to helping customers make informed decisions while shopping,” said Robinson. “We share a common bond: to help our kids stay active and be healthy.”
“Never underestimate the power of small changes in what you eat and balancing that with physical activity the entire family can enjoy,” added Lisa Burnett, registered dietitian from New England Dairy & Food Council, which has offices in Uxbridge, Mass., and Winooski, Vt. “We all have a role to play, and the more we can get children involved in making nutrient-rich food choices at home and through programs like ‘Fuel Up to Play 60’ at school, we can have a positive impact on the next generation.”
According to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), childhood obesity affects about 17 percent of the U.S. population.
A division of Ahold USA, Stop & Shop employs around 62,000 associates at nearly 400 stores in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York, and New Jersey.