Austin Keeps it Cool with Summer Cooking and Nutrition Classes

This summer in Austin was a HOT one! We stopped counting after 20 days of triple-digit temperatures and heat indexes that suggested we could fry an egg on the sidewalk!. But heat doesn’t stop the Brighter Bites Austin team. We bagged and distributed 57,272 pounds of fresh fruits and veggies to an average of 300 participants per week at five different summer programs, including El Buen Samaritano, Linder Elementary, Mainspring Schools, and the two summer camps run by the Andy Roddick Foundation.

To reinforce the value of the fresh produce, staff members taught CATCH Nutrition Education lessons and contributed to weekly cooking demonstrations. These lessons included an interactive cooking demo as well as discussions about nutrition and health. As an added bonus, Program Associate Eliza Weeks presented the participants at El Buen Samaritano with a demonstration of how to prepare leafy greens like kale and beets in a variety of  easy and delicious recipes, including cool smoothies and salads perfect for summer snacks and meals.

Kindergarteners from Pecan Springs Elementary enjoy a Brighter Bites cooking and nutrition education lesson making Banana Ice Cream at the Andy Roddick Foundation’s Summer Learning program.

Program Associate Christina JeanBaptiste leading a CATCH lesson with a Kindergarten class at Mainspring School.