Free The Children and Freshii Launch Initiative to Build School Kitchens and Vegetable Gardens in Developing Communities Overseas

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Nov. 29, 2013) - Today, Freshii, an international healthy restaurant chain, and Free The Children, an international charity and educational partner, announced a partnership to help nourish and energize students in developing communities overseas by creating school kitchens and vegetable gardens to provide healthy meals to students every day.

Every year, 66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world, with 23 million in Africa alone*. Together, Freshii and Free The Children hope to make a difference with the launch of the $5 limited edition, reusable "green bowls". Available at select Freshii locations around the world, proceeds from the "green bowls" will go towards building school kitchens and vegetable gardens in overseas communities where Free The Children works. Each kitchen and garden built will provide approximately 97,5000 nutritious lunches to students every year, so they can concentrate on learning - not hunger.

"This past July, I travelled to Kenya with Free The Children and saw firsthand the difference that access to safe, healthy food can make," said Matthew Corrin, Founder and CEO of Freshii. "While there, I had the chance to meet two Maasai Warriors; Wilson and Jackson, whose personal experiences opened my eyes to the obstacles faced by students in these communities. When students have enough to eat, they have a real opportunity to learn, and create a brighter future for themselves, their families and their entire communities. Now making a difference is as simple as buying your lunch. For every "green bowl" sold, a student overseas will gain access to a daily meal made from local, fresh ingredients."

"Hunger is a serious issue facing millions of children in the developing world, but it's also something that together, we can help change," said Marc Kielburger, co-founder of Free The Children. "Creating a kitchen and garden at a school means students can spend time learning, instead of hunting or farming. With the support of Freshii, these facilities will provide hundreds of young people with healthy, nutritious lunches each day, and create a sustainable, dependable source of food for the entire community."

Freshii's commitment to ending hunger will begin in a Free The Children Adopt a Village community in Kenya, with the goal of eventually reaching students in communities around the world.

To celebrate the "green bowl" initiative, Maasai Warriors Wilson Meikuaya and Jackson Ntirkana, will join Matthew Corrin, friends and supporters in "fun run" events on Yonge Street in Toronto (November 29, 2013) and Michigan Avenue in Chicago (December 4, 2013). Following the run, to help kick-start the initiative 50 Freshii customers will have the chance to collect a free, limited edition, reusable "green bowl" at a specified Freshii location from Marc Kielburger or the runners. Customers who purchase a "green bowl" at Freshii locations will have access to exclusive freebies and offers.

*World Food Programme

Visit select Freshii locations world-wide to support the "green bowl" initiative, or visit www.freshii.com/ftc for more information.

• Proceeds from every "green bowl" sold will go to Free The Children to build school kitchens and vegetable gardens to implement school lunch programs in developing communities overseas
• Each school kitchen and vegetable garden will provide approximately 97,500 school lunches to students every year
• It will take approximately 15,340 "green bowls" to build one kitchen and one garden
• Tweet us at @freethechildren or @freshii.

About Freshii

When you are hungry and there is only a candy bar in sight, do you grab for that candy bar? Now, imagine if between your hand and that candy bar, we placed an apple? Might you choose that apple? Our goal is simple: Freshii wants to be that apple.

Through our vision of 'Eat. Energize.' Freshii is focused on providing fresh and nutritious meal choices that energize people on the go. For more information visit www.freshii.com

About Free The Children

Free The Children is an international charity and educational partner. Founded in 1995 by international activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children believes in a world where young people are free to achieve their fullest potential, and empowers youth to remove barriers that prevent them from being active local and global citizens. The organization's domestic programs - which include We Day, Free The Children's signature youth empowerment event - educate, engage and empower 1.7 million young people across North America, the UK and around the world to become engaged global citizens. Its international projects have brought more than 650 schools and school rooms to youth and provided clean water and sanitation, health care and food security to 1 million people around the world, freeing children and their families from the cycle of poverty.

The organization has received the World's Children's Prize for the Rights of the Child, the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non‐Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful partnerships with leading school boards and Oprah's Angel Network. For more information, visit www.freethechildren.com.