Today, two-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA Champion Stephen Curry and renowned restauranteur, chef, The New York Times best-selling author and TV host Ayesha Curry announce the launch of Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, a family-founded charity with a mission to help end childhood hunger, ensure universal access to quality education and enable healthy, active lifestyles.
Prioritizing underprivileged children primarily in the Oakland and Bay Area communities as an innovative and impactful local non-profit organization, Eat. Learn. Play. creates a new model for communities and families to come together with a commitment to unleash the potential of every child and pave the way for amazing kids and bright futures.
Rooted in three of the most vital pillars for a healthy childhood— nutrition, education and physical activity— Eat. Learn. Play. was brought to life with the Curry family’s passion to inspire today’s youth and ensure an equal road to success for all kids.
“Children are our future and we are deeply dedicated to empowering them and opening doors for their futures, said Stephen and Ayesha Curry. “This organization is all about instilling ongoing tangible change for underprivileged children growing up in the Bay Area and beyond. As parents, we see a multitude of unique opportunities our kids have access to, and our hope is that Eat. Learn. Play. and the critical fundamental development tools it provides, will positively impact children in our community to live out their dreams.”
Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation is designed around three core values that play an integral role in promoting a healthy, fun and thriving childhood. An initial focus of Eat. Learn. Play. is centered around the impactful work the foundation is doing with the City of Oakland’s Town Camps this summer. As the presenting partner of Town Camps, Eat. Learn. Play. is serving over 5,000 Oakland kids in 20 locations this summer by providing nutritious breakfasts daily for all campers; and weekly family-style dinners and culinary classes for campers and their families across various camp locations. In addition, Eat. Learn. Play. is providing scholarship support to underwrite costs for kids who cannot afford the full price of summer camp.
EAT. With a goal to ultimately help end childhood hunger across America and ensure all children have access to nutritious food, the foundation’s EAT initiative will drastically eliminate the number of families struggling with daily food needs. One in four Bay Area kids are directly affected by hunger and Eat. Learn. Play. not only provides food for these children but aims to further educate kids and families on the importance everyday nutrition. Local brand partners that will help activate on initiatives to provide healthy school breakfasts, summer food programs and nutritional resources for youth from low-income households include Oakland Parks, Recreation, and Youth Development (OPRYD), Alameda Country Community Food Bank and the No Kid Hungry campaign. These local Bay Area efforts are the start of a greater movement for substantial change in policy at the State and Federal levels.
LEARN. Providing access to quality education from early childhood through college completion, the foundation’s LEARN program seeks to tackle the education achievement gap in the Bay Area between students from low-income communities and their middle- and upper-class peers. Eat. Learn. Play. provides the necessary resources and support to equip marginalized Bay Area students with scholarships, after-school college prep programs, internships, mentorship opportunities, and more to help ensure they receive the quality K-12 public education they deserve. The foundation’s education focus furthermore extends through college completion with a goal to close the graduation gap between low-income and minority students and their peers. Early educational and training partners will include College Track, East Oakland Youth Development Center, Students Rising Above, Code Nation, DonorsChoose.org, Oakland Public Education Fund and OPRYD.
PLAY.
PLAY is a fundamental part of being a kid and is critical to a child’s character development. However, only one in four kids in the country are getting the recommended daily amount of physical activity they need and Eat. Learn. Play. seeks to create opportunities and safe places for all children to play and stay active. PLAY makes it possible for underprivileged children to participate in summer camps, youth sports and other physical activities without the burden of finances or risking safety. The foundation further establishes a safe haven for children, cultivating healthy lifestyles while freely discovering their passions in life. A few key partners include Kaboom!, OPRYD and the Carole Hoefener Center.
Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s earnest passion for improving the lives of underserved kids in the Bay Area is the heart of Eat. Learn. Play. As the foundation continues to influence the lives of Bay Area children and their communities, the Curry family remains dedicated to igniting change and inspiring others on a national level.
Eat. Learn. Play. kicks off the launch of the organization with a family-friendly inaugural event inviting over 900 children from Oakland Parks, Recreation, and Youth Development’s Town Camps. As an early major partner for the foundation, the Oakland Town Camps serve as an inspiration for Eat. Learn. Play. from its beginning stages. The organization is supported by dynamic and innovative partners for on-the-ground activations and ongoing relationships, ultimately encouraging universal access to quality education, nutritious eating and physical activities. Key partners include Golden State Warriors, Kaiser Permanente, Under Armour, Chase, GoDaddy, Rakuten, PGA REACH, Back to the Roots, Revolution Foods, Google and USTA.
