The Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) will launch its spring RISE campaign this month. The campaign is designed to highlight the role that bread and grains play in providing the energy consumers need to rise to any and all occasions. The program will come to life through a variety of channels, including a national media relations outreach, print and online advertisements, a custom video series, a grains-focused school curriculum and ongoing social engagement. We are also pleased to announce that soccer star, Olympian and mom, Mia Hamm, will serve as campaign spokesperson.

As some of you may have already seen, our RISE print ads launched in the April issue of Fitness magazine, which hit newsstands during the middle of March. Fitness is an influential women’s health and nutrition publication, reaching an audience of more than 6.4 million nationwide, many of whom are influencers in the sports nutrition community. GFF’s print ads will also appear in the May, June/July and August issues of the publication to provide ongoing support throughout the three-month duration of the campaign. 

As part of GFF’s relationship with Fitness magazine, we also had the wonderful opportunity to produce a series of videos with members of the GFF scientific advisory board and Fitness’ executive editor, Pam O’Brien. These one- to three-minute videos highlight the various health benefits of bread and grains, incorporating key messages around weight management, celiac disease and the importance of enriched grains.  The videos will be featured on gowiththegrain.org and distributed via social media channels throughout the duration of the campaign.

Our school curriculum, targeted to educators in grades 3-6, when most eating habits are formed, is designed to reach our influencers in the classroom and moms at home, with several take-home activities. 

The school program consists of a comprehensive tool kit for teachers, including a four-color poster guide, classroom activity sheets, a classroom poster, and white board activity, all of which highlight the health benefits of bread and grains in a fun and informative manner. The teacher kit will be mailed to approximately 10,000 schools in 16 key GFF member markets, and will also live on gowiththegrain.org to drive additional downloads. 

Last but certainly not least, our RISE spokesperson, Mia Hamm, is widely recognized as one of the world’s top athletes. She is the youngest player to play on the USA’s National Soccer Team and has won two Olympic gold medals and two World Championships. With such an accomplished athletic background, and as the mother of three children, Hamm is the perfect choice to speak to the importance of including bread and grains as part of an active and healthy lifestyle. She will appear in national media relations and social outreach programs, and will join GFF at a Fitness magazine blogger event in early May. 

The Grain Foods Foundation is excited to share RISE with the industry, and we hope you will join us in support of the campaign.