Del Monte Fresh Fruit & Veggie Giveaway!

Want to win one of two $25 gift certificates for Del Monte fresh fruits and vegetables? Then read on...

My kids may not always want to eat their vegetables but they do love fresh fruit. I can't think of any fruit that they don't like. Rachel's favorite fruit is bananas. And I'm so glad. They are full of Vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. They have no fat, no cholesterol, and no sodium. And they taste darn good when sliced up in her bowl of Rice Krispies cereal. She also loves tomatoes although she calls them "maynos". You do know that they are a fruit and not a vegetable, right? They are high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium, potassium and lycopene plus they are a natural anti-oxidant.

Nicholas' favorite fruit is fresh cherries. He gets so excited when we see them at the store. Cherries are a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C plus they are very low in saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol. He also loves fresh pineapple. He especially likes it when I put chunks of pineapple on a skewer along with some cherries, watermelon chunks, and grapes. Pineapple is very high in Vitamin C and a good source of Vitamin B6, thiamin, and copper.

Del Monte Fresh Produce has launched a program called "Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms" to help support kindergarten thru 12th grade public school teachers across North and Central America with cash to purchase school supplies and fresh fruit. One hundred prizes totaling $1,000 each will be awarded to teachers who get the most votes in the “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” online contest at www.fruits.com.

“Monday’s can be difficult for all of us, but public school teachers face even bigger challenges these days with the largest budget cuts in 30 years expected this academic year,” said Dennis Christou, Vice President, Marketing, North America for Del Monte Fresh Produce. “Larger classrooms and far less supplies are putting enormous pressure on our teachers. The “Teacher Monday” program was designed to take some of the burden off teachers, many who pay for school supplies out of their own pockets. It will also provide teachers with tools and incentives to incorporate healthy eating messages into their curriculums, giving us an opportunity to help school children eat and live healthier,” Christou added.

To be eligible to win, teachers must register for the “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” online contest at www.fruits.com. After teachers register their name and school, they can get all their fans -- from parents to students, to friends and family -- to vote for them. Ten winners will be selected each Monday for five consecutive weeks in October/November, 2010, for a total of 50 winning teachers North American teachers. Winners are based solely on the number of votes they receive. Winning teachers will receive $750 in cash to purchase school supplies and $250 in Del Monte fresh fruit coupons for classroom snacks and to use in fruit educational activities.

In an effort to support schools in less developed countries where many Del Monte products are grown, and where classrooms are also experiencing economic disadvantages, the “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” program will link winning U.S. classrooms with a school in Guatemala or Costa Rica. The 50 selected Central American schools will also receive $1,000 each for school supplies.

“By linking U.S. and Central American schools, we want to help further the education of students by introducing them to another culture. Our hope is that sister schools will communicate with each other about fun physical activities and their favorite fruit dishes,” said Christou.

Look for “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” stickers on Del Monte Fresh Produce such as pineapples, bananas, melons, grapes, tomatoes and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables at your local grocery store. And be sure to tell your local school about this contest.

Del Monte has provided me with two $25 gift certificates good towards the purchase of Del Monte fresh fruit and vegetables to giveaway. There will be two winners in this giveaway and each winner will receive one gift certificate valued at $25. This giveaway is only for US residents.

For your chance to win, please visit www.fruits.com and check out the recipes. Leave a comment here telling me the name of one recipe you can't wait to try.

Want additional entries?
1. Leave another comment telling me how you get your children to eat their fruits and vegetables.
2. Follow Savor The Days blog on Google Friend Connect and leave a comment here that you did (or leave a comment that you are already a follower).
3. "Like" Del Monte Fresh Produce on Facebook and leave a comment here that you did so.
4. Post about this contest on your Facebook page and leave a comment here that you did so. (you can do this once a day)
4. Follow Del Monte Fresh Produce (@DelMonteFresh) on Twitter and leave a comment here that you did so.
5. Post about this contest on Twitter, use hashtag @DelMonteFresh, and leave a comment here that you did so. (you can do this once a day)

This contest will end on Monday, November 15th at midnight CST. Winners will be chosen by random drawing.