COVID-19 is something that we're all aware of by now, and if you're still not aware of it or think that it's a hoax, it's time to get your head out of the water. The virus has impacted thousands of families all over the world in ways that I can't describe without staying here for hours upon hours. While this has nothing to do with the virus that seems to be dying down, for now, it's actually National Foster Care Month and National Bike Month. On this note, here's how Honeycomb Cereal is giving back to the community.
Wait, what?
During this month also known as the month of May, "600 tweens and teens in the foster care system across the U.S. will receive new bikes this month as part of a partnership between Together We Rise and Honeycomb Cereal." In terms of what you need to know about people in foster care, "tweens and teens are an underserved population in the foster care system" and "nearly a quarter of the approximately 442,995 children in foster care are age 14 or older," according to the National Conference of State Legislature. The thing with "biking for teens and tweens provides many benefits, including building muscles, improving mental health, and helping to develop self-confidence," which serves as a good reason for tweens and teens to have bikes.
Michelle Titus, Senior Brand Manager of Honeycomb Cereal, has stated that "We’re thrilled to be teaming up with Together We Rise to give kids in foster care the chance to create the memories and experience the fun and joy that biking brings; throughout its history, Honeycomb (Cereal) has been a champion of the small yet big moments for kids. Bikes are a gateway to growing up, and this donation will make the dream of owning a bike a reality for these kids.” Besides, it's not like these tweens and teens have a way of getting around besides walking, so having a bike will help to speed things up for them in terms of transportation.
On the other hand, Gianna Mulkay, Executive Director at Together We Rise has stated the following:
"Together We Rise is extremely grateful and excited to announce our partnership with Honeycomb cereal. We have a great focus on giving children in foster care those special childhood moments like riding your own bike provides, so naturally, it's a great fit to team up. Our partnership will create 600 special moments for deserving youth across the country. Thank you Honeycomb (Cereal) for being a champion for youth in foster care."
This isn't Honeycomb Cereal's first time at the rodeo with bikes, though, as for bikes "have been a part of Honeycomb’s history since the 1970s. In addition to featuring bikes in its advertising, one of the brand’s most popular promotions was its annual bike license plate giveaway," according to a press release. Also, "During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Honeycomb produced bike-sized license plates for all 50 states. The plates were given away for free inside the box, and kids looked forward to collecting the new plates each year. Honeycomb’s latest “Always Be Big” spot features a bicycle with a nostalgic nod back to the past." Talk about something, must I say.
Honeycomb Cereal is definitely giving back to the community in which it serves, and for that, I salute them. It's not easy giving back to the community during the middle of a pandemic to those that were already suffering beforehand, so for that, I commend them for doing a great job.