Jennie-O Turkey Store awards $60,000 to United Way of West Central Minnesota

Jennie-O Turkey Store awarded a $60,000 grant to United Way of West Central Minnesota for the replacement of the Growmobile. The Growmobile is a refitted RV used to bring pre-school services to children in Kandiyohi County, Minn., to prepare children for success in schools.

Jennie-O Turkey Store awarded a $60,000 grant to United Way of West Central Minnesota for the replacement of the Growmobile. The Growmobile is a refitted RV used to bring pre-school services to children in Kandiyohi County, Minn., to prepare children for success in schools.

The Growmobile rotates between different locations daily to provide curriculum and activities based around weekly bilingual book, which is given to all participating children at the end of each week. The Growmobile serves up to 200 children per day. 

The grant from the turkey producer will allow United Way to replace the 1991 RV as they hoped in 2014, with any remaining funding applied to the Growmobile programming. 

"We think the Growmobile is a great program because it takes the learning opportunities directly to children in the area," Pat Solheid, Jennie-O vice president of human resources and administration, said. "Sometimes transportation can be a barrier for kids to be able to participate in programs, transportation is not an issue with the Growmobile programs."

In addition to the grant to United Way's Empower group, Jennie-O recently gave $18,000 to the Willmar Early Childhood cabinet to help reach preschool children in the Willmar, Minn., district that do not have a preschool experience.

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