Campbell continues to advance Healthy Community Programs in Camden, N.J

Campbell Soup Company (NYSE:CPB) continues to advance its efforts to measurably improve the health of young people in its hometown of Camden. Since its launch in February 2011, the Campbell Healthy Communities program has supported the development of 36 new venues that sell or distribute healthy food serving approximately 23,000 Camden residents, increased the opportunity for physical activity for children by 75 percent over the past 12 months and supported nearly 200,000 hours of nutrition education.

“We’re encouraged by the progress we continue to achieve in our programs, but recognize that we have more work to do as childhood obesity and food insecurity remain tough challenges for our city and across the country,” said Kim Fortunato, Director, Campbell Healthy Communities. “We understand that the success of strategic corporate social responsibility programs such as Campbell Healthy Communities depends on many hands across the community playing an active role. Numerous organizations are engaged in building a healthier life for Camden residents. Local hospitals and health care providers, national sports foundations and local chapters of the YMCA, planning commissions and community development and financial institutions – everyone has a role to play.”

In 2013, Campbell and its partner organizations identified progress metrics focused on creating more access to fresh foods, increasing physical activity, expanding nutrition education and bringing heightened awareness and utilization of the programs created under the Campbell Healthy Communities framework in Camden. Results to date are making a difference in Camden and include:

• Achieving 36 new healthy food outlets serving approximately 23,000 Camden residents. This includes 22 corner stores enrolled in the Camden Healthy Corner Store Network and an additional six Community Supported Agriculture locations. We also supported eight additional Mobile Markets, like the Greensgrow Mobile Produce Truck which makes weekly stops at locations in the neighborhoods of North Camden, East Camden, Waterfront South, Cooper Grant, the Rutgers University Camden Campus, Fairview Village, Parkside, Centerville and Cramer Hill.
• Reaching 175,000 hours of physical activity, an increase of 75 percent over last year, for children participating in Campbell Healthy Communities in coordination with partner programs like CATCH and Soccer for Success.
• Providing nearly 200,000 hours of nutrition education to children and adults including the continuation of Cooking Matters® for parents and kids who want to learn how to make healthy meals on a budget.
•  Raising awareness of Campbell Healthy Communities programming and cultivating community ownership by engaging with more than 2,100 local stakeholders including resident groups, neighborhood organizations, policy makers and school leaders.

As part of its Healthy Communities program, Campbell is collaborating with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, The United Way of Greater Philadelphia and South Jersey, the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Camden, the Food Trust, FoodCorps, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties, along with the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers, Cooper and Lourdes Hospitals, Rutgers University and the Food Bank of South Jersey.

“Programs like Soccer for Success have been a big win,” said Fortunato. “The U.S. Soccer Foundation’s free after-school soccer program combines both physical activity and nutrition education. It’s the first citywide after-school program in Camden.”

Campbell announced the Campbell Healthy Communities program in 2011 supported by a $10-million, 10-year investment to reduce Camden’s childhood obesity rate by half by focusing on four areas: access to nutritious and fresh foods; access to safe places to play, exercise and walk; nutrition education – prenatal to adult; and building public will within the community to advance real solutions. Additional details of the program are reported in the Campbell Healthy Communities Annual Report.

Campbell’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategies are designed to deliver measurable impacts in four key areas: Our Consumers, Our Planet, Our Employees and Our Community. To learn more visit http://www.campbellsoupcompany.com/csr.