Company : Hy-Vee, Inc.
Program category : 2021 Youth

Origins:

Since 2015, Hy-Vee KidsFit has encouraged kids to eat well and stay physically active through providing a free, online personal trainer and nutritional programming for children, teens and families. KidsFit provides structure and education for all ages and abilities and requires no equipment or gym space. The dedicated KidsFit app provides kids and families with a platform to stay connected and record their progress along the way. Through a series of fun and educational mini games—plus access to a library of simple exercise videos—players test their skills to advance to new and exciting levels. 

KidsFit also offers special programs throughout the year. In May 2021, the Hy-Vee KidsFit team hosted its first-ever virtual Exercising Your Character event where students engaged in physical activity and heard from motivational speakers. In late summer 2021, Hy-Vee launched the KidsFit School Wellness Club, enabling kids to pursue healthy lifestyles throughout the school year. The Club provides lesson plans, activities, resources, and giveaways, as well as the chance to earn prizes by participating in challenges.

In early August 2021, a series of virtual events focused on kids’ health launched to teach children how to prepare healthy snacks and learn more about nutrition and kitchen skills. Earlier in the summer, parents could sign up to receive a “Summer of Fun” Box filled with Hy-Vee dietitian-approved snacks, a bookmark for reading challenges, exclusive coupons, KidsFit giveaways, and a summer activity book with monthly themed challenges that encourage healthy lifestyles throughout the summer.

Contribution:

KidsFit was developed internally in 2015 by certified personal trainer and youth fitness specialist, Daira Driftmier, with nutritional support from the Hy-Vee dietitian team. In addition to ongoing content and activities, there are often special offerings developed throughout the year. In April 2021, the team visited a school in Altoona, Iowa, to celebrate their Hy-Vee KidsFit Squat Challenge win.

To teach students about food insecurity and the importance of eating a healthy breakfast, 3,600 boxes of cereal donated by General Mills were lined up and tipped over to create a domino effect. Each student took home a box of cereal and remaining boxes were donated to a food pantry.  

In about 200 stores, Hy-Vee partnered with Honeybear Brands to feature their Pazazz™ apples in Hy-Vee’s produce section, where KidsFit comes to life offline through in-store signage and helps shoppers take advantage of the program and healthy eating tips.

Objectives:

Hy-Vee KidsFit’s objective is to promote health and wellness among Hy-Vee’s youngest customers and find ways to keep them moving and eating well. The program is designed to teach kids how to properly exercise and how to incorporate a balanced diet in their daily lives. Additionally, the program was created to provide families with healthy recipes, nutrition tips, and snacks developed by Hy-Vee registered dietitians.

Impact:

Since its inception, more than 404,000 kids have participated in the program in some form, whether by signing up for the KidsFit Club, participating in Exercising Your Character or any number of activities that take place throughout the year. The KidsFit Club membership has increased 271% over the last year and currently has 75,000 members throughout Hy-Vee’s eight state region.

The videos and virtual events hosted by Hy-Vee dietitians and KidsFit to teach children how to prepare healthy snacks and kitchen skills has received more than 9 million views to date.

In 2021, a record-breaking 24,000 students participated in the virtual Exercising Your Character event held in May. Even before the creation of KidsFit, Hy-Vee was focused on children’s health, and has been proudly sponsoring the Exercising Your Character event since 2007 in cooperation with the Robert D. and Billie Ray Center at Drake University.

The KidsFit School Wellness Club registered 950 teachers and 648 schools this year. The “Summer of Fun” box was highly successful – more than 32,000 families signed up to receive boxes earlier this year. Those families were distributed more than 73,000 boxes for their kids, and another 2,000 boxes were donated to non-profit organizations in Hy-Vee communities.

Quote:

“At Hy-Vee our mission is to make lives easier, healthier and happier. The Hy-Vee KidsFit program is one unique way we live out that mission, providing a focus on health and wellness for our youngest customers and their parents. We know that healthy lifestyles begin at a young age and we are excited to support kids and families in this fun and engaging way.”
--Randy Edeker, Hy-Vee Chairman, CEO and President 

“The combination of online learning, decreased activity that comes with cold weather, and shelter in place restrictions due to COVID-19 are taking their toll on families, especially kids. We know physical activity is not only good for the body, but also the mind and mood. Add healthy food choices, like Pazazz apples that help protect your brain, aid weight loss, stimulate good gut bacteria and promote bone health, and you have a winning equation,” said Don Roper, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Honeybear Brands.

Support Statement:

“The combination of online learning, decreased activity that comes with cold weather, and shelter in place restrictions due to COVID-19 are taking their toll on families, especially kids. We know physical activity is not only good for the body, but also the mind and mood. Add healthy food choices, like Pazazz apples that help protect your brain, aid weight loss, stimulate good gut bacteria and promote bone health, and you have a winning equation,” said Don Roper, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Honeybear Brands.