In Advance of Earth Day, Lance Bass Plants Hometown Garden, Kicks Off Birds Eye® and Environmental Media Association's "#Greenmyschool" Program

-The Program Pairs Celebrities with Schools to Create Sustainable Gardens and Teach the Importance of Plant-based Nutrition-

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Birds Eye Vegetables

Apr 21, 2016, 10:42 ET

PARSIPPANY, N.J., April 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Birds Eye® frozen vegetables announced today its partnership with Environmental Media Association's (EMA) "#Greenmyschool" celebrity gardens program with the first garden planted by Lance Bass with students from East Side Elementary School in Clinton, Mississippi.

Lance Bass plants a community garden in his hometown of Clinton, MS. Bass, Environmental Media Association and Birds Eye Vegetables are working to teach students about gardening and eating their veggies!

Working with Birds Eye Vegetables and Environmental Media Association, Lance Bass came home to Clinton, MS, to plant a community garden. Bass encouraged students from his former school to get involved with gardening and eat their veggies! Nine of 10 people in the US don't get the recommended daily allowance of vegetables. #GreenMySchool

Bass, a host/producer, author and culinary enthusiast, also sits on the Board of Directors of EMA. "The '#Greenmyschool' program is an innovative way to bring the importance of plant-based nutrition and agriculture to students around the country," said Bass. "The EMA School Gardens and Healthy Family Program is something I've been part of for the last 10 years and means so much to me. I'm thrilled to be helping to launch our inaugural national garden in my home town of Clinton, Mississippi."

Birds Eye, part of the portfolio of Pinnacle Foods, aims to instill the importance of plant-based nutrition for students and their families at the schools in which the gardens are created, and nationally through amplification of the program's educational mission.

Through the partnership with EMA, three celebrities per year will visit their hometowns, located around the country, and work with students to plant and cultivate a community garden. Students will learn the importance of plant-based nutrition, basics of agriculture and receive tips and information from the educators working with the program.

Birds Eye is uniquely positioned to raise the profile of the garden program as the number one brand in frozen vegetables with a constantly innovating portfolio of family-friendly meal and side options.

"Currently, nine out of ten Americans are not eating the recommended amount of vegetables," said Mike Barkley, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Pinnacle Foods. "We are seeing that through education of the variety, taste and ease of vegetables, we can really move the needle on vegetable consumption in the United States. That's why we are so excited to partner with EMA and further our mission of helping more people eat more vegetables every day."

EMA began the "#Greenmyschool" program in 2009 as a local, Los Angeles-based program, and has since built and maintained 17 gardens. With the support of Birds Eye, the program will now be expanded to have a true national presence and reach many more students.

"We are thrilled to partner with Birds Eye to grow our school garden program and ensure more children have the opportunity to interact with and access healthier foods," said Debbie Levin, president, Environmental Media Association. "The commitment of the brand, and their expertise in plant-based nutrition will deliver the highest-level programming to these very deserving students across the country, and we are honored to kick off this exciting partnership with our friend and longtime Board Member Lance Bass."

About Birds Eye
Birds Eye® unlocks the wonder of vegetables and makes them accessible and enjoyable to everyone, everyday. Using vegetables picked and frozen at their peak of freshness, Birds Eye® helps Americans make vegetables a meaningful part of everyday life. Providing a range of tasty and exciting solutions that make eating vegetables a memorable taste experience, Birds Eye® has something for everyone: with pure and simple vegetables under the Birds Eye®, C&W®, Freshlike® and McKenzie's® brand names; Birds Eye Steamfresh® vegetables and vegetable rich blends; and Birds Eye Voila!® complete frozen meals. For more information on Birds Eye® visit www.birdseye.com or www.facebook.com/BirdsEyeVegetables. Birds Eye® is a portfolio brand of Pinnacle Foods Inc.

About the Environmental Media Association
The Environmental Media Association (EMA) is a Non-Profit 501(c)3 Organization founded in 1989 by Cindy and Alan Horn and Lyn and Norman Lear. EMA is dedicated to harnessing the power of celebrity and the media to promote environmental issues, sustainability and innovation in the private sector. Recently, EMA has launched several new year-long programs, including #Greenmyschool (a national garden initiative), the EMA Healthy Family Seal (a third party certification for family driven consumer products) and the EMA Speaker Series. Every year EMA's mission of advocacy and change through celebrity and media gets a global platform at the iconic EMA Awards Gala. Averaging over a billion media impressions, the EMA Awards Gala has become the gold standard for the entertainment industry. Visit us at online at www.green4ema.org and www.facebook.com/EMAOnline, Instagram @green4ema and Twitter @green4ema.

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/BirdsEye-EMA-Clinton-B-Roll-Package-5min.mp4

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160421/358221

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SOURCE Birds Eye Vegetables