News Type: Press Releases

Press Release: The Produce Moms and Brighter Bites Present at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Annual Conference

Posted on July 28, 2020 by -

SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOR (SNEB) 2020 ANNUAL CONFERENCE FEATURES PRODUCE IN THE CONVERSATION WITH THE PRODUCE MOMS® AND BRIGHTER BITES®

Lori Taylor and Dr. Shreela Sharma Focus on Fresh Produce in Their Co-Presentation:

The Future of Food in Schools: Rounding Out What’s Already Being Done in the School Cafeteria

July 28, 2020 – The Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior (SNEB), the prestigious nonprofit known for their cutting-edge research and innovative programming, held their annual conference July 20 to July 24, 2020.  Originally tapped to be held in San Diego this year, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, SNEB transitioned their annual conference to a virtual event hosted entirely on https://www.sneb.org/2020.  Since its inception in 1968, SNEB has been one of the most renowned international communities of professionals actively involved in nutrition education and health promotion. Their membership comes from those who work in colleges, universities and schools, government agencies, cooperative extension, communications and public relations firms, the food industry, voluntary and service organizations, and with other reliable places of nutrition and health education information. The theme for this year’s conference was “What Food Future”, and Brighter Bites and The Produce Moms were part of the Healthy Children and Youth Sessions: Combining new educational strategies with improvements to child nutrition programs to help preschoolers through college students obtain and sustain health.

This year’s SNEB conference chair, Pamela Koch, EdD, RD Research Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food Education & Policy Program in Nutrition, Department of Health & Behavior Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University stated, “We were delighted to have Brighter Bites and The Produce Moms present at our conference.  We know that many Americans, as well as many around the globe, cannot afford and do not have access to, fruits and vegetables that are vital to be well nourished.  The amazing work of Brighter Bites and The Produce Moms is working toward everyone eating more fruits and veggies, especially communities that have limited access due to entrenched systemic racism and social injustice.”  To view the full presentation by Brighter Bites and The Produce Moms The Future of Food in Schools: Rounding Out What’s Already Being Done in the School Cafeteria click here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11GRdgegxvHWbLOihazO0U-TPb3ZnIxdb/view?ts=5f17b49e

Lori Taylor, CEO and Founder of The Produce Moms emphasized that, “We pitched our presentation to SNEB 2020, to ensure that fresh produce was part of the conversation about the future of food in schools.  The presentation that Dr. Sharma and I gave to the professionals at SNEB was a great way to provide these leaders in nutrition academia and research with a better understanding of the role we play in providing nutrition and health education programs to families. Brighter Bites and The Produce Moms both share a mission that fruits and vegetables can change the world with Brighter Bites focused on creating healthy school communities in underserved neighborhoods through fresh produce, and The Produce Moms, as a wellness brand in the digital community for fresh fruits and vegetables and promoter of public policy to protect and increase the availability of fresh produce in public schools.”

Dr. Shreela Sharma, co-founder of Brighter Bites, Professor of Epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health, and a trained dietitian explained, “Through the presentation that Brighter Bites and The Produce Moms delivered at SNEB 2020, we were able to demonstrate, to a very respected, influential group of nutrition educators, researchers and practitioners, how our organizations are eliminating the perception of intimidation by produce and demystifying how to buy and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables. We were able to tell the story of the impact Brighter Bites is having on child and parent produce consumption to reduce food insecurity and ultimately improve child health.”

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About THE PRODUCE MOMS

The Produce Moms® is the first & only consumer brand that drives sales and consumption of fresh produce. Founded by Lori Taylor, we are a community of passionate fresh produce advocates with a mission to inspire everyone, especially children, to eat more fruits and vegetables. Our purpose is to make sure that all moms know that fresh produce is SAFE and HEALTHY. The Produce Moms educates consumers about fresh produce, introduces them to produce brands, engages the produce industry with consumers in inspiring conversations, and promotes public policy to protect and increase the availability of fresh produce at American schools.   We are a purpose-driven brand with values that support the journey from seed to smile. The Produce Moms digital content platform, podcast, television appearances, and consumer products reach millions per month and support our mission to increase produce consumption in both volume & variety. Visit www.theproducemoms.com for more information.

 

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.

 

Press Release: Robin Hood Awards Brighter Bites Grant to Fund Queens, NY Programming

Posted on June 30, 2020 by -

Robin Hood Awards Brighter Bites Grant, Providing Additional Resources to Families During COVID-19 Crisis

Grant allowed for additional produce distributions in the NYC/Queens Area 

 

Houston, TX (June 30, 2020) – As part of its commitment to create healthier communities free of hunger during the COVID-19 crisis, the poverty-fighting organization Robin Hood directed a $30,000 grant to Brighter Bites, supporting home delivery of free, fresh produce to families living in several Queens neighborhoods highly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. This emergency initiative allowed the nonprofit to continue to serve 2000 Brighter Bites families in Queens that were already receiving fresh fruits and vegetables from the nonprofit before COVID-19 began to spread throughout the borough.

 

The Robin Hood funded program included a partnership with the Connected Chef, a culinary education company that designed the delivery model and re-employed chefs and cooks who have lost viable sources of food due to shortened hours and job losses to pack and deliver the produce. This collaboration ensured that families living in the hardest hit zip codes received fresh immune-boosting produce, valuable nutrition information, and cooking tips delivered to their door to reduce risk of exposure. Brighter Bites and its partners distributed a total of 296,965 lbs of mixed produce during May and June, allowing for 2,000 care packages to be distributed per week. Distributions took place in the Jackson Heights, Corona, Woodside, Astoria, and East Elmhurst neighborhoods.

“Brighter Bites NYC was incredibly proud to be the recipient of a generous Robin Hood Relief Fund grant allowing us to safely distribute nutritious fresh 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 provide produce to our families, but we knew that we would need to shift our model. This Robin Hood grant ensured that we were able to do that…setting off a spectacular, community-based operation.”

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.

“At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, one in three parents were reducing or skipping meals to feed their children and two million of our neighbors were at risk of going hungry,” said Emary Aronson, Chief Knowledge Officer and Senior Advisor to the CEO at Robin Hood. “We are proud to support Brighter Bites’ initiative to quickly get food into the hands of families in the hardest hit neighborhoods in 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 Robin Hood:

Founded in 1988, Robin Hood finds, fuels, and creates the most impactful and scalable solutions lifting families out of poverty in New York City, with models that can work across the country. Robin Hood invests nearly $120 million annually to provide legal services, housing, meals, workforce development training, education programs, and more to families in poverty in New York City. Robin Hood tracks every program with rigorous metrics, and since Robin Hood’s Board of Directors covers all overhead, 100 percent of every donation goes directly to the poverty fight. Learn more at www.robinhood.org.

 

Press Release: Brighter Bites Distributes 50,000 Produce Boxes Weekly on Behalf of USDA

Posted on June 17, 2020 by -

Brighter Bites Distributes 50,000 Produce Boxes per Week on Behalf of 

USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program 

Nonprofit reaches more families than ever in six U.S. cities 

Houston, TX (June 17, 2020) – Brighter Bites is partnering with produce suppliers throughout the country in conjunction with the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program, a federal initiative developed specifically to distribute free agricultural products such as fresh produce, dairy, and meat, to those in need during the COVID-19 crisis. Through this initiative, Brighter Bites aims to ensure that the 25,000 current Brighter Bites families continue to receive approximately 20-25 pounds of produce just as they did before COVID-19 affected their communities. Brighter Bites has also been giving $25 produce vouchers bi-weekly to Brighter Bites households for fruit and vegetable purchases at local grocery stores to ensure all families have access to fresh produce at this crucial time of need. Brighter Bites is distributing these produce boxes to an additional 25,000 families that live in the same cities where Brighter Bites currently operates.

The USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program, which was established under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, allows the USDA to partner with national, regional, and local produce suppliers whose distribution methods (through restaurants, hotels, other food service businesses) have been greatly impacted by COVID-19. Through the program, the suppliers purchase the unused fruits and vegetables, package it into boxes of mixed produce at their warehouse, and transport it to nonprofits like Brighter Bites to ensure the produce reaches those in need. The USDA reimburses the suppliers for the cost of the produce, labor, and transportation.

In an effort to maintain the Brighter Bites program during the crisis, Brighter Bites developed a new Family Resources page on its website, increased the frequency of its family newsletters, established social media channels in all six cities to increase access to program staff and resources, and enhanced communication with schools. Through these initiatives, Brighter Bites is providing information about local food distributions, mental health helplines, stress coping tips, and more. Brighter Bites is also providing a variety of nutrition education resources ranging from house-made nutrition spotlight videos to CATCH worksheets to PE activities.

Brighter Bites’ USDA produce box distributions began in mid-May.

Below find details about how Brighter Bites is collaborating with produce suppliers to help those in need in each of the organization’s service areas:

Brighter Bites Houston, TX with DiMare Fresh, GoFresh/Hardie’s Fresh Foods

  • 20 locations, including schools, churches and other community sites
  • 18,000 total boxes distributed weekly
  • 19 lbs per box

Brighter Bites Austin, TX with DiMare Fresh

  • 9 locations, including schools, parks & rec centers and YMCAs
  • 4,500 total boxes distributed weekly
  • 19 lbs per box

Brighter Bites Dallas, TX with GoFresh/Hardie’s Fresh Foods

  • 16 locations, including schools, YMCAs and other community sites
  • 9,000 total boxes distributed weekly
  • 18-28 lbs per box

Brighter Bites NYC with City Harvest, Perfect Pact, Tomato Thyme 

  • 10 locations, including schools
  • 5,770 total boxes distributed weekly
  • 15-20 lbs per box

Brighter Bites Washington, D.C. with Coastal Sunbelt Produce

  • 20 locations, including schools, churches, and other community sites
  • 9,050 total boxes distributed weekly
  • 24 lbs per box

Brighter Bites, SW Florida with Perfect Pact and Marjon Specialty Foods

  • 3 locations, including community sites and YMCAs
  • 2,300 total boxes  distributed weekly
  • 20 lbs per box

“Brighter Bites is incredibly proud to partner with Coastal Sunbelt Produce, DiMare Fresh, Hardie’s Fresh Foods, Perfect Pact, and others as we all work to distribute nutritious food to families experiencing food insecurity during this time,” said Brighter Bites Director of Sourcing Jennifer Boone. “As an organization, we were adamant that school closures would not stop us from continuing to carry out our mission, but we knew that we would need to shift our model. We are honored that produce distributors around the country trusted us to ensure families received their produce boxes from the Farmers to Families program.”

In response to receiving the produce boxes from Brighter Bites and the Greater Riverdale Partnership in Prince George’s County, MD, Pastor Everett Pope of United Baptist Church said “We have been absolutely blessed to receive these generous and kind produce donations. The response from our community has been overwhelming. We are thankful for the partnership forged by Council Member Dannielle Glaros, and for the compassionate work of the Brighter Bites team. We the people are grateful. This is the type of unity needed to survive the times.”

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, Brighter Bites served over 25,000 families nationwide enrolled in the program across 100 schools, with each family receiving 25 pounds 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.

“Brighter Bites is so pleased to be a part of this USDA emergency initiative,” said Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman. “We look forward to continuing to serve as an integral part of this federal program as we find new ways to identify, package, and deliver nutritious food to those in desperate need across the country.”

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.

Press Release: Brighter Bites Announces Wine for a Cause Fundraiser

Posted on May 5, 2020 by -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Brighter Bites Announces Wine for a Cause, an Auction to Raise Funds to Ensure Families Receive Fresh Produce During COVID-19 Crisis 

PMA to Co-Host Online Wine Auction to Take Place Memorial Day Weekend

 

Newark, Del. – (May 5, 2020) – Brighter Bites is actively raising funds to ensure families are able to access healthy, nutritious food during this time of unprecedented need. To kick off this campaign, Brighter Bites will host Wine for a Cause, a virtual wine silent auction, taking place Memorial Day weekend, May 22 – 25, 2020. The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has signed on as co-host of the event in support of these efforts.

Proceeds from this event will support Brighter Bites’ new emergency initiative aimed at ensuring that families who are currently enrolled in Brighter Bites have the opportunity to access fresh produce when they need it most. Brighter Bites is giving $25 produce vouchers bi-weekly to Brighter Bites households for fruit and vegetable purchases over the next two-three months. This initiative will ensure no Brighter Bites family has to forfeit health or safety in order to survive this crisis.

Brighter Bites kicked off the program in Houston and Austin in partnership with the Texas grocery retailer H-E-B, and soon followed with rollouts in Southwest Florida in partnership with Southeastern Grocers, parent company of Winn-Dixie stores.

With a goal of raising $150,000 between auction proceeds and financial contributions, Wine for a Cause will help ensure that Brighter Bites can support and expand this voucher system in its other cities in the coming months. For those interested in participating in the auction as a bidder, registration is now open. Please visit this link to register for the event.

“Brighter Bites’ Wine for a Cause began as an idea that Kent Shoemaker and I developed because of our mutual love for wine and our one common goal: to help at-risk families access the healthy food they need to survive this crisis.” said Rich Dachman, CEO of Brighter Bites. “What began with a few bottles of wine offered from personal collections has exploded. There are some amazing wines on this list now. I think this event will be a lot of fun, and I think we all need that right now.”

Brighter Bites has already received over 100 different lots of wine from some of the finest collections in the world, mostly owned by produce industry leaders whose passion for wine and improving the health of food-insecure families have come together for this fundraiser.

Prior to the COVID-19 crisis, 25,000 families nationwide were enrolled in the Brighter Bites program across 100 schools, with each family receiving 25 pounds 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.

“As districts closed in response to the COVID-19 crisis, many children across the U.S. lost access to their primary source of nutrition, while others lost this plus the Brighter Bites fruit and vegetable distribution. At a time when many are hurting and hungry, we need to do whatever we can to ensure families and communities have fresh fruits and vegetables on their plates,” said PMA CEO Cathy Burns.

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 the Produce Marketing Association:

Produce Marketing Association (PMA) is the leading trade association representing companies from every segment of the global produce and floral supply chain. PMA helps members grow by providing connections that expand business opportunities and increase sales and consumption. For more information, visit www.pma.com.

 

This story was published in the following media outlets:

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:

Press Release: PMA Joins PHA in Announcing COVID-19 Fresh Food Fund Partnership

Posted on April 28, 2020 by -

April 28, 2020