Approximately 7,000 Northwest Arkansas elementary students will be receiving dental care kits this Thursday, Dec. 6th, thanks to the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and Tyson Foods. The 13 recipient schools, primarily in Washington County, were selected based on their past year’s partnership with the Care Mobile. The RMCM is a full-service mobile dental clinic that provides comprehensive oral healthcare in school-based settings. These services are provided at no cost to the patient or their family, and for 2018 are expected to come to a value of nearly $500,000.

Tyson Foods employees from all across the country will be assembling the dental care kits at their annual National Sales Meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 5th. The kits include a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss packaged in a travel case. Nearly 2,500 Tyson corporate employees will take time out of their full schedule at John Q. Hammons Center to participate in community services projects for several area non-profit organizations like Ronald McDonald House Charities of Arkoma.

Each school will receive at least 500 kits, which will be distributed by school nurses and counselors to students with the most need. A majority of the participating schools show that 70-90% of their students are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Providing the tools necessary for proper oral health care is essential for a child’s overall health and well-being.

In addition to RMHC of Arkoma and Tyson Foods, this opportunity was made possible by a grant from Delta Dental, product from Colgate, and distribution support from McDonald’s owner/operator Mathews Management.

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