Lincoln County High School in Hamlin, West Virginia, Celebrates National School Lunch Week
With the Unveiling of New School Meal Equipment and Root4All Physical Activity Kits

Equipment and kits to be provided to schools in West Virginia, Florida, Missouri, Ohio,
North Carolina, and Pennsylvania

HAMLIN, W.Va., Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GENYOUth, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping schoolchildren thrive by living well-nourished and physically active lives, today announced a $240,000 donation from Aetna®, a CVS Health® company, to help end student hunger and inspire students to be active and develop lifelong healthy habits. The donation funds school nutrition equipment grants and Root4All physical activity kits for 40 schools in communities across West Virginia, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. These resources will support increased access to more than 5.9 million school meals benefiting 22,000 students and expand opportunities for children to be more physically active.

GENYOUth joined Aetna today to celebrate the donation during National School Lunch Week with a rally and ribbon cutting at Lincoln County High School in Hamlin, one of the 40 schools receiving a grant. Students, Lincoln County Schools officials, GENYOUth and Aetna team members, and local community and elected leaders gathered to unveil the school’s new grab-and-go meal equipment and Root4All kit.

“Kids learn best when they are well-nourished and physically active, yet too many students still face barriers to accessing healthy meals and opportunities to be active,” said Ann Marie Krautheim, M.A., R.D., L.D., CEO of GENYOUth. “Aetna is helping us overcome those hurdles and make a meaningful difference in the everyday lives of 22,000 students across six states. We are deeply grateful for their investment in students and schools—and for helping more young people arrive well-nourished, and ready to learn, grow and reach their full potential. Together, we can work toward a day when the only hunger a child experiences is the hunger to learn.”

The donation from Aetna comes as schools across the nation work to meet growing needs with limited resources. One in five children in the U.S. does not have enough to eat¹, including approximately 77,000 children in West Virginia². Nine in 10 school nutrition programs say equipment costs are a moderate or significant challenge³, and fewer than one in four students get the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day⁴.

These grants help schools overcome barriers to accessing nutritious meals by providing mobile meal service equipment, including grab-and-go kiosks, mobile meal carts, and smoothie stations. Bringing meals directly to hallways, entrances and classrooms makes school meals more accessible, flexible, and stigma-free—helping more students start their day nourished and ready to learn.

Each school will also receive a Root4All kit, part of a GENYOUth program that combines curriculum, equipment, and resources to empower all students, especially girls, to be active, build confidence and develop healthy habits.

Some schools that received grants through GENYOUth’s End Student Hunger initiative, supported by Aetna’s $240,000 contribution, are already reporting preliminary results. At Vinson Middle School in Wayne County, West Virginia, breakfast participation rose 12%, while the Columbiana County Opportunity Center in Ohio doubled its breakfast count by offering a grab-and-go option for students who arrive late.

“Aetna’s donation will make a profound difference for our students at Lincoln County Schools,” said Frank Barnett, Superintendent,Lincoln County Schools. “By emphasizing proper nutrition and physical activity, we’re helping our students build healthy habits that will serve them for a lifetime. We are grateful to GENYOUth and all mission-driven supporters for their dedication to our students’ health, wellness, and academic success.”

“At Aetna, we know when students are nourished and active, they’re better prepared to succeed in the classroom and beyond,” said Todd White, CEO of Aetna Better Health of West Virginia. “Through our collaboration with GENYOUth, we’re providing critical nutrition and physical activity support to students in West Virginia and across the country.”

GENYOUth school nutrition grants, funded by Aetna, for nutrition equipment and Root4All physical activity kits will be provided to selected schools in the following counties:

• Florida: Lafayette, Palm Beach
• Missouri: Jackson, Jefferson, Taney
• North Carolina: Durham, Wilkes
• Ohio: Columbiana, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Hamilton, Huron, Logan, Montgomery, Stark, Wayne
• Pennsylvania: Erie, Forest, Philadelphia
• West Virginia: Lincoln, Mercer, Putnam, Ritchie

To learn more about GENYOUth’s school nutrition grants and Root4All program, or to help GENYOUth end student hunger, visit GENYOUthnow.org.

Aetna Better Health of West Virginia is a Managed Care Organization serving more than 160,000 Medicaid members across 55 counties. For more information, visit https://www.aetnabetterhealth.com/westvirginia.

¹ USDA
² Food Research & Action Center (FRAC)
³ School Nutrition Association, School Nutrition Trends Report, January 2025
⁴ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

About GENYOUth
GENYOUth is a 501c3 national nonprofit dedicated to helping school children thrive by living a well-nourished and physically active life. A catalyst for youth health and wellness, GENYOUth has supported over 77,000 U.S. schools to equip them with the resources needed to ensure millions of children have equitable access to nutrition and physical activity. As part of the Action for Healthy Kids Network, GENYOUth convenes a network of private and public partners, including Fortune 100 companies and foundations, to ensure all children are nourished and active to be their best selves. Committed to ending student hunger and promoting physical activity, GENYOUth provides grants that increase access to healthy school meals for food insecure students and empower kids to develop lifelong healthy habits through movement and activity. GENYOUth is the official charitable partner of Taste of the NFL, a purpose-driven Super Bowl culinary experience, and Taste of the Draft, both of which raise awareness and generate funds to fight hunger and food insecurity. To learn more and support GENYOUth, visit www.GENYOUthnow.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

About Aetna Medicaid
Aetna Medicaid Administrators LLC (Aetna Medicaid), a CVS Health company, has over 30 years of experience managing the care of Medicaid members, using innovative approaches and a local presence in each market to achieve both successful health care results and effective cost outcomes. Aetna Medicaid has expertise serving high-need Medicaid members, including those who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. Currently, Aetna Medicaid owns and/or administers Medicaid managed health care plans under the names of Aetna Better Health and other affiliate names. Together, these plans serve members in 15 states, including Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information, see www.aetnabetterhealth.com.

About Lincoln County Schools
Lincoln County Schools serves students throughout Lincoln County, West Virginia, with a commitment to providing students with the resources and opportunities they need to learn, grow, and succeed. The district’s Child Nutrition Program serves approximately 4,900 meals each day across six school locations and provides nutritious school meals, after-school supper, summer meal resources, school food pantries, and backpack food support to help address food insecurity beyond the school day. Lincoln County Schools is committed to expanding access to nutritious foods, promoting student wellness, supporting local and fresh foods, and creating an environment where every student has the opportunity to be healthy, engaged, and ready to learn.

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SOURCE GENYOUth