The World of Eric Carle Partners With Produce For Kids

The Joester Loria Group’s client The World of Eric Carle is once again partnering with Produce For Kids for their Power Your Lunchbox Pledge for the back-to-school season.

The 4th Power Your Lunchbox Pledge kicks off on August 7 to encourage families and classrooms nationwide to pledge to eat a healthier lunch this school year. For every pledge taken, partners will make a collective $1 donation to Feeding America®, providing 11 meals to families in need.  

As part of the program, Produce for Kids will feature a variety of recipes inspired by Eric Carle’s iconic books including a Brown Bear Bento Box, Panda Bear Rice & Beans, a Very Hungry Caterpillar Snack, The Grouchy Ladybug Snack, Mixed Up Chameleon Trail Mix and a Very Busy Spider Snack.

Produce For Kids will also publish two blog posts inspired by Pancakes, Pancakes and The Tiny Seed.  Additionally, every day between August 7 and September 22, Produce for Kids will give away a popular Eric Carle book to an individual who takes the pledge.

The World of Eric Carle will also partner with Produce for Kids for the #PowerYourLunchbox Twitter party on August 17 at 4pm EST. Produce for Kids will share easy and healthy Eric Carle-inspired back-to-school recipes and lunchbox ideas, along with giveaways of Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear and Ladybug lunch bags from brand licensing partner Kids Preferred.

In addition, elementary and preschool classrooms who take the pledge will be entered to win an Eric Carle reading nook for their classroom. Teachers can access World of Eric Carle and Produce for Kids themed activities and lesson plans at poweryourlunchbox.com/teachers.

As the brand licensing agency for The World of Eric Carle, The Joester Loria Group has extended the brand through a variety of partnerships that includes 130 consumer products licensees and promotional partners.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Partners With Produce For Kids

Produce for Kids is excited to announce a new partnership with The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ for its third annual Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign this fall. The campaign, running in all Meijer stores and Publix Super Markets this September and October, will raise funds to support local children’s charities. The partnership was brokered on behalf of the World of Eric Carle by its worldwide licensing agent, The Joester Loria Group.

“We’re so excited to be partnering with The Very Hungry Caterpillar this fall. As a classic, it connects to both parents who read the story as children and children today who are reading it for the first time,” said Trish James, vice president, Produce for Kids. “Through our in-store campaign, we can help shoppers make smart decisions and feed their families healthy meals with wholesome ingredients.”

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a classic book by Eric Carle, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year and will be featured on in-store signage in more than 1,200 grocery stores and fresh markets in 11 states. Signage will notify shoppers of all participating produce companies and point them to www.produceforkids.com for additional information on the campaign, more than 150 produce-centered recipes and healthy tips from real parents.

“We are delighted to partner with Produce for Kids to promote healthy eating and provide families with a recipe that will encourage kids to choose fresh fruit and vegetables,” said Debra Joester, President, The Joester Loria Group.  “The Very Hungry Caterpillar has inspired 3 generations of children and we are confident this campaign will resonate with millions of parents and children that are fans of Eric Carle’s iconic book.”

The Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign will run from September through October 2014 with the support of more than 20 participating fresh fruit and vegetable suppliers, representing every major category of fresh produce. Suppliers will make a consumption-based donation to local children’s charities. The more items from participating companies that shoppers purchase, the more local children’s organizations benefit.

Produce for Kids will promote the campaign through all social media platforms and will host various sweepstakes and giveaways on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Produce for Kids will also engage mom bloggers in each participating retail partner’s markets to help spread the healthy eating message. In addition, Produce for Kids will be hosting monthly Twitter parties during the campaign focused on seasonal healthy eating topics. The Very Hungry Caterpillar will also be hosting in-store meet and greets with families at select participating grocery stores.

The ShopRite in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey recently hosted one of the first Very Hungry Caterpillar in store events on August 18th. More than 35 kids and their parents gathered for a cooking demo of healthy foods featured in the iconic book and a meet and greet with the famous caterpillar himself. 

Sponsored products for each supermarket can be found on display materials in the grocery stores’ fresh produce departments and online at www.produceforkids.com.