Healthy snacks, bowling, and a good cause—oh my! There was palpable excitement in the air as Andre Agassi celebrated the product launch of his new charitable snack line for kids, Box Budd!es, on Monday, September 23, at Bowlmor Times Square. Kids and their parents showed up hungry and ready for some competitive fun, but were more than happy to take a few minutes to mingle and snap some photos with the philanthropic tennis legend.
Box Budd!es, which benefits the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, aims to provide healthy—and tasty—snack options for kids. When initially approached about launching a new product for profit, Agassi turned the offer down. “I was like, ‘I have enough, I do enough—not interested.’ And then it occurred to me that what could interest me would be if we did something where 100 percent of the proceeds went to my foundation,” he says.
With the idea for a charitable product line in mind, the father of two joined forces with v20 Foods and decided to create something better than the typical after-school snacks. “We thought, ‘Well, if we’re doing something for kids, let’s do something that’s healthier for kids.’ It’s not just healthy for your child, but something for the future of our children,” he says.
Through Box Budd!es, Agassi hopes that kids will form healthier eating habits, and ultimately make healthier choices on their own. “I want this to be a healthier option that’s out there, but I also want kids to enjoy it, because nobody’s going to become healthy by eating anything in particular; you become healthy by thinking about what you do as a lifestyle. And kids learn more from what they see than what you tell them,” he says. Case in point: the food pantry habits of Agassi and wife Steffi Graf at home. “We have some things that aren’t healthy—just good, enjoyable stuff that they like—but every time they want a snack, we make them eat something healthy first. It’s a sneaky little secret because they fill up on the good stuff and they eat less of the other stuff. It’s worked well.”
The current product line—which was taste-tested and approved by Agassi’s kids—includes snack-sized goodies, such as granola bars and string cheese, as well as chocolate milk, applesauce, and more delicious single-serving treats. All proceeds go directly to the Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, which creates more educational opportunities for children and transforms public education in the United States.
Agassi is looking forward to a bright future for both Box Budd!es and his foundation, which just opened a new charter school for underprivileged students in Detroit. “[Box Budd!es] is a healthy option, and it’s also going to raise a lot of money for our children and for their education. And with education we’re going to raise a healthier generation.”
