SUN-MAID® ANNOUNCES YEAR THREE OF BOARD OF IMAGINATION PROGRAM WITH NEW TWIST AND A TOP-SECRET PROJECT

Sun-Maid Continues the Success of its Board of Imagination with Submission Openings and a Call for Kids to Collaborate on the Ultimate Imaginative Mission

FRESNO, Calif., April 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun-Maid, the iconic and innovative dried fruit and snacks brand, is assembling a team of the sharpest, most imaginative and creative minds for a fun and fully top-secret mission. The brand is searching for the newest class to join the Sun-Maid Board of Imagination (BOI), a creative collective where kids ages 6-12 work directly with Sun-Maid executives to provide input and help make decisions about the company's innovations.

This year's BOI program has a new top secret twist, where members will have a major say in the creation of a potential new product for the Sun-Maid brand. Along with the opportunity of a lifetime, the six selected Sun-Maid "secret agents" will be rewarded a $5,000 scholarship and a $5,000 donation and year's worth of snack prizes for their school. Additionally, Sun-Maid will donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northeastern & Central California and Northern Nevada, for every application received, up to a total of $10,000. Should they choose to accept their mission, this year's selected secret agents will have the opportunity to have a hand in Sun-Maid's future snack innovations as well as the brand's imaginative initiatives. The BOI is as much about having fun as it is about having an impact. Members will collaborate with Sun-Maid executives to make daydreams a reality.

"We believe imagination is our greatest asset, but sometimes creativity can get pushed aside during the day-to-day activities, especially when it comes to business," said Steve Loftus, President, Chief Operating Officer and "Imaginative Enterprise Officer" at Sun-Maid Growers of California. "We know that if we want to continue innovating and thinking outside the little red box, we need to call on the top creative thinkers in the world – kids! We've seen tremendous success with our previous years of Board of Imagination and are excited to continue the momentum with our third year."

Since its creation in 2021, Sun-Maid's BOI has provided once-in-a-lifetime experiences for its members and raised thousands of dollars for children's charities. Most notably, previous BOI members have worked with YouTube sensation MrBeast's philanthropy channel to help donate over $200,000 of snacks and school supplies. The board also oversaw Sun-Maid's Doodle Challenge – an art-focused competition where the BOI selected three kids' doodles to be featured on Sun-Maid's packaging and chose Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation as the recipient of a $50,000 donation. Further to its charitable efforts, the most recent board members helped gather data for Sun-Maid's State of Imagination Report, which offered a glimpse into how kids across the country view the importance of imagination. In fact, 68% of respondents shared that they wished they had more time for imagination throughout the day - further underscoring the inspiration behind the BOI program.

"Whether at in-person events or in our 'board meetings,' getting to interact with our Board of Imagination members has easily become one of my favorite parts of the job," said Fernando Herrera, Vice President of Marketing and "VP of Imaginarium". "Hearing their imaginative ideas and unfiltered feedback to our innovations has not only had a great impact on the company but has helped spark the imagination of our own team members. We could not be more proud to continue this innovative program and offer once-in-a-lifetime experience to more kids."

To be considered for Sun-Maid's BOI, parents/guardians can nominate kids ages 6-12 for one of five open seats. Families are asked to fill out a short questionnaire to apply. After a round of applications, Sun-Maid will narrow the field to finalists, who will submit video applications in May. The top 15 potential agents will rely on a public vote through the Sun-Maid website in June to secure an official position on the board, and will be named in July. Five members will be selected from the nationwide search with the sixth member being chosen from a Sun-Maid employee's family.

For more information about Sun-Maid's Board of Imagination or for any ingenious minds who want to apply now through April 28 visit https://www.sunmaid.com/boardofimagination/.

About Sun-Maid Growers of California

Founded in 1912, Sun-Maid Growers of California is a farmer's cooperative of over 500 grower families with vineyards in California's Central Valley. From childhood to adulthood and generation to generation, Sun-Maid's innovative snacks continue to feed imaginations one little red box at a time--because when imagination is used for good, there's nothing more delicious! And while some things change, our real, minimally processed and consistently good ingredients haven't. Always starting with a whole fruit you can see and taste, Sun-Maid continues to offer a trusted go-to snack that's simple, wholesome and versatile--imagine that! For more information about Sun-Maid visit www.sunmaid.com and follow the brand on social media including TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.

SOURCE Sun-Maid