Northwest Iowa — Five area schools will be among ninety in the state of Iowa to receive free water bottle filling stations from an Iowa Foundation.
Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation officials say it’s more important than ever for Iowa school students and staff to have touch-free access to fill their water bottles. The foundation has announced 90 more Iowa schools will receive a free Elkay water bottle filling station through the Rethink Your Drink program, representing an investment of $290,300. Over the past five years, the Foundation and Rethink Your Drink partners have provided 375 filling stations, impacting 184,400 students and staff for a total investment of $1,637,010.
In our area, the schools receiving the free water bottle filling stations are St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Sheldon, George-Little Rock, Northwest Iowa Protestant Reformed School in Doon, Central Lyon, and the Ireton Elementary of the West Sioux School District.
Jeff Russell, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa says that as many schools were forced to shut off water fountains due to COVID-19 precautions, water bottle filling stations became an essential hydration tool. He says that Rethink Your Drink provides a visible and meaningful way to directly impact the oral and overall health of Iowans. Over the last five years, this program has installed a total of 375 water filling stations in schools across Iowa with a goal to ensure every school has at least one filling station in their building.
The new water bottle filling stations, which replace older water fountains, make drinking water more accessible for students and staff to stay hydrated with drinking water throughout the school day.
Melissa Walker is a school nurse consultant with the Iowa Department of Education. She says that Iowa schools have worked hard to keep students and staff as safe as possible during COVID-19 and one way is reducing access to frequently touched surfaces like water fountains. She says that the touchless water filling stations are the perfect solution to ensuring access to drinking water and staying hydrated throughout the day. She says kids should reach for water to quench thirst over sugary or caffeinated drinks.
Priority is given to schools with a higher percentage of free and reduced lunches in the school’s district or area and buildings that did not already have a water bottle filling station. The Rethink Your Drink program is funded by Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation and supported by the Healthiest State Initiative, Iowa Department of Public Health Bureau of Nutrition Physical Activity, Iowa Public Health Association, Iowa Department of Education, Iowa Department on Aging and In-Depth Marketing.
Click here to see the complete list of 2021 School Recipients receiving a water bottle filling station, including the school(s) near you.
"five" - Google News
May 06, 2021 at 02:56AM
https://ift.tt/3nYLRUw
Five Area Schools Among 90 Getting Free Water Bottle Filling Stations From Foundation - KIWARadio.com
"five" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2YnPDf8
https://ift.tt/2SxXq6o
No comments:
Post a Comment