Jared Fogle, Subway spokesperson, has joined the Jewish Community Centers of North America’s (JCCA) movement to fight childhood obesity.
Fogle, who founded The Jared Foundation in 2004 to help promote lifelong healthy diet and exercise habits in children, visited the JCC of Greater Boston to announce the partnership, which will help expand the JCCA Discover: Coordinated Approach to Children’s Health (CATCH) early childhood program, aimed at preventing childhood obesity.
“CATCH is a great fit for the Jared Foundation,” Fogle said in a news release. “With our combined missions and resources, we feel we can really make a difference in helping kids lead healthier, happier lives.”
The CATCH program promotes a range of healthy activities that call to action not only children but teachers, families and the community to build children’s fitness, strength and self-esteem. CATCH targets multiple aspects of the school environment and involves classroom and physical education teachers, food service staff, students’ families and the broader school community in a range of health-promoting activities for children.
“Our goal is to implement this effective program in every school in the United States and turn the tide on child obesity,” Steven Kelder, co-director of the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, said in a news release.
The program integrates Jewish values into the program’s fitness and nutrition education activities and emphasizes movement, fun, group games, and gym and outdoor activities designed to incorporate 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity into each school day.