Partnership for a Healthier America’s ‘Pass the Love w/ Waffles + Mochi Campaign’ Announces Atlanta and Cleveland as First Partner Cities for Pass the Love Meal Kit Distributions

The Pass the Love campaign partners with food retailers, non-profit organizations, and more to raise awareness of food equity and help bring 1 million meals inspired by Waffles + Mochi to families around the country.

Media Contact: Andrew Brenner (ABrenner@ahealthieramerica.org); (202) 696-8925

WASHINGTON, DC - May 10, 2021 - The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), in collaboration with PHA Honorary Chair Michelle Obama and Higher Ground Productions, is bringing the “Pass the Love w/ Waffles + Mochi” campaign to Atlanta and Cleveland. Starting next month, families in both cities will receive Pass the Love meal kits, with recipes and ingredients inspired by the new Netflix series, Waffles + Mochi. In total, PHA and its partners will distribute more than 400,000 meals combined in Atlanta and Cleveland, as the campaign works to meet its goal of distributing 1 million meals to families in need.

“It’s no secret that the pandemic has been far tougher on some Americans than others, especially when it comes to health and hunger. So it couldn’t be more clear that addressing these widening gaps in America means addressing the inequities that persist when it comes to affordable, nutritious food,” said Former First Lady and PHA Honorary Chair Michelle Obama. “Together with PHA, we’re bringing healthy meal kits to economically disadvantaged communities, and I’m so proud that we’ve now taken such a meaningful step toward our goal of distributing 1 million meals to families in need.”

With support from inaugural partners Walmart and Blue Apron, PHA is raising awareness of food equity issues with the goal of providing more than one million meals through Pass the Love branded meal kits to families in food insecure communities around the country. Additional funding has been provided by Bounty and individual donors around the country. Pass the Love meal kits will be provided for free thanks to financial support from partners and donors.

In Atlanta, Cleveland, and future cities to be announced, Pass the Love meal kit distributions will take place over four weeks and will be structured to build the capacity of local non-profits in those cities, modeled in part after PHA’s successful COVID-19 Fresh Food Fund. In Atlanta, PHA is partnering with the Atlanta Community Food Bank to manage local distributions, and in Cleveland is partnering with the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, with distributions beginning in June. Socially-conscious food service organization Genuine Foods has sourced and assembled the meal kits, including high-quality ingredients and recipes inspired by Waffles + Mochi, enabling families to create meals that are fun, fast, and affordable to replicate.

Sample Pass the Love Meal Kit Recipes are Available HERE

Images of Pass the Love Meal Kits are Available HERE

“PHA is honored to be able to serve families through the Pass the Love campaign in Atlanta and Cleveland, as we seek to do our part to transform the food landscape in pursuit of health equity,” said Nancy E. Roman, President and CEO, Partnership for a Healthier America. "Pass the Love is focused on creating access and exposure to affordable meal making for families in economically disadvantaged communities, laying the groundwork for long-term shifts in attitudes and behaviors to benefit health.”

“The pandemic has highlighted the importance of food equity in our communities. Too many of our neighbors lack access to affordable, healthy food,” said Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “We are grateful for Mrs. Obama and Partnership for a Healthier America bringing the Pass the Love campaign to Atlanta. Not only is this effort bringing nutritious food to communities in need, but we hope it will help build healthy habits that last for years to come.”

“We are honored to be chosen by Partnership for a Healthier America to collaborate and raise awareness about food insecurity in Georgia,” said Kyle Waide, President and CEO of Atlanta Community Food Bank. “Georgians have faced unprecedented levels of hunger since the beginning of the pandemic, and we are truly grateful for the generous support of the ‘Pass the Love w/ Waffles + Mochi‘ campaign in helping us get nutritious food to those in need.”

“Cleveland has historically ranked at or near the top nationally in child poverty, so our schools understand well the need to ensure our students have access to good, nutritious food,” Cleveland schools CEO Eric Gordon said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in a well-designed, comprehensive program devoted to that purpose.”

Pass the Love w/ Waffles + Mochi leverages the show, its characters, and Mrs. Obama to meaningfully shift our food culture toward more affordable, fun, at-home meals for families of every income level. Through the meal kit distribution program, PHA is targeting communities with the highest levels of childhood poverty, as identified by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, starting in Atlanta and Cleveland, with future communities to be announced in the months ahead.

ABOUT PARTNERSHIP FOR A HEALTHIER AMERICA

The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), founded in partnership with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! campaign in 2010, is the premier national nonprofit working to transform the food landscape in pursuit of health equity. PHA seeks partnerships that have the greatest potential to reduce health disparities. We do this using evidence-based approaches that drive systemic access to better food. In a decade of work, we have partnered with more than 300 corporations, convenience store chains, and distributors, hospitals, early childhood education centers, and SNAP-Ed implementing agencies, among others, in pursuit of our vision that all children grow up healthy and free from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. Information about PHA’s Veggies Early & Often campaign please visit www.ahealthieramerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.