News Type: Media Mentions

Produce Business: Q&A with Rich Dachman on Fundraiser, Programming, COVID-19

Posted on May 14, 2020 by -

 

 

While Brighter Bites Steps Up With Retail Voucher Program And Participation In USDA’s Farmers-To-Families Food Box Project, Produce Industry Heroes Are Needed To Provide Product, Distribution And Funding

By Mira Slott, Pundit Investigator and Special Projects Editor, Perishable Pundit, Produce Business, May 14, 2020

It has been a long time since our first mention of Rich Dachman in the Pundit:

Dachman To Head Sysco’s Produce Division

But we’ve remained engaged:

2018 London Produce Show’s Thought-Leader Breakfast Features All-Star Cast Of Industry Luminaries

Foodservice Forum At New York Produce Show Puts Produce First On Restaurant Menus

Set Your Alarm For Wednesday, December 7, As 10 Heavyweight Thought Leaders Take The Stage At New York Produce Show’s Keynote Breakfast

Industry Veterans And Rising Stars Volunteer To Lead University Interchange Mentorship Program

“IDEATION FRESH” Foodservice Forum At New York Produce Show And Conference To Tackle Produce Procurement ‘Disconnects’

Now, at this moment of pandemic, a lifetime of preparation has put Rich in a situation where he can do a lot of good for the world.

We asked Pundit Investigator and Special Projects Editor Mira Slott to find out how.

Read the rest of the story here.

KHOU: Houston Mom Draws up Support for Essential Workers

Posted on May 14, 2020 by -

 

 

Within 24 hours of creating her Yardpeeps Instagram account, Robyn Goldstein says 100 orders flooded in.

Watch the KHOU News story here.

Brandi Smith, May 14, 2020

HOUSTON — As Texas opens up bit by bit, things are returning to normal for those who were able to stay home. But essential workers didn’t have that privilege. One Houston mom got creative to thank them.

Robyn Goldstein is an attorney and mom who happens to have studied graphic design in undergrad.

“I’ve always been a doodler,” she says.

In early May, she tapped into that skill and came up with a couple sketches of essential workers.

“When I was a camp counselor, I used to draw people like that for different awards for camp,” says Goldstein.

While on a run, she got another idea.

“I see all these yard signs,” Goldstein says. “I said to my husband, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if we turned it into a yard sign?’”

The answer from social media was a resounding “YES!” Within 24 hours of creating her Yardpeeps Instagram account, 100 orders flooded in.

“Now eight days later, we have more than 1,000 orders and we’re shipping to 29 states,” says Goldstein. “It’s pretty crazy.”

It’s really not when you consider how much people want to celebrate the essential workers in their lives: the doctors, firefighters, store employees, delivery workers, nurses, law enforcement officers and sanitation crews. The Yardpeeps signs offered a cute and fun way to recognize and thank all our peeps.

Even better, the proceeds go to Brighter Bites, a Houston nonprofit that gets fresh produce to families in need.

A whopping eight days in, Goldstein’s excited to be able to draw her own path forward with this project.

“I’d like to see if we can spread more happiness. I don’t know, we’ll see!” she says.

You can order a Yardpeeps sign here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Produce Blue Book: DiMare Fresh Outlines Farmers to Families Food Box Plan

Posted on May 14, 2020 by -

Produce Blue Book 

DALLAS, Texas (May 14, 2020) – DiMare Fresh, BB #:101247 a value-added distribution company specializing in produce and floral, has been selected to partner with USDA “Farmers to Families Food Box” program.

Being one of the few vertically integrated growers, DiMare Fresh will supply product through their distribution facilities in Texas to service nonprofit entities throughout the Southwest. The company will begin deliveries on Friday, May 15th as outlined by the USDA (the contract was for $24,363,660).

DiMare Fresh will utilize the USDA funds in their Texas operations in Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston which have been impacted with the loss of foodservice business. The direct store delivery model in both locations will be a seamless transition from distribution direct to restaurants to eligible nonprofits.

“We are honored to be a part of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program to fully utilize our southwest distribution centers to help families in need,” said Tony DiMare, an owner of family-owned and operated DiMare Fresh. “Aside from helping those in need of fresh food in the communities we serve, we’re also able to help other growers move their surplus of fresh U.S. produce.”

DiMare Fresh has long standing relationships with local and regional food banks and other nonprofits, such as the Houston Food Bank, North Texas Food Bank, Community Table and Brighter Bites. This funding will allow for DiMare Fresh to expand to other hunger relief organizations and operations working to provide those in need with fresh food.

“This partnership with DiMare Fresh will ensure Brighter Bites families in Houston and Austin continue to receive fresh, immune-boosting produce at a time when they need it most,” said Brighter Bites Director of Sourcing Jennifer Boone. “The program will allow us to expand our reach in those cities by more than 30%, and we’re grateful to DiMare for trusting Brighter Bites to distribute their product with the greatest care and consideration.”

As part of this program, the USDA will exercise authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to purchase and distribute up to $3 billion in agricultural products to those in need. With this, the USDA has partnered with regional and local distributors whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food service entities, to purchase fresh produce, dairy, and meat.

For additional information and company updates, please visit www.dimarefresh.com.

About DiMare Fresh
DiMare Fresh is a provider of value-added distribution services in the form of repacking, ripening, consolidation and delivery of refrigerated food, specializing in produce and floral. We are proud of the DiMare name and reputation of integrity that was originally built as a tomato grower and repacker and is now expanded through our service and distribution network.

This article was also published in Perishable News and Produce News.

KPRC: Houston Mom Creates Yard Signs, Proceeds Benefit Brighter Bites

Posted on May 11, 2020 by -

 

HOUSTON – A Houston mom is showing her appreciation to the frontline and essential workers by creating these cute yard signs and the $20 signs are popping up everywhere.

As of Saturday, the woman had over 900 orders. All of the proceeds will benefit Brighter Bites Houston, a non-profit that also supports the Houston Food Bank.

Robyn Rosen Goldstein, the creator of the signs, says she is shipping nationwide and has already sold to more than 20 states.

Check out the story that aired today on KPRC – Channel 2 in Houston.

 

 

 

 

 

Press Release: Brighter Bites and Queens Together Distribute Produce to Thousands in Queens

Posted on May 5, 2020 by -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brighter Bites and Queens Together Distribute Produce Care Packages to Thousands of Families in Need during COVID-19 Crisis

The Connected Chef and City Harvest join the effort to help Queens, NY communities

Houston, TX (May 5, 2020) – Brighter Bites, along with Queens Together, The Connected Chef and City Harvest, have launched an emergency initiative aimed to ensure that current Brighter Bites’ Queens-area families continue to receive the produce they were receiving before COVID-19 impacted its community. This program includes door delivery service, which fills the communities’ needs without putting families at risk and disrupting their everyday routines.

Distributions began on April 28 and will continue weekly as long as necessary. City Harvest has pledged 40,000 pounds of produce for distribution to families, including those in Jackson Heights, Woodside, Astoria, and East Elmhurst. All of these Queens neighborhoods have been especially hard hit during the pandemic.

“Brighter Bites NYC is incredibly proud to partner with these local New York organizations to distribute nutritious food to families suffering during this time,” said Melanie Button, Regional Program Director, Brighter Bites. “As an organization, we were adamant that school closures would not stop us from continuing to feed families but we knew that we would need to shift our model. We were impressed with what Queens Together was accomplishing and we reached out to see if they could support. They turned out to be the perfect partner to connect us with the right people and places to get this work done. That initial email sparked an incredible partnership and an amazing, community based, ground operation. Our work has been described as “grassroots but gargantuan” and we couldn’t agree more.”

Prior to the partnership, The Connected Chef served others in need in the community through their LifeLine delivery program. Their expertise in running the LifeLine program made them the perfect choice to execute a produce delivery program of this scale. The program will serve the 2,000 families who are enrolled in the Brighter Bites program at six schools in Queens. The program also aims to support the local economy, by re-employing chefs and cooks who have lost viable sources of food due to shortened hours and job losses to pack and deliver the produce.

Brighter Bites is a nonprofit with the mission of creating communities of health through fresh food. Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, the organization served over 25,000 families nationwide enrolled in the program across 100 schools, with each family receiving 25 lbs. of fresh produce and nutrition education on a weekly basis. Then COVID-19 hit, schools shuttered, and families lost access to this fresh produce they were dependent on for daily nourishment.

“Queens Together is so pleased to be a part of this initiative,” said Jonathan Forgash of Queens Together. “We look forward to continuing this program and finding new ways to identify, package, and deliver nutritious food to those in desperate need across Queens.

 

About Brighter Bites:

Brighter Bites is a nonprofit that creates communities of health through fresh food with the goal of changing behavior among children and their families to prevent obesity and achieve long-term health. Brighter Bites is an evidence-based, multi-component elementary school, preschool, and summer camp program that utilizes reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and consistent exposure to recipes and messages that feature fresh food. Since 2012, Brighter Bites has provided more than 27 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than 275,000 individuals (including teachers) in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, and Southwest Florida. To learn more about Brighter Bites visit www.brighterbites.org.

 

About Queens Together:

Queens Together is reimagining our local food industry as the catalyst for nourishing our communities in crisis. We create, implement and manage novel “Last mile” systems that address unprecedented hunger and harm to local economies. We do this by using our roots in the food business and history of community activism to see issues on the ground and activate solutions. The initiative was formed in early March by chef activist Jonathan Forgash and Sunnyside Business Improvement District executive director Jaime-Faye Bean. In its first six weeks, they have delivered over 20,000 meals to hospital workers, military medical personnel, and people facing food insecurity across Queens. To learn more about Queens Together visit https://queenstogether.org.

This story was published in the following publications: