Topic #1:  A sure sign of summer in Minnesota is actually a sound – the ringing bell of the ice cream truck.  As a kid, all of us in the neighborhood would come running when we heard that bell.  There was nothing like a frosty ice cream treat in the heat of summer.  Last week, I heard that same bell ringing in my neighborhood, and it brought back great memories.  Summer, friends, running the neighborhood. .. the delight of childhood. ..

Topic #2:  As First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign has brought to light, one of the issues in achieving healthy eating habits as part of the equation to lower childhood obesity rates is access to fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods in some neighborhoods.  For some people, their only grocery store is a convenience store.  Transportation issues can also make it difficult for some to get to grocery stores that offer a good assortment of fruits, vegetables, skim milk, whole grain breads, low fat meats, etc.

So how do Topic #1 and #2 intersect?  In the call to action I am making today.

There are companies like Schwan’s, Coborns Delivers, Pea Pod, and others that have refrigerated trucks running delivery routes throughout the country. Why can’t they be the ice cream trucks of healthy eating, driving through neighborhoods selling only healthy options?  Why can’t they turn their marketing genius onto this initiative – making selling fruits and vegetables off their trucks as compelling as the ice cream truck was in my childhood?

So this is my call to action, and I’m asking for your help.  Reach out to your friends, your neighbors, your FB connections to help find contacts from companies like Schwans and Pea Pod, and get them to respond to this idea here on this blog.  I’ll keep posting it until we hear from someone.  As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and it takes efforts from all parts of our communities to solve problems like childhood obesity.

Visit nuval.com to know the most nutritious products to load on those trucks.