A continuation of Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia’s commitment to addressing access to healthy food and nutrition education for the Atlanta community, Anthem and iHeartMedia joined national nonprofit Common Threads for a week of programming at College Park Elementary School.

Funded by Anthem and iHeartIMPACT, a division of iHeartMedia focusing on aligning brands with nonprofit organizations, the Common Threads initiatives at College Park Elementary will provide students, families, and staff at the school with cooking and nutrition education designed to encourage lifelong healthy habits.

Thursday’s Student Showcase event was the culmination of the Small Bites series of interactive nutrition and culinary programming, highlighted by a student-led cooking demonstration to show off the skills they learned throughout the week.

Attendees included Robert Bunch, President, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia, Spencer Bynes, iHeartMedia Metro President Atlanta, and Stephanie Folkens, Common Threads Vice President of Programming. Parents, teachers, and Anthem associate volunteers joined to support the students and the partnership.

Common Threads and Anthem programs include:

- Small Bites – A healthy snacks hands-on Common Threads program that helps students connect core academic subjects such as science, math, and language arts to food and nutrition.

- Student Showcase – Students use the skills they learned from Common Threads chefs and instructors to prepare their favorite recipes for their parents, teachers, and volunteers to enjoy.

- Food Distribution – Families who need additional food resources were provided with a complimentary bag of produce and nonperishables, as part of the school’s Food Pantry program funded by Anthem. The pantry was built in 2022 by Anthem associate volunteers who continue to assist the school with stocking and distribution every month.

- Manners Matter Field Trip - Students visited local restaurant, Virgil’s Gullah Kitchen in Midtown where Common Threads instructors facilitated an interactive experience focused on learning restaurant dining etiquette.

Members of the Atlanta Dream organization, including assistant athletic trainer Katie Buria, were also on hand to provide fitness activities for the kids and families.

“Supporting the community is central to iHeartMedia’s mission across the country, and especially here in Atlanta,” said Spencer Bynes, iHeartMedia Market President, Atlanta. “We feel grateful to have the opportunity to continue supporting the students and families of College Park Elementary School, and we’re proud to stand alongside organizations like Common Threads and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia to make such powerful community impact around healthy eating, food, and nutrition possible.”

Globally, one of every five deaths is attributable to a suboptimal diet, while diets rich in fruits and vegetables can significantly lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Students with a healthy, balanced diet are more likely to have stronger immune systems, lower risk of diabetes and heart disease, and live longer. A healthy diet can boost brain function and improve mood to make learning optimal.

"At Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, we take great pride in developing partnerships that focus on improving lives and communities, particularly those that address food insecurity for children and families," said Robert Bunch, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia. "Working with Common Threads and iHeartMedia to teach students how to improve their nutritional options builds healthy lifestyles that lead to healthier communities."

“Common Threads embodies food as medicine. We integrate healthy eating into schools and communities by taking an innovative approach to culturally responsive cooking and nutrition education because cooking is a joyful way to improve our relationships with food no matter what age we are,” said Common Threads Executive Director Linda Novick O’Keefe. “We understand that knowledge is power, and it creates a sense of ownership and capability to improve and sustain good health leading to life-long benefits. We are grateful to partner with Anthem, iHeartIMPACT, and College Park to provide our programs to Atlanta students, families, and teachers.”

Common Threads’ cooking and nutrition education curriculum teaches students the tools to identify and cook with affordable and healthy ingredients, increase their vegetable, fruit, whole grain, and lean protein intake, and lower their sugar intake. The curriculum embeds experiential learning, culinary medicine, culturally responsive recipes, and teaching practices to effectively increase students’ knowledge and skills to prepare nutritious meals at home that will improve their physical and mental health outcomes.