AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate Announces 2nd Annual Teacher Appreciation Program with First Book during National Teacher Appreciation Week

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J., May 6, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate, made by Mars Wrigley Confectionery, today announced their 2^nd annual Teacher Appreciation Program with First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise focused on equal access to quality education for kids in need, to create special teacher appreciation packages for educators serving children in low income communities across the U.S.

"We are thrilled to honor another fantastic group of teachers this year in partnership with First Book and share the fascinating story of how chocolate has impacted global history," said Gail Broadright, Director of Sponsorships and Family Properties, Mars Wrigley Confectionery. "By partnering with First Book for the second year in a row, we are able to serve classrooms that might not have the resources to access historical sites like Thomas Jefferson's Monticello, Colonial Williamsburg, The National Archives, or the Smithsonian Institute. Giving back to these schools and communities is a major step in fulfilling the Mars family's long-standing legacy in support of the mission of education." 

The program will coincide with National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 6– 10) and celebrate over 1,200 educators in and around Chicago, IL, Henderson, NV, Hackettstown, NJ, Newark, NJ and Washington DC who serve the students and teachers where Mars Wrigley Confectionery does business. The educators in the First Book network will receive a copy of Great Moments in World History: Global Stories Where Chocolate Sparked Discovery, Innovation, and Imagination! – a STEM-based curriculum that was published by National Geographic Books in partnership with AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate, food historians and leading foodways experts from historical sites across North America.  Created for students in the 4^th to 8^th grade, this guide shares the sweet story of chocolate's rich history with lesson plans for math, science, language arts and social studies. A digital free download of the guide can be found here:  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/pdf/chocolate-ed-guide.pdf

Educators will also receive product samples of AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate and a promotion code, which can be used to purchase additional books and resources on the First Book Marketplace, First Book's award-winning e-commerce site. First Book will distribute over 9,000 books as part of this program.

First Book and AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate will also share a free downloadable version of the Great Moments in World History: Global Stories Where Chocolate Sparked Discovery, Innovation, and Imagination! This activation is part of a larger partnership between AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate and First Book to distribute over 15,000 books to educators and schools and programs serving children in need this year. Earlier this year, AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate donated over 3,500 books through the First Book network on behalf of 18 historic site partners in North America.  The brand and First Book also plan to host a back-to-school "Reading Celebration" for local students in Henderson, NV, where AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate is made, in the fall of 2019.

About AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate:
The AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate brand was developed in 2006 by Mars Chocolate North America (now Mars Wrigley Confectionery) to help educate consumers about the history of our multi-cultural nation through the engaging story of one of our most beloved foods…chocolate!  With a flavor profile drawn directly from the archives of chocolate's historic past, AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate provides an artisanal, versatile way to eat, bake or drink a sweet taste of history. Rainforest Alliance Certified™ and made with no preservatives, AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate currently comes in four NEW unique formats: Tasting Squares, Tablet Bars, Grated Chocolate for baking/drinking and Gourmet Hot Cocoa. AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate is sold in over 200 fine gift shops at historic sites, museums and historic inns across the USA and Canada. The brand can also be found on Amazon.com, at M&M's World in New York City and Las Vegas, and at the Ethel M chocolate store in Henderson, Nevada.

Learn more about AMERICAN HERITAGE® Chocolate at www.Facebook.com/AmericanHeritageChocolate, on Instagram at @AmericanHeritageChocolate, Twitter @Choc_history, Tumblr @americanheritagechocolate.tumblr.com, and on Pinterest @Chochistory.

About Mars, Incorporated
Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

For more information about Mars, please visit www.mars.com. Join us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

About First Book
First Book believes education offers children in need the best path out of poverty. Through a sustainable, market-driven model, First Book breaks down barriers to quality education by making new, high-quality books and educational resources, including sports equipment, winter coats, snacks, and more, affordable to its member network of more than 400,000 registered educators who exclusively serve kids in need. Since 1992, First Book has distributed more learning materials than any other program of its kind: 175 million books and educational resources, worth more than $1.5 billion, reaching more than 5 million children annually.

First Book also expands the breadth and depth of the education field through a family of social enterprises, including First Book Research & Insights, its proprietary research initiative, and the FirstBook Accelerator, which brings best-in-class research to the classroom via relevant, usable educator resources.

Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at www.firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Mars Wrigley Confectionery

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