Disney’s High School Musical Stars Help Sara Lee Celebrate Lunch Time Fun with Contest Winner

Corbin Bleu and Justin Martin Serve a Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Lunch to California Elementary School

Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” stars Corbin Bleu and Justin Martin today showed how they can bring joy and excitement to more than just a lunchroom movie set when the two invaded the cafeteria at Walnut Elementary Education Center in Turlock, Calif. Bleu and Martin donned aprons to help serve lunch to the entire school as part of the grand prize for the Sara Lee® Soft & Smooth “Lunchtime is Showtime” Video Contest. The national competition asked kids to submit 90-second videos showing how whole grain nutrition can fuel lunchtime fun.

“We were thrilled to see the amount of imagination and creativity kids put into entering a contest to teach other kids about whole grain nutrition,” said Tim Zimmer, vice president, Sara Lee Fresh Bakery. “Working with Corbin and Justin helped us deliver a message to kids that lunchtime nutrition can be fun and, in a case like today, can result in the opportunity of a lifetime.”

In addition to the star-studded lunch for the entire school, contest winner Bronwyn Arnold’s grand prize also includes a one-year supply of free Sara Lee Soft & Smooth bread and a $25,000 school grant to bring joy to the school lunchroom. Sara Lee enlisted Bleu and Martin to help encourage kids and families to learn more about the benefits of whole grain.

“It is clear from the video that a lot of thought and preparation went into the making of their video submission. Justin and I feel it is so important to encourage good nutrition habits at a young age,” said Corbin Bleu, actor and recording artist. “We teamed up with Sara Lee because they understand the importance of making nutrition easy and tasty for kids. Their whole grains don’t taste anything like when I was a kid – it has the taste of white bread I love with the whole grain nutrition every kid needs.”

Whole Grain Nutrition

Registered dietitian, Sue Deepak, will also be on hand to talk with the students about whole grain nutrition and help Bleu and Martin present the $25,000 check.

“Nine out of ten Americans aren’t getting enough whole grain into their diets, and kids are no exception,” said Deepak. “Sara Lee Soft & Smooth bread appeals to kids — especially picky-eaters — because it has the soft texture and light color they prefer. I recommend these breads because they’re a simple way to boost whole grains in children’s diets without any fuss or food fights.”

The Sara Lee Soft & Smooth “Lunchtime is Showtime” video contest reinforces the company’s commitment to educate America on the benefits of whole grain and increase consumption. Health professionals recommend most Americans consume three servings, or 48 grams, of whole grain daily to help maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of stroke, diabetes and cancer. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes far less than the recommended servings of whole grain per day. Soft & Smooth bread combines the nutrition moms feel good about serving with the taste and texture kids love.

The Winning Video

Arnold, 11, is a talented singer, guitar player and actor who got nearly 120 fellow classmates to star in her winning video, Fueled for Fun. The submission teaches the importance of whole grain nutrition and showcases bringing fun to the lunchroom. It featured a song Arnold wrote and includes students singing, dancing, playing and talking about nutrition. Some of the students even dressed as slices of bread for the video. Arnold worked with the school’s video production and third grade teacher, Irene Hales, to produce, film and edit the video. The winning video can be found at www.thejoyofeating.com/hsm3.

About Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Bread

Products included in the Soft & Smooth bread and bun lines are: Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Honey Whole Wheat Bread, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Honey Made with Whole Grain White Bread, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Hamburger and Hotdog Buns, and Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Wheat Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns Made with Whole Grain. Sara Lee has seen success with its bread line, particularly the Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White Bread, which since its launch in 2005 has become the best-selling loaf in the country. Consumers can learn more about Sara Lee products at www.thejoyofeating.com.

About Bronwyn Arnold

Arnold is an 11-year-old sixth grader at Walnut Elementary Education Center in Turlock, Calif. This is her second year at the school where she sings in the choir and plays cello in the orchestra. Arnold takes guitar and piano lessons and performs with the local community theater. Normally the sixth grader is a shy and quiet student, but exudes movie star charisma when performing for an audience. She has always been a health conscious eater and loves Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White bread with turkey and cheese.

About Corbin Bleu

Corbin Bleu is best known for his starring role as Chad Danforth in the record-breaking and award-winning “High School Musical” series. Bleu will hit the theaters again in the feature film “Freestyle,” set for release in 2009. His television credits include a series regular role on “Flight 29 Down,” and guest starring roles on “ER,” “The Amanda Show,” “Hannah Montana,” “Cover Me” and “Malcolm & Eddie.” He also starred as a boxer turned double Dutch champion in the Disney Channel movie “Jump In!” and has starred in the feature films “Catch That Kid,” “Galaxy Quest,” “Mystery Men,” “Family Tree” and “Soldier.” Due for release in early March 2009 will be Bleu’s second album “Speed of Light” distributed by Hollywood Records. His debut solo album entitled “Another Side,” was released in May 2007. Bleu was recently nominated for a 2008 NAACP Image Award for “Best New Artist.” His favorite sandwich is grilled cheese on Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Honey Whole Wheat Bread.

About Justin Martin

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Justin Martin discovered that he loved to act at age seven when he performed in the drama department of his local church. Martin began his work doing commercials and local theater but soon booked back to back roles on the “Bernie Mac Show,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” and a role in the feature film “Doing Hard Time.” In 2005 the talented young actor was invited to New York to audition for the coveted role of ‘Young Simba’ in Disney’s long-running “The Lion King” on Broadway. Out of thousands of other contenders he was chosen to be the new star and made his stage debut in March of 2006. His performance drew the attention of the producers of the recent ABC TV adaptation of “A Raisin in the Sun” and he was cast to portray the role of ‘Travis’ opposite Tony award-winner Phylicia Rashad, Audra McDonald and Sean Combs. The telefilm was the first TV project to ever premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008. Recently he stared in the Universal Studios drama “The Express” and in March 2009 will appear in Sony/Dreamworks’ “The Soloist” opposite Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey, Jr. Martin became one of the new-comers to the “High School Musical” phenomenon when he appeared alongside Bleu in Disney’s “High School Musical 3: Senior Year.” His favorite sandwich is peanut butter and peach jelly on Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Whole Wheat bread.

About Sara Lee Corporation

Each and every day, Sara Lee (NYSE: SLE) delights millions of consumers and customers around the world. The company has one of the world’s best-loved and leading portfolios with its innovative and trusted food, beverage, household and body care brands, including Ambi Pur, Ball Park, Douwe Egberts, Hillshire Farm, Jimmy Dean, Kiwi, Sanex, Sara Lee, and Senseo. Collectively, these brands generate more than $13 billion in annual net sales covering approximately 200 countries. The Sara Lee community consists of 44,000 employees worldwide. Please visit www.saralee.com for the latest news and in-depth information about Sara Lee and its brands.

Contacts

O’Malley Hansen Communications
Kristen Johnson, 314-775-3913
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Sara Lee Corporation
Sara Matheu, 630-598-8722