Jamba Juice is teaming up with the National Gardening Association (NGA), the USA, to provide grants to local schools to plant fruit trees as a fun, innovative way to promote nutrition education for young students. The NGA is now accepting applications from schools to award Jamba Juice «It’s All About the Fruit» grants, which will provide schools with fruit trees to create engaging nutrition and gardening experiences.

Schools interested in applying for one of twenty $500 grants can learn more about the program by visiting www.kidsgardening.org. Applications are due November 29, 2010 with winners being announced in January 2011. Recipients will be selected based on plans to promote nutrition education, ideas for incorporating fruit tree activities in curriculum, and the ability to sustain the program over multiple years.

The grants are part of a larger initiative by Jamba Juice to support healthy communities through innovative fundraising programs. This includes Jamba’s «Sip to Support A Garden™^« program where school and garden organizations can sign up and earn year-round funding for their gardens.

The «It’s All About the Fruit» grant program will also fund the creation of fruit tree planting lesson plans, focused on nutrition education, which will be developed by the NGA. In conjunction with Jamba’s community service program, Jamba Volunteers, team members from local Jamba Juice stores will have an opportunity to get engaged by helping their local schools build and maintain gardens, helping to plant fruit trees, or contributing time on other important programs that help build healthier communities.

«At Jamba Juice, we are passionate about supporting our local schools and communities by promoting health, wellness and fitness,» said James D. White, chairman, president, and CEO, Jamba Juice Company. «Through our fruit tree planting initiatives, we are helping provide an excellent educational program for students, helping them learn about nutrition, gardening, and sustainability in fun and creative ways.»