Sun-Maid® Seats Six Kids as Board Members on Inaugural 'Board of Imagination'

FRESNO, Calif., April 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Get ready for pure imagination. After a nationwide search for kids to be part of the first-ever Board of Imagination – Sun-Maid – the iconic raisin brand that innovates and applies imagination every day – is announcing the six kids who will be a part of its focus and decision-making group. Five kids are named from an open call to and vote from the public, which yielded more than 20,000 votes and the sixth board member comes after an internal search from kids of Sun-Maid manufacturing employees.

Together, the six kids will join Sun-Maid executives in a series of board meetings over the next several months – its first to take place in a few weeks. The kids will influence and provide feedback for Sun-Maid's snacking innovations, while learning about the brand and acting as Sun-Maid ambassadors to their schools. As part of their "stipend," each board member will receive $5,000 for themselves in the form of a 529 donation, and $5,000 to go to their school. The kids' schools will also enjoy a year's supply of Sun-Maid snacks, which will be delivered during the 2021-2022 school year.

Video submissions for each finalist showcased the kids' answers to imaginative challenges about inventing a new Sun-Maid raisin snack or using Sun-Maid's little red raisin box. The six kid board members – along with their direct responses to the application – are:

• Ayla C., age 10 from Hilton Head Island, S.C., answering about inventing a Sun-Maid snack – "So maybe fruit gummies or something? …It would help with the fruit line Sun-Maid has been making lately. Along with that it would be really healthy and appealing for kids my age or younger."
• Lukas C., age 9 from Waco, Texas, answering about a creative way to use the raisin box – "I would probably do… I would make it all into like a little arena but since I love playing golf, I would make a mini golf course for bugs, inside of the box."
• Presley C., age 11 from Eola, Pa., responding to a Sun-Maid snack/invention – "I really like dried mangoes so maybe we could make it a bit smaller because sometimes it's too hard to chew when it's longer and if we made it smaller more kids would like it. We could put it in a little container with a chocolate sauce so you can dip it in that and make it even tastier so more kids would like it."
• Ruby D., age 8 from Gwin, Mich., Sharing an idea to be creative with the raisin box – "You could cut it out and then you when you squish it down, it kinda looks like an X so you can have a map and then it will be X marks the spot, or you can make a parachute thing-gy."
• Samuel L., age 9 from Chicago, Ill., describing a new Sun-Maid snack – "I think that it should be a peanut butter ball with raisins inside so that there's raisins for sweetness and peanut butter for energy so you can have a healthy snack, and then play outside!"
• Tristan G., age 8 from Parlier, Calif., sharing his idea for a Sun-Maid snack – "I think Sun-Maid's new snack should be the sandwich of sweetness – you take two marshmallows and then you squish them real hard, and then you get a raisin and you put it in the middle... Then boom you've got the sandwich of sweetness!"

"These six kids represent the purest form of imagination – they have big ideas, a lot of energy and open minds – all extremely important to Sun-Maid as we continue to innovate in the snacking category," said Harry Overly, President & CEO – and newly-named "Chief Imagination Wrangler" of Sun-Maid Growers of California. "We have a jam-packed agenda for our first official – and virtual – board meeting; and plans to take the kids' ideas and bring them to life. We can't wait for the collaboration and fun that the Board of Imagination promises to deliver."

On the agenda for the first meeting are top-secret briefings for the newest Sun-Maid flavors, and an official declaration for the company's first "Imagination Day," which will take place on April 30. On that day, Sun-Maid will encourage staff to take part in activities that will enrich their thinking and enhance their creativity. The Board of Imagination will supply the inspiration for the day.

For more information about Sun-Maid snacks or its commitment to imagination, visit www.sunmaid.com/imaginethat. Also on the website, consumers can use the product locator to find the brand's whole fruit snacks in a store nearest them, or visit the Sun-Maid Market to purchase snacks. For more updates on the brand and its products, follow Sun-Maid on Facebook (facebook.com/sunmaid) Twitter (@Sun_Maid) and Instagram (@SunMaid). 

About Sun-Maid Growers of California
Founded in 1912, Sun-Maid Growers of California is a farmers' cooperative of 750 grower families with vineyards in California's Central Valley. From childhood to adulthood and generation to generation, Sun-Maid snacks have grown up with you. And while some things change, our ingredients haven't—they're real, minimally processed and consistently good. The timeless and trusted go-to snack that's simple, healthy and versatile, Sun-Maid fills each day with moments of sunshine, one little red box at a time.  For more information about Sun-Maid, visit www.sunmaid.com.

SOURCE Sun-Maid

Related Links

https://www.sunmaid.com/imaginethat/