Partnership for a Healthier America Applauds New, Expanded Shop-Rite of Cheltenham

Cheltenham, Penn. (December 12, 2011) — Partnership for a Healthier America CEO and President Lawrence A. Soler released the following statement after the opening of the expanded Shop-Rite of Cheltenham, which is increasing access to healthy, affordable food to thousands of Pennsylvanians:

“Last summer, Brown’s Super Stores joined the Partnership for a Healthier America at the White House with the First Lady and a host of other organizations to make a commitment to bring affordable, healthy food to communities who currently have low access. Today’s celebration is an important piece of that commitment.

“One thing we know for sure is that if families don’t have access to healthy, affordable food, they can’t even consider buying it. This is where companies like Brown’s Super Stores are stepping in to help make the healthy choice the easy choice.

“Jeff and Sandy Brown are leaders in the effort to fight food deserts, and demonstrate to all of us how smaller retailers who get to know their communities can provide much-needed community services, sell affordable and healthy food, create jobs and run profitable businesses.

“The new and expanded Brown’s Super Stores will give 150,000 people access to healthy, affordable food. The stores also mean more opportunity for work. In total, the commitment that the Browns have made will create 325 new jobs in this area.

“Solving the childhood obesity crisis in America is critical. PHA is here to help companies move beyond the rhetoric and deliver on an implicit promise we make to our children. Today, Brown’s is showing us the way. And while we know the fight is not over, today we move closer to our goal of ending childhood obesity.”

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with – but independent from – First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move!effort. PHA is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased, third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.aHealthierAmerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.