NAPLES, FL – Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, is pleased to announce it has received a $15,000 Food and Nutrition Security Grant from the Collier Community Foundation. These funds will support the Brighter Bites 2024-2025 school year program across all Southwest Florida sites, serving 4,200 students and impacting over 1,800 families.
We cover a number of gourmet restaurants, booming burger joints and primo pizza parlors here in the Houston Press. And as much as we enjoy scouting out new cafes and happy hour hotspots, we also realize that a large number of Houstonians not only lack the means to dine out but also face hunger within their homes as well.
We are a massively spread out city and arguably the most diverse in the nation. And meeting the needs of those facing food insecurity is a daunting task. One organization alone cannot serve all of Houston’s families and residents in need. Houston Food Bank, the nation’s largest food bank network, serves 18 southeast Texas counties. That’s a lot of people to feed.
There are other organizations, however, that also have arisen in the past few years to provide more than just boxes of non-perishable foods, but also fresh produce and education. Working together, these non-profits benefit those in need of food and healthy habits. And some of them have experienced some big boosts lately in their efforts to do so.
Brighter Bites
Brighter Bites, which began in 2012, is the brainchild of founder and board chair Lisa Helfman and co-founder Dr. Shreela Sharma. Helfman attributes her inspiration for the non-profit to her decision years ago to take part in a weekly fruit and vegetable co-op to provide fresh produce for her family. One day her 6-year-old son, now a young man seated in the audience, turned down a slice of cake at a party because it was too sweet and asked instead for some berries. Helfman says she realized then that exposing children to healthy foods could make a difference but that not all children have access to fresh produce.
She began a collaboration with Dr. Sharma, a nutrition expert and professor of epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health. They started with local schools, providing fruits and vegetables donated by produce partners. Some students did not even recognize the different berries, citrus and greens.
Brighter Bites Program Coordinator Anna Miller, and representatives from partner organizations Alhambra Elementary School District and St. Mary’s Food Bank, discuss Brighter Bites programming in Phoenix. Watch the full video here.
Brighter Bites announced another year of partnership with Zespri Kiwifruit as a key partner for the current 2023-24 school year. This partnership will have impact on all 11 programming cities this year.
Brighter Bites has announced a new launch to make the school year that much healthier. The Brighter Bites Ambassador Program is designed to train and enable supporters of Brighter Bites to inform people in their company network about the mission of the organization across the country.
Despite the abundance of food grown in the United States, millions of Americans suffer from food insecurity, according to Feeding America. Access to fresh, healthy produce has been a trending topic over the last few years, and many nonprofits have rolled up their sleeves to serve communities in need. One of these nonprofits is Brighter Bites, founded by Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma.
Everyone has their secret formula for success, but should it really be a secret? Brighter Bites is sharing the ins and outs of its own strategies through its latest launch. The organization is rolling out its “Brighter Bites: Our Not-So-Secret Formula”three-part webinar seriesto share with followers, supporters, and potential friends. Click here to read the full article.
HOUSTON – Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, announces partnership with GoodPop®, a better-for-you frozen treat that uses fresh, organic, non-GMO, real, and wholesome ingredients.
Since its founding, GoodPop has been committed to helping fight against hunger in America by providing access to healthy meals for those who need it most. A donation made by GoodPop will enable Brighter Bites to enhance its summer programming and provide watermelon, one of the main ingredients in GoodPop’s Watermelon Agave frozen pops, to members of the Austin and San Antonio communities.
“We are honored to have a partner such as GoodPop to support our mission, especially during our summer programming months,” said Rich Dachman, CEO of Brighter Bites. “Summer programming presents its own unique set of challenges outside of the regular school year and having partners support us during this time of the year is always welcomed and appreciated.”
Since 2009, Austin-based GoodPop has been committed to using fresh ingredients, offering better-for-you frozen treats made without artificial colors, flavors and preservatives for those who crave a world of good. As a certified B Corp, GoodPop creates everyday social good via fair trade ingredient sourcing, humanitarian efforts, and The Pledge Good Foundation, created to encourage more generosity, kind gestures and good deeds.
“After our team had the pleasure of volunteering with Brighter Bites earlier this summer, it was clear that we’re on similar journeys to leave the world better than we found it,” said Clara Tomlin, Director of Brand Impact at GoodPop. “We look forward to supporting Brighter Bites during the summer months and how we can potentially work together going into the 2023-2024 school year.”
To learn more about becoming a corporate sponsor through product or financial donations, visit brighterbites.org or contact Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Amy Priebe, at amy.priebe@brighterbites.org. To stay informed on additional ways to support the organization, follow Brighter Bites on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or YouTube.
One of our founders, Lisa Helfman, joined Houston Happens to discuss the Brighter Bites impact and share how community members can get involved. Watch the full interview here.
One of our founders, Dr. Shreela Sharma, joined NextGen Purpose’s Essential Ingredients podcast to discuss democratizing health and nutrition. Listen here.