Jul 20, 2017

Ocean Mist Farms sponsors Tour de Fresh for a second year

Ocean Mist Farms will participate in the Tour de Fresh three-day cycling event, supporting the Salad Bars to Schools initiative, for a second year. The event begins July 25 in Pismo Beach, California, and will conclude with a loop of Monterey, prior to PMA Foodservice Conference & Expo, July 27, where two Ocean Mist employees – John Pattullo and Paul Scheid – will ride along with 50 peers in the industry to make fresh fruits and vegetables accessible to schools across the country.

John Pattullo, riding for Boulder Valley School District in Colorado, and Paul Scheid, riding for Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia have raised a combined $1,725 toward their $7,000 goal. Over the next three weeks, both Pattullo and Scheid will be training for their ride and asking for fundraising support in order to place a salad bar in each of their school districts.

“It’s important to Ocean Mist Farms to provide nutritious meals for the younger generation because they are the ones who will help carry out our vision one day,” said Diana McClean, director of marketing for Ocean Mist Farms. “We are motivated to give back to causes that align with our company’s core values and couldn’t be more proud of John and Paul for making the time to train and fundraise for a cause they believe in personally as well.”

As previous salad bar donors through the Grower-Shipper Association, Ocean Mist Farms expects their riders will be able to provide both salad bars in their respective districts.

Tour de Fresh has a goal to raise at least $150,000 to privately finance 50 salad bars in U.S. schools this year. The combination of efforts from riders’ friends, family members, and industry leaders supporting the event have raised $131,000 to date, and Ocean Mist Farms encourages donations through the website at www.tourdefresh.com through July 27 in order to make this year’s goal a reality.