Building Fun for Kids Across America

Lunchables Gives Kids the Opportunity to Help Other Kids


MADISON, Wis., Aug. 29 /PRNewswire/ — Attention moms and dads … kids want to lend a helping hand a lot more than you might think. The recent Kids Giving Back survey(1) by Just Kid Inc. found that kids have an altruistic spirit; however, often times they don’t have an outlet to express it. In fact, nine out of ten kids want to help others, yet only one in three volunteer on a monthly basis because they do not have the opportunity(2).


To give children a chance to express their philanthropic nature, Lunchables Lunch Combinations is teaming with KaBOOM!, a non-profit organization that helps builds playgrounds for children in communities where they’re needed more, to give kids the opportunity to help their peers get a great place to play where they can be active and have fun. This partnership, which will donate up to $405,000 to help build six playgrounds, will bring smiles to children across the country.


“The Lunchables brand is all about helping kids build their own fun at lunchtime. Partnering with KaBOOM! is an even bigger way to help kids have fun,” said Darin Dugan, Senior Director of Marketing Lunchables. “We’re proud to provide kids with an opportunity to help others and bring fun to kids across America.”


Kids Helping Kids


With many children today lacking accessible places to play and be physically active(3), KaBOOM! envisions a great play place within walking distance of every child in North America. Together with Lunchables Lunch Combinations, KaBOOM! hopes to move one step closer to making that vision a reality by building playgrounds in six communities across the country during the coming months. The playgrounds will bring hours of fun and promote play for kids of all ages while investing in the safety and well-being of the children in these communities.


“It’s important that all kids have a safe and enjoyable place where they can be active and have fun with their friends and families,” said Dugan. “By building playgrounds we’re able to make a difference in these communities.”


Kids everywhere can make a difference and help make these playground projects possible. Starting August 15, 2007 they can visit http://www.lunchables.com/ where they can vote for their favorite playground equipment for each of the six playgrounds. Lunchables will donate $.25 toward the playgrounds for each design submitted (one vote for each playground). The playground equipment with the most votes will be considered by KaBOOM! for the next playground project.


There’s another way kids can help. Through an on-box promotion, one in twenty-five kids will win Brigade Bucks, which is money kids can use to get the things they want most such as sports equipment and games. When these winners vote for their favorite playground equipment online, the Lunchables brand will donate an amount equal to the value of the winner’s Brigade Bucks. Meaning, if a child wins $10 in Brigade Bucks and votes online, the Lunchables brand will donate a matching $10 for that vote.


Lunchables and KaBOOM! will kick-off their partnership by building the first playground on August 29, 2007 in South Los Angeles. Following the Los Angeles playground build, Lunchables and KaBOOM! will build playgrounds in Detroit, New Orleans, Houston, Dallas and Miami. Visit http://www.lunchables.com/ to learn more. Or, to learn more about KaBOOM!, visit http://www.kaboom.org/.


About Kraft Foods


Kraft Foods is one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies with annual revenues of more than $34 billion. For over 100 years, Kraft has offered consumers delicious and wholesome foods that fit the way they live. Kraft markets a broad portfolio of iconic brands in 155 countries, including seven brands with revenue of more than $1 billion, such as Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings; Oscar Mayer meats; Philadelphia cream cheese; Post cereals; Nabisco cookies and crackers; Jacobs coffees and Milka chocolates. Kraft became a fully independent company on March 30, 2007, and is listed in the Standard and Poor’s 100 and 500 indexes. The company also is a member of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the Ethibel Sustainability Index. For more information, visit the company’s website at http://www.kraft.com/.


About KaBOOM!


KaBOOM! is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a great place to play within walking distance of every child in America. Over the past decade, KaBOOM! has used its innovative community-build model to bring together business and community interests to construct over 1,200 new playgrounds, skateparks, sports fields and ice rinks across North America. KaBOOM! also offers a variety of resources, including a website and online community, regional and national trainings, grants and publications for communities that wish to plan a new playspace on their own. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., KaBOOM! also has offices in Chicago, Atlanta and San Mateo, CA. For more information, visit http://www.kaboom.org/.

  (1) Just Kid Inc. fielded the Kids Giving Back:  A Survey of Youth
Altruism in America survey with 2,000 kids (ages 6-14 years)
nationwide (March 2007)
(2) The Trust for Public Land (2006). Parks for People, LA Case Statement.
Retrieved June 4, 2007 from
http://www.tpl.org/tier3_cd.cfm?content_item_id=17655&folder_id=2627.
(3) American Academy of Pediatrics (2004). Senate Subcommittee on
Competition, Foreign Commerce and Infrastructure on Childhood Obesity.
Retrieved June 11, 2007 from
https://www.aap.org/advocacy/washing/march_03_2004_testimony.pdf.
(4) Institute of Medicine (2005). Preventing Childhood Obesity: Health in
the Balance. Retrieved June 11, 2007 from
http://www.iom.edu/Object.File/Master/22/604/fact%20sheet%20-
%20overview%20finalBitticks.pdf (Please copy and paste the preceding
link into your browser)


First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:


Source: Kraft Foods


CONTACT: Laura Dowling of Weber Shandwick, +1-312-988-2340,
ldowling@webershandwick.com, for Kraft Foods; or Syd Lindner of Kraft Foods,
+1-608-285-6820,
Sydney.Lindner@kraft.com


Web site: http://www.kraft.com/
http://www.kaboom.org/
http://www.lunchables.com/