What is the Love Your Veggies™ campaign?
Love Your Veggies™ is a campaign from the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings developed to help parents and educators inspire children to love their vegetables through cooking, education and entertainment. It was inspired by a 2006 study of two Northern California elementary schools conducted by the University of California Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and the Butte County Cooperative Extension that found children consumed more vegetables when paired with a moderate amount of ranch dressing.

Who are the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings?
The makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings offer the only Original Ranch® dressing. Visit www.HiddenValley.com to learn more.

How can I contact Love Your Veggies™ with questions or comments?
Please send us your questions or comments using our online submission form. We would love to hear from you.

Love Your Veggies™ School Grant Program

What is the Love Your Veggies™ school grant program?
The Love Your Veggies™ school grant program is an initiative sponsored by the makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings that will provide $10,000 grants to 10 elementary schools nationwide in the spring of the 2009-10 school year to support increased access to, and consumption of, fresh vegetables and fruits during school meals. The makers of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings have partnered with the School Nutrition Foundation on this important endeavor.

How can my school apply for the grant?
The deadline for this year’s application has now passed. We encourage schools to check LoveYourVeggies.com periodically and to keep their eyes and ears open for future Love Your Veggies™ campaign programs.

When will I learn whether my school will receive a Love Your Veggies™ grant?
Schools will be notified of their award status soon after Feb. 1, 2010, with a target date of no later than Feb. 15, 2010. A public announcement of all ten winners will be made in April 2010. Please do not contact us for updates about whether your school has won prior to February 15 because we will not be able to provide any information until all decisions have been announced.

Why was the Love Your Veggies™ school grant program created?
The Love Your Veggies™ school grant program was created after a study conducted by the University of California Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program and the Butte County (California) Cooperative Extension found that children consumed more vegetables when paired with a moderate amount of ranch dressing. It was also created as a way to help schools comply with the 2004 Child Nutrition Reauthorization Act which required school districts to adopt local school wellness policies to support nutrition and physical activity programs designed to help strengthen and improve overall student health.

How are the 2009-10 grant recipients required to spend their $10,000 grants?
Funding must be spent on any of the following:

• Fresh produce (vegetables and fruits)
• A vegetable station (such as a dedicated salad bar)
• Kitchen equipment (primary usage must relate to proposed program)
• Program staffing (cafeteria personnel, lunchroom staff, etc.)
• Nutrition education supplies
• Food Safety Training

What are the criteria for applying?
The following criteria are required for the 2009-2010 school grant program:

• School must have an approved Local Wellness Policy in place as of July 1, 2006.

• School must be an elementary school serving children within grades K-6.  Schools may serve additional grades.

• School representative must fully and accurately complete the Love Your Veggies™ online application, found at www.LoveYourVeggies.com.

• Schools must have approval from principal, school foodservice/nutrition director and district contact (superintendent or communications director).

Who selects the grant winners?
Applications for the Love Your Veggies™ grant program will be evaluated by a panel of judges comprised of representatives of Hidden Valley® and the School Nutrition Foundation.

Are schools required to use Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings in their cafeterias as part of the program?
No. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Purchase of Hidden Valley® Salad Dressings and products are not required to apply, receive or keep a grant award and a purchase will not increase your chances of begin selected to receive a grant.

Veggie Adventures Online Game

What is Veggie Adventures?
Veggie Adventures is an online game designed to engage parents and kids and encourage veggie consumption. Found at LoveYourVeggies.com, the three-part vegetable adventure follows a vegetable's life from the plant to the plate, starting  at the beginning by growing vegetables on the farm and ending with serving and sharing them with friends.

How do I start playing?
You can find the game on the Activities page LoveYourVeggies.com. Once you have gone to the Veggie Adventures “Welcome!” screen you can enter your player name and begin a new game. If you have played before and have not cleared your computer’s cookies, the game will remember you and you can also choose a saved game. Once you enter the “General Store,” you can then begin your Veggie Adventure.

Where can I find comprehensive instructions?
Each stage of the game, “At the Farm,” “On the Road” and “In the Kitchen” has a unique set of instructions. Click on each stage to begin and you will then visit an introductory instruction page before playing each stage.

How do I unlock “On the Road” and “In the Kitchen”?
To unlock “On the Road,” you must first successfully complete “At the Farm.” Similarly, to unlock “In the Kitchen,” you must first successfully complete “On the Road.”

Are the games interconnected?
Yes! You grow the vegetables “At the Farm,” transport the same vegetables “On the Road” and serve them to other children “In the Kitchen.” Therefore, to serve the most vegetables during the last game stage, you must grow as many vegetables as possible and transport them safely. If the critters eat most of your vegetables “At the Farm” there will not be many left for your friends “In the Kitchen.”

I have played the game before using this computer, but I cannot retrieve a saved game. Why not?
Your computer’s cookies have most likely been erased since your last game. Please begin a new game.