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Rock Island, Ill. (Sept. 30, 2025) – Royal Neighbors of America, one of the nation’s fastest growing fraternal life insurance organizations*, proudly announces that Mara Fleishman, CEO of Chef Ann Foundation in Boulder, Colorado, is a 2025 recipient of its Nation of Neighbors empowerment award and $20,000 grant to expand her organization's groundbreaking work transforming school food systems and empowering the professionals who run them.

Fleishman is one of eight community leaders across the country recognized this year through Royal Neighbors’ Nation of Neighbors program, which recognizes leaders across the U.S. who are empowering women and girls through nonprofits, businesses, and grassroots efforts. Since its launch in 2007, the program has awarded more than $1 million in grants to amplify impact for women and girls.

“I'm honored to be recognized with the Nation of Neighbors empowerment award and grant. What moves me most is that this award specifically celebrates women's empowerment—something that sits at the heart of our work at the Chef Ann Foundation,” said Fleishman. “93% of the school food workforce are women, yet these professionals have been overlooked and undervalued for far too long. This recognition feels like validation not just for me, but for every woman in a school kitchen across America.”

Fleishman’s journey to school food reform began with a cafeteria tray. After witnessing her child receive a heavily processed school lunch, she left her corporate career at Whole Foods Market to focus on changing the system from the inside out. As CEO of the Chef Ann Foundation , she leads national efforts to support school districts in transitioning to scratch-cooked, nourishing meals, improving health outcomes for students and growth opportunities for school food professionals .

Through the Healthy School Food Pathway , a first-of-its-kind federally registered workforce development program, Chef Ann Foundation is equipping hundreds of women in school kitchens with the tools and training to lead food service operations rooted in health and sustainability. The $20,000 Royal Neighbors grant will fund the expansion of the Colorado Healthy School Food Pathway program, directly supporting five women on their journey to build long-term careers in school food nutrition. .

“Mara’s work redefines what it means to nourish a community,” said Zarifa Reynolds, CEO and President at Royal Neighbors of America. “By investing in the women behind the lunch line, she is building a healthier, more equitable future for millions of students across the country. Her vision perfectly embodies our mission to Insure Lives, Support Women, and Serve Communities℠.” With this grant, each participant will receive:

• ServSafe training and certification
• School Food Institute online courses
• Onboarding support and regular coaching
• CAF-branded gear for use during work-based learning
• Wage earnings for hands-on job training

The host school districts will receive stipends and benefit from a pipeline of highly trained, mission-driven staff members. Each of the five women supported will directly serve an estimated 350 students daily—collectively impacting 1,750 children in the 2025–26 school year alone.

About the Chef Ann Foundation

For over 15 years, the Chef Ann Foundation has led the movement to improve school food nationwide. With programming in all 50 states, the foundation empowers school food professionals with the training, tools, and funding to serve fresh, scratch-cooked meals to millions of students.

Chef Ann Foundation empowers our nation’s school food professionals—93% of whom are women—through a robust suite of programs, tools, and training. Their initiatives include the Healthy School Food Pathway workforce development program, Get Schools Cooking, Salad Bars to Schools, the School Food Institute online course platform, The Lunch Box resource hub, and their Bulk Milk sustainability program. To date, Chef Ann Foundation programs have improved the meals of nearly 4.4 million children across over 16,000 schools nationwide. Through policy advocacy, professional development, and community collaboration, Chef Ann Foundation is building a food system where every child—regardless of zip code—has access to healthy meals made with care. To learn more, visit: chefannfoundation.org.

More About Royal Neighbors of America

In 1895, nine founding women created a membership community. They were one of the first to make life insurance accessible to women. Now, 130 years later, Royal Neighbors remains committed to its mission of Insuring Lives, Supporting Women, and Serving Communities℠. The organization’s 280,000+ members, chapters, employees, and appointed agents across the country drive the mission through localized volunteerism and philanthropy programs making social impact the cornerstone of their work.

Royal Neighbors members experience Insurance with a Difference℠ through their tailored life insurance and annuity products, opportunities to make an impact in their communities, savings on prescriptions, health screenings, grief support, and more.

In 2020, Royal Neighbors was upgraded to “A Excellent” (3rd highest out of 13) by the AM Best Company for overall financial strength and ability to meet ongoing obligations to certificate holders. The rating was affirmed in December 2024. In 2024, Royal Neighbors delivered $43.85 million in Social Good impact and record revenue. In 2024, Royal Neighbors received its eighth Great Place to Work® certification and was rated as a 2025 Best Insurance Company by Forbes.

For more information about Royal Neighbors of America, go to royalneighbors.org. To read inspiring member stories, visit theroyalneighbor.org.

* American National’s Exit, Benefit Ratio Shifts, Avoidable Mortality & PRT Rulings. Life Annuity Specialist News Brief; April 3, 2025