Aldi announced this week it has doubled its commitment to kids' health and welness programs this year, totaling more than $2 million in partnerships, grants and education resources.

"Access to nutritious food and physical fitness should be available to kids everywhere, and we're thrilled to make this a reality in the communities where we live and play," says Aldi Spokeswoman Liz Ruggles. "Together with all of our partners, we're helping to ensure that kids and families have the resources, programming and better-for-you food options that can lead to healthier lives."

Aldi says its investments are in partnerships that reach kids at all stages of their day, including:

• Supporting Healthy School Programming: ALDI builds on a long-standing partnership with Action for Healthy Kids, funding $650,000 in Parents for Healthy Kids grants, which provides resources and technical support to 25 schools this school year and 150 schools in the 2017-2018 school year, expanding student access to in-school physical activity and nutrition programs.
• Helping Every Kid Be Healthy: As part of its partnership with Action for Healthy Kids, ALDI is a national sponsor of Every Kid Healthy Week, held April 24-28 this year, which celebrates school health and wellness accomplishments and helps students make the link between nutrition, physical activity and learning.
• Empowering Parents at Home and School: ALDI has teamed up with Action for Healthy Kids and National PTA to support the development of a new online community, Parents for Healthy Kids, which will offer parents resources to positively impact school health and make healthy living easy at home. This new website is set to launch later this summer. ALDI is also a Proud National Sponsor of National PTA, helping to power the association's programs and initiatives to make a difference for the health and well-being of every child through family and community involvement.
• Supporting Kids During Critical After-School Hours: Working with the Boys & Girls Clubs in Southern California, ALDI has given $100,000 to 36 local Clubs, promoting healthy lifestyles for Club members who attend after-school and summer programs.  

ALDI is also launching its own online grant application program, ALDI Smart Kids. It will give local organizations the opportunity to request grants or gift cards that support youth programs focusing on education, physical activity, nutrition, social skills and the arts.