A huge thank you to all of the sponsors, supporters and volunteers that made the Lam Research Heart and Soles Run to reach its 2014 – 2016 goals for the salad bars for local schools program!  Generating over $400,000, this program funded 195 salad bars that are now in local schools.

“Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools” is an initiative of the Food Family Farming Foundation, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, United Fresh Produce Association Foundation and Whole Foods Markets to support First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative. 

Supporting Healthier School Lunches

When  school children eat better, they learn better. That’s why the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation and the Santa Clara County Office of Education have teamed up to produce the Lam Research Heart  & Soles 5K event.

Salad bars in our Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz County K-12 schools introduced children to healthy eating habits, help reduce obesity and promote overall health that will make them better learners.

The driving force of Silicon Valley success is creative minds, great skills and an entrepreneurial spirit. We can promote and support these attributes in our school children by helping them get access to great food in their schools.

Thank you for your interest in our event. Your participation WILL make a difference.

Happy Running!

Carl Guardino
Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation

Jon R. Gundry
Santa Clara County Office of Education

2014 – 2016 Beneficiaries and Successes

Studies show that kids who eat healthy meals are better learners. That’s the reason for our race: to introduce salad bars into Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz County K-12 schools that want them.   “Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools” is an initiative of the Food Family Farming Foundation, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, United Fresh Produce Association Foundation and Whole Foods Markets to support First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative.  Downloadable PDF fact sheet

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation in partnership with Santa Clara County Office of Education are producing the Lam Research Heart & Soles 5K because they know that our region’s young people need all the advantages possible to be successful learners.

Each salad bar station costs $3,100, so it’s easy for participants in the Heart & Soles 5K fun run to make a BIG IMPACT quickly on our local schools.

School salad bars are a proven, effective strategy to increase kids’ fruit and vegetable consumption and help them develop healthier eating habits. New nutrition standards double the amount of fruits and vegetables served in school lunches–and salad bars are the easiest way for schools to comply.

Another outcome for increasing children’s intake of fruits and veggies is that it will help address the childhood obesity epidemic.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have found that:

  • There’s a 15% reduction in school absence when kids eat nutritious lunches.
  • 32 million children eat at school every day.
  • In the last 30 years, the percentage of overweight or obese children in America has TRIPLED!
  • Poor nutrition and physical inactivity may soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of death in the U.S.
  • If current trends continue, 103 million American adults will be considered obese by 2018.

The Lam Research Heart & Soles 5K event to bring salad bars to schools in the Silicon Valley and Santa Cruz County is part of national and state efforts: Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools and Team California for Healthy Kids.

The Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation partnered with Lam Research in 2014 to launch the Heart & Soles 5-K, which funds salad bars in Silicon Valley schools. The “Year One Goal” was to raise enough revenue to provide Salad Bars for 30 K-12 schools. Thanks to the generosity of more than 30 Silicon Valley Leadership Group member companies, and the participation of nearly 1,000 people in the Inaugural Heart & Soles 5K, that goal was nearly doubled. The Foundation was able to provide 56 salad bars to 53 public schools in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and Alameda counties.

The 2nd Annual Hearts & Soles 5K took place on February 7, 2015.  With the dedication of member companies and community partners, as well as our nearly 1600 registered race participants, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation was able to raise enough funds to purchase an additional 66 salad bars in 2015.

The 3rd Annual Heart & Soles 5K occurred on March 12, 2016. With the support of member companies and community partners, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation achieved its ambitious goal and placed 73 salad bars in Silicon Valley schools.

Over this three year effort, the Foundation has provided a total of 195 salad bars serving over 145,000 students, most in underserved schools in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

 What is the cost of a salad bar?

A salad bar, with shipping, costs $3100.

Who are the Primary Partners?

The primary partners are the San José Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce, South Bay Labor Council, Santa Clara County Office of Education, and member companies Lam Research and The Health Trust.

Which schools in Silicon Valley received salad bars through the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation?

The following schools (listed by district) received salad bars through funds raised by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation in 2013-2014:

Cambrian School District

Bagby Elementary School

Fammatre Charter School

Farnham Charter School

Price Middle School

Sartorette Charter School

Franklin-McKinley Unified School District

Dahl Elementary School

Hellyer Elementary School

Jeanne Meadows Elementary School

Kennedy Elementary School

McKinley Elementary School

Santee Elementary School

Sylvandale Jr. High School

Windmill Springs Elementary School

2 Additional School Sites TBA

Fremont Unified School District

American High School

Centerville Jr. High School

Hopkins Jr. High School

Irvington High School

Kennedy High School

Mission High School

Robertson High School

Thornton Jr. High School

Walters Jr. High School

Washington High School

Gilroy Unified School District

Solorsano Middle School (2 salad bars)

South Valley Middle School

Los Gatos Union School District

Blossom Hill Elementary School

Daves Avenue Elementary School

Lexington Elementary School

Van Meter Elementary School

Moreland School District

Latimer Elementary School

New Haven Unified School District

Alvarado Middle School School

Oak Grove Unified School District

Anderson Elementary School

Baldwin Elementary School

Bernal Intermediate School (2 salad bars)

Christopher Elementary School

Davis Intermediate School

Del Roble Elementary School

Edenvale Elementary School

Frost Elementary School

Glider Elementary School

Hayes Elementary School

Herman Intermediate School (2 salad bars)

Ledesma Elementary School

Miner Elementary School

Oak Ridge Elementary School

Parkview Elementary School

Stipe Elementary School

Saratoga Union School District

Argonaut Elementary School

Foothill Elementary School

Saratoga Elementary School

Soquel Union Elementary School District

New Brighton Middle School

The following schools (listed by district) received salad bars through funds raised by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation in 2014-2015:

Alum Rock Union Elementary School District

Aptitud Community Academy at Goss

Arbuckle Elementary School

Cassell Elementary School

Chavez Elementary School

Cureton Elementary School

Dorsa Elementary School

Fischer Elementary School

George Middle School

Hubbard Elementary School

Linda Vista Elementary School

Learning in an Urban Community with High Achievement Elementary School

Mathson Middle School

McCollam Elementary School

McEntee Academy

Ocala Middle School

Painter Elementary School

Renaissance Academy at Fischer

Renaissance Academy at Mathson

Russo Academy

Ryan Elementary School

San Antonio Elementary School

Sheppard Middle School

Castro Valley Unified School District

Castro Valley Elementary School

Chabot Elementary School

Independent Elementary School

Marshall Elementary School

Palomares Elementary School

Proctor Elementary School

Stanton Elementary School

Vannoy Elementary School

Jensen Ranch Elementary School

Canyon Middle School

Creekside Middle School

Castro Valley High School

Redwood Alternative High School

Dublin Unified School District

Amador Elementary

East Side Union High School District

Andrew Hill High School

Evergreen High School

Independence High School

James Lick High School

Calero High School

Foothill High School

Mount Pleasant High School

Oak Grove High School

Piedmont Hills High School

Santa Teresa High School

Silver Creek High School

WC Overfelt High School

Yerba Buena High School

Livermore Valley Joint Unified Schools

East Avenue Middle School

Mendenhall Middle School

Grenada High School

Livermore High School

New Haven Unified School District

Alvarado Middle School

James Logan High School

Cesar Chavez Middle School

Oak Grove Unified School District

Taylor Elementary School

Santa Teresa Elementary School

Sakamoto Elementary School

Pajaro Valley Unified School District

Rio de Mar Elementary School

Starlight Elementary School

San Lorenzo Valley Unified School District

Boulder Creek Elementary School

Santa Cruz City Schools

De laveaga Elementary School

Gault Elementary School

Bay View Elementary School

Union School District

Dartmouth Middle School

Lietz Elementary School

Noddin Elementary School

The following schools (listed by district) received salad bars through funds raised by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation in 2015-2016:

Alameda Unified School District

Academy of Alameda

Encinal High School

Wood Middle School

Lincoln Middle School

Alameda High School

Ruby Bridges Elementary School

Bay Farm Elementary School

Earhart Elementary School

Haight Elementary School

Maya Lin Elementary School

Edison Elementary School

Franklin Elementary School

Lum Elementary School

Cambrian School District

Steindorf Elementary School

Evergreen School District

Cadwallader Elementary School

Cedar Grove Elementary School

Chaboya Middle School

Carolyn Clark Elementary School

Dove Hill Elementary School

Evergreen Elementary School

Holly Oak Elementary School

Laurelwood Elementary School

Matsumoto Elementary School

Millbrook Elementary School

J.J. Montgomery Elementary School

Norwood Creek Elementary School

Silver Oak Elementary School

Katherine Smith Elementary School

James Franklin Smith Elementary School

Quimby Oak Middle School

Morgan Hill Unified School District

Barrett Elementary School

El Toro Elementary School

Jackson Academy of Math and Music

Los Pasoes Elementary School

Nordstrom Elementary School

Paradise Valley Elementary School

San Martin/Gwinn Elementary School

PA Walsh Elementary School

Britton Middle School

Martin Murphy Middle School

Live Oak High School

Ann Sobrato High School

Central Continuation High School

Community Adult School

Mountain View Whisman School District

Benjamin Bubb Elementary School

Edith Landels Elementary School

Frank L. Huff Elementary School

Gabriala Mistral Elementary School

Mariano Castro Elementary School

Monta Loama Elementary School

Stevenson Elementary School

Theuerkauf Elementary School

Pajaro Valley Unified School District

Amesti Elementary School

Calabasas Elementary School

HA Hyde Elementary School

Hall District Elementary School

Landmark Elementary School

MacQuiddy Elementary School

Mintie White Elementary School

Rio del Mar Elementary School

Valencia Elementary School

San Jose Unified School District

John Muir Middle School

Burnett Middle School

Allen at Steinbeck Elementary School

Hoover Middle School

Bret Harte Middle School

Lincoln High School

Santa Rita Union School District

Bolsa Knolls Middle School

Gavilan View Middle School

La Joya Elementary School

McKinnon Elementary School

New Republic Elementary School

Santa Rita Elementary School