Health baked into mission

NURTURING SOULS: WJAR-TV NBC 10 anchor Alison Bologna, right, and her fiancé, Dave Mongeau, examine some Shri Bark snacks made at Cross Country Cookie in Pawtucket. The healthy, nut-free creation is made under the umbrella of Bologna's yoga studio, Shri Studio. / PBN PHOTO/JAIME LOWE
NURTURING SOULS: WJAR-TV NBC 10 anchor Alison Bologna, right, and her fiancé, Dave Mongeau, examine some Shri Bark snacks made at Cross Country Cookie in Pawtucket. The healthy, nut-free creation is made under the umbrella of Bologna's yoga studio, Shri Studio. / PBN PHOTO/JAIME LOWE

Alison Bologna wakes up each morning at 2:30 a.m.

It’s partly because she needs to get ready for her job as an anchor at WJAR-TV NBC 10. It’s also because she runs an urban-outreach yoga studio. And most recently, it’s because she’s producing healthy snacks by the thousands that are being consumed almost as fast as they are made.

“We knew the snack was good because I have brutally honest friends and families,” Bologna quipped.

The product, Shri Bark, is made under the umbrella of Bologna’s yoga studio, Shri Studio, which opened in downtown Pawtucket in 2009. The studio serves adults and children with developmental disabilities, veterans, children in schools, hospitals and shelters, incarcerated youth and men and women in recovery – mostly for free through its designation as a nonprofit: Shri Service Corps. And a portion of the proceeds from the snacks goes toward paying for the classes.

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Bologna’s fiancé, Dave Mongeau, who she describes as a “foodie,” came up with the nut-free recipe and the duo originally started testing the product out on friends, family and people in the studio. Eventually, they partnered with Cross Country Cookie in Pawtucket to bake the product and sell it to retail markets. The snack was picked up by Whole Foods Market, Eastside Marketplace and Dave’s Marketplace, and Bologna started introducing it during her yoga classes. It didn’t take long before demand grew, especially within the schools where the studio offered classes and provided free snacks.

“The kids started asking, ‘Where can we get it,’ ” she said, recalling when she started introducing it.

After tweaking the recipe to ensure it followed all USDA and state guidelines, Bologna started testing in the schools. In March, Shri Bark was picked up by food distributer Aramark Corp. to go into 21 public school districts and in May Bologna partnered with distributer Sodexo to serve the snacks as a part of the schools’ free-breakfast program.

Bologna expects to be producing 10,000 snacks per week by the fall for schools, with some on a waiting list, and the amount should only grow as the organization is able to accommodate more schools. And it’s not just about the snack, as Bologna points out, because Shri Studio teachers are able to extend the message during classes and even the packaging comes with positive phrases, such as “Stay Awesome,” “Eat Well,” and “Be Yourself.” The positive message plays off the organization’s mission and overarching name, Shri, a word derived from Sanskrit, broadly defined as “life-affirming energy,” or “that which diffuses light” and abundance.

Shri currently employs 24 teachers as independent contractors on the yoga side of the business and works with other local companies, including Calise & Sons Bakery Inc. in Lincoln to make sure the product gets out.

“We believe not only in what you put into your body, but also how you speak and how you interact with your peers, so we’re trying to promote positive messaging,” she said. •

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