Funds to support Minnesota D.A.R.E.’s 25-year effort of
helping youth make safe, healthy choices every day
STILLWATER, MINN. (Jan. 15, 2015) — In honor of the 25th anniversary of Minnesota D.A.R.E., a program aimed at educating the state’s youth on how to make safe and healthy choices each and every day, Cub® Foods today announced a $50,000 donation to support the purchase of thousands of workbooks to be used this spring to help educate elementary students across the state on ways to effectively navigate the many challenges of adolescence.
Officials from Cub Foods, D.A.R.E. and other likeminded organizations will officially kicked off the spring curriculum and discussed the program’s important mission at a press conference held at Maple Grove’s Basswood Elementary School at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 16. During the event, Cub presented the school with more than 1,100 new D.A.R.E. workbooks purchased through its donation. Following this presentation, Cub Foods stores in Maple Grove, Willmar, Rochester, and Grand Rapids began distributing workbooks to law enforcement agencies in their areas.
D.A.R.E. officers from the Maple Grove Police Department, Coon Rapids Police Department, Willmar Police Department, McLeod Co. Sheriff’s Office, Itasca Co. Sheriff’s Office, Virginia Police Department, and Olmsted Co. Sheriff’s Office will be serving as lead departments is this distribution. Thousands of workbooks have been arriving at these locations for this distribution. Officers will be picking them up in preparation for upcoming classroom sessions.
“The generous support of Cub Foods has been an incredible gift to Minnesota D.A.R.E., helping us to reintroduce the D.A.R.E. curriculum to Minnesota classrooms after many schools have been forced to cut the D.A.R.E. program due to budget constraints,” said Kathi Ackerman, executive director of Minnesota D.A.R.E. “In recent years, we’ve expanded our educational goals to focus on much more than the ‘Just Say No’ mantra many people are familiar with. Today, our officers offer students a safe, comfortable environment to discuss the real-life issues they deal with both in and out of school. Cub’s support goes a long way in helping us to continue influencing positive life choices among our local youth.”
“As Minnesota’s hometown grocer, Cub is dedicated to helping make the neighborhoods we serve better places to live, work and play,” said Mike Stigers, president of Cub Foods. “Our team is proud to support D.A.R.E. and to help the organization spread its message of living a life free from violence, substance abuse and other dangerous behaviors to students in our community.”
In addition to Cub and Minnesota D.A.R.E. representatives, Maple Grove City Council Member Karen Jaeger, Maple Grove Chief of Police Eric Werner, local D.A.R.E. Officer Ryan Modeen and D.A.R.E. alumni from the Minnesota Twins and St. Paul Saints joined the press conference to speak about the program’s positive impact on students. Several Maple Grove children read their winning submissions to a recent D.A.R.E. essay contest. Beloved Minnesota Twins Mascot T.C. Bear and St. Paul Saint Mascot Mudonna were also on-hand for the celebration.
For more information on Minnesota D.A.R.E., visit www.MNDARE.org.
About Cub Foods
Cub Foods offers customers the freshest produce, widest selection and food expertise throughout the store to meet their everyday grocery needs. In addition to innovative local, ethnic and organic food sections, Cub stores offer shoppers multiple in-store services, including fresh bakery, full-service deli and meat departments, pharmacy and banking. Cub Foods, based in Stillwater, Minn., was established in 1968 as one of the nation’s first discount grocery stores. Cub was purchased in 1980 by SUPERVALU and currently operates 77 stores in Minnesota and Illinois. For company news and information, follow us on Twitter at @CubFoods and Facebook at www.facebook.com/Cub, or visit our website at www.Cub.com.
