Cael Sanderson to visit USDA Summer Food Program site in Ames, Iowa

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Anjali Budhiraja (USDA)
08/08/2005


Olympic gold medalist and former Iowa State wrestling great Cael Sanderson will play games with over 100 kids at the Boys and Girls Club of Story County in Ames, Iowa on Thursday, August 11 at 11:15 a.m.    Sanderson will be on hand to serve lunch, sign autographs and talk to kids about the importance of making healthy food choices and maintaining an active life style.    The Boys and Girls Club of Story County is a USDA Summer Food Program site that provides meals to kids from low-income families when school is out.  More than 422,000 meals were served to kids at Iowa's 180 Summer Program sites.  Sixty Iowa sponsors who operated the program qualified for more than $880,000 in Federal reimbursements.    The National Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 9 million kids in the U.S. between the ages of 6 and 19 are overweight.  During the past 25 years, the percent of American kids who are overweight has tripled, according the National Centers for Disease Control.  USDA's "Eat Smart. Play Hard" campaign was launched several years ago to counter the trend by encouraging kids to eat more fruits and vegetables and engage in some form of exercise daily.  The Summer Program traditionally aids in that effort by establishing meal sites at playgrounds and parks where kids can engage in healthy activities.