GoGo squeeZ Invites New York Families to Get Fueled, Get Active and Get "Giving" During Final Weekend of Summer Streets

NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GoGo squeeZ, the fun applesauce with an active attitude, is on a mission to help kids squeeze a bit of GoGo Time—simply good, active fun—into each and every day. As part of that mission, GoGo squeeZ teamed up with  the New York City Department of Transportation for the fourth annual Summer Streets event, held on Manhattan's Park Avenue, which is completely closed to vehicles and wide open for family fun. For the past two Saturdays, New York families have been turning up at the GoGo squeeZ Free Play Zone in Foley Square (the event's starting location near Worth, Centre and Lafayette Streets in downtown Manhattan) between 7:00 am and 1:00 pm to get their share of GoGo Time, while taking part in family-friendly activities and eco-friendly crafts.

Now, GoGo squeeZ is giving back to the New York community by donating 2,000 snack pouches to City Harvest, a leader in food collection and donation to New York's hungry. And to celebrate the final weekend of Summer Streets, GoGo squeeZ has pledged to donate an additional snack pouch for every Four Square check-in at their Free Play Zone this Saturday, August 20.

GoGo squeeZ is the first squeezable, re-sealable, all natural, 100% fruit applesauce snack for kids in the U.S. Packaged in convenient pouches with a built-in straw, GoGo squeeZ is gluten free, dairy free, and made with no refined sugar.  All five delicious flavors are Kosher-certified and provide 3/4 serving of fruit.  Available in flavors including AppleApple, AppleBanana, ApplePeach, AppleStrawberry and AppleCinnamon, GoGo squeeZ may be found at major retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $2.99 per four-pack.

This summer the GoGo squeeZ team is bringing their fun and active snack solution to families on the go.  The brand's Free Play Zone at Summer Streets delivers imaginative play to New York City along with its wholesome, no spoon=no mess snack.  GoGo squeeZ's Free Play Zone hosts organized games and activities, the Family Flipbook project, and the squeeZ More out of Life conversation wall, through which each participant will become an official member of the GoGo Gang, and help bring GoGo Time to others.  

By joining the GoGo Gang online (www.gogogang.com) or by attending Summer Streets, members will support a nationwide brigade of parents and kids that are dedicated to getting a daily dose of GoGo Time. When the GoGo Gang is 100,000 members strong, GoGo squeeZ will team up with national play partner  Action for Healthy Kids (www.actionforhealthykids.org) to renovate a playspace in an under-served community, making it easy and fun for children in the area to get their GoGo Time.  

Additionally, families who visit the Free Play Zone will have the chance to turn excess pre-consumer GoGo squeeZ packaging into new items like a change purse or decorative bow through GoGo squeeZ's partnership with upcycling and recycling pioneer TerraCycle®, Inc, which launched earlier this year.

By visiting the Free Play Zone this Saturday, families will not only enjoy simply good, active fun, but will also help GoGo squeeZ give back to the New York community through a product donation to City Harvest. For every virtual "check-in" via Four Square, GoGo squeeZ will donate an additional snack pouch to this leading organization in food rescue, ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to healthy food options.

"We are delighted to bring GoGo squeeZ and safe space for outdoor play to New York City through Summer Streets, as a part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the goals of Let's Move!," said Meena Mansharamani, Managing Director for Materne North America, in reference to the First Lady's initiative to promote healthier lifestyles among today's youth. "Our Free Play Zone allows families to enjoy healthier snacking with GoGo squeeZ, which lets kids enjoy the simplicity and goodness of childhood, while supporting a wonderful local cause through our product donation to City Harvest."

For more information on joining the GoGo Gang, visit www.materne.us, or visit the GoGo squeeZ Facebook page

About Materne's GoGo squeeZ

GoGo squeeZ all natural squeezable applesauce is simple, yummy fun, and it delights like a game of tag or a run through the sprinkler in the backyard. We believe in real fun foods that are easy, smart and fit into moms' busy lives, giving them the freedom to say "yes" more often when their kids want a treat. 

Since 1998, billions of Materne's innovative pouches have been sold to families around the world to enjoy for breakfast, in lunchboxes, on the run, during errands, at games and always with a smile. It's a happier way to get just a little bit healthier every day.

GoGo squeeZ is sold at Whole Foods, Costco, Walmart, Target, Publix and a growing list of other major retailers, and was recently featured on "Good Morning America", CHOW.com, and in Parents magazine as a top healthy snack for children. 

For more information, please visit: www.gogosqueez.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

About TerraCycle

TerraCycle, Inc. is an international upcycling and recycling company that takes difficult to recycle packaging and turns it into affordable, eco-friendly products. Founded in 2001, TerraCycle (www.terracycle.net) is the world's leader in the collection and reuse of non-recyclable post-consumer waste.

TerraCycle works with over thirty major brands in the U.S. (and in a growing number of other countries) to collect used packaging and products (chip bags, candy wrappers, juice pouches, pens, toothbrushes, etc.) that would otherwise be destined for landfills. It repurposes that waste into new eco-friendly materials and products that are available online and through major retailers.

The waste is collected through TerraCycle's Brigade programs, which are free fundraisers that pay schools and non-profits for every piece of waste they collect and return. For information on how to join a TerraCycle Brigade and on purchasing TerraCycle products please visit us at www.terracycle.net.

About Summer Streets

Established in 2008 by the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), Summer Streets takes valuable public space—the city's streets—and opens them up to people to play, walk, bike, and breathe. For three Saturdays in August, nearly seven miles of car-free streets in Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park provide space for healthy recreation and echo the goal of PlaNYC, Mayor Bloomberg's sustainability agenda, to engineer a greener, greater New York City by 2030. Each year Summer Streets features a diverse range of all-inclusive, free programming along the route – including picnic areas, outdoor fitness classes, musical performances and art exhibitions – designed to engage people and appeal to different types of interests. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/summerstreets.

SOURCE GoGo squeeZ