How the just keep livin Foundation and Thrive Market Are Helping Teens Make Healthier Choices

For many teenagers in the United States, studying for finals or figuring out who to ask to homecoming is the least of their worries. Nearly 7 million young people live in food insecure households, and surveys reveal that some are turning to shoplifting, dealing drugs, and even prostitution to survive. Inner-city students are also more at-risk of trying drugs, becoming pregnant, or dropping out of school than their peers.

The just keep livin Foundation, often shortened to “j.k. livin,” founded by actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves McConaughey, hopes to change that—or at least make life a little easier for these teens. j.k. livin is dedicated to empowering high school students by give them tools to lead active lives and make healthy choices for a better future. They organize after-school programs at inner-city high schools that encourage students to make positive life choices—and improve their physical and mental health through exercise, teamwork, gratitude, nutrition education, and community service. At a typical j.k. livin after-school program, you might find teens lifting weights, cooking healthy snacks, or journaling about gratitude.

For many of these kids, it’s the first time they’re learning about health and nutrition. And j.k. livin covers not just physical health, but also general life advice and personal growth. The programs emphasize the importance of setting goals, planning for the future, and pursuing your dreams. It’s all about positivity and empowerment.

We’re inspired by the foundation’s incredible work, and wanted to help make their students’ lives a little easier. Thanks to a generous donation from Go Raw, we’ll provide free snacks for the after-school program at Animo Inglewood Charter High School in Inglewood, Calif. for the rest of the school year. We’re also giving every single j.k. livin student a free membership to Thrive Market and $100 in free stipends to make it that much easier to shop for healthy groceries.

None of this would be possible without Thrive Market members. By joining Thrive Market, you’re not only helping your family, but also offering another family the chance to make healthier choices. You join, you give: for every membership purchased, we donate a membership to someone in need.

Photo credit: Jesi Alex Pelphry

We believe that everyone deserves the right to access healthy food. But even in the United States, it can prove impossible for some families. So we created Thrive Gives: a program that gives access, family by family, to affordable healthy products. Click here to see if you qualify for a free Thrive Gives membership!