On Saturday in Hawaii, during a visit to MA'O Organic Farms, First Lady Michelle Obama held a roundtable discussion on the importance of healthy eating and organic farming for her Let's Move! campaign to end childhood obesity. After, Mrs. Obama presented the student interns who run the farm with a special gift: Presidential M&Ms. The college-age farmers, above, pose with their boxes of M&Ms, which feature the Presidential seal on one side of the blue and white box, and President Obama's autograph on the other side.
During the roundtable, the students described their families' health challenges with diet-related disease to Mrs. Obama.
Native Hawaiians have a statistically high prevalence of obesity, and the farm engages in community outreach to try to shift the local eating paradigm to healthier foods. (Above: A close-up of the First Lady's gift)
"I tried for years to try and get them to eat healthy," said student farmer Derrick Parker, 21, of his family's eating habits.
"I mean, I grow vegetables for a living. It's not hard to take some home -- My dad, he's so stubborn, he's so used to eating, like, Spam, corned beef. But I mean, it just takes a lot to try and get it to work."
The coveted boxes of Presidential M&Ms are given to special guests visiting the White House, and they're also included in the Halloween treat bags given to kids trick-or-treating at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
President Obama's sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, was also on hand to listen to Mrs. Obama discuss her signature initiative.
*Photos by Ed Morita, Nonstop Honolulu.
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