Keyword/Tag: Austin

Brighter Bites Provides 500,000 Pounds of Fresh Produce to Students & Families, Participates in SXSW

Posted on March 31, 2022 by -

BRIGHTER BITES PROVIDES 500,000 LBS OF FRESH PRODUCE TO STUDENTS & FAMILIES

Non-profit Participates in SXSW, Raising Funds & Increasing Awareness in Austin, TX

AUSTIN (March 31, 2022) – Brighter Bites, a national non-profit delivering fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, has reached more than 3,500 families and 500 teachers in Austin with approximately 524,000 pounds of fresh produce this school year.

The non-profit provides teachers with Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) online nutrition lessons as well as videos around produce-related activities to teach and encourage healthier lifestyles among students and their families. Its curriculum aligns with Brighter Bites’ mission to distribute fresh food to students in underserved communities.

“Brighter Bites Austin continues to run a very successful school year, serving almost 5,000 elementary school students and their families,” said Rebeca Hernandez Gonzalez, Sr. Program Manager for Brighter Bites’ Austin operations. “We are also so pleased to distribute produce to our amazing teachers and administrators, who are instrumental to our classroom programming.”

Major Austin partners include FreshPoint Dallas providing operational support, as well as a number of other produce suppliers, including: Imperfect Foods, Taylor Farms, B. Catalani Produce, Urban Roots, Chelan Fresh and Dole. Donations have included a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, including beets, cucumbers, apples, salad kits, bell peppers, Bok choy, yellow squash, and pineapples.

In March, Brighter Bites participated in the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Street Farm (#JoyOfFresh) event during Austin’s SXSW festival. The event attracted hundreds of participants, and increased awareness around the importance of bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to communities in need throughout the United States. More than 150 individuals visited Brighter Bites’ booth where they learned more about the non-profit, its mission, and plans to expand to additional cities in the coming months.

Brighter Bites, which is based in Houston, is dedicated to creating healthy communities by providing produce and nutrition literacy to families in cities throughout the country. The organization works with families in 138 school settings in eight cities, with each family receiving about 50 servings of fresh, seasonal produce and nutrition education on a weekly basis. Brighter Bites families are actively engaged during the program, with data showing that they consume significantly more fresh produce and talk about nutrition more often in their homes.

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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 over 50 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than 475,000 individuals (including teachers) in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, Southwest Florida, Salinas, and Los Angeles . In February 2022 Brighter Bites expanded its programming to Bakersfield, CA. To learn more about Brighter Bites visit www.brighterbites.org.

 

 

ANUK: Brighter Bites Launches Produce Voucher Program with H-E-B, Winn-Dixie

Posted on April 27, 2020 by -

 

April 27, 2020

By Lillian Diep, And Now U Know

HOUSTON, TX – The current public health crisis has brought much uncertainty to our lives, but is especially magnified for those who are food insecure. However, in times like these, heroes in the industry are teaming up to provide fresh produce to those in need. Brighter Bites has formed partnerships with H-E-B, Southeastern Grocers, and Winn-Dixie to provide $25 produce vouchers bi-weekly to every Brighter Bites household for fruit and vegetable purchases.

Read the rest of the story on the And Now U Know website.

 

 

Press Release: Brighter Bites Launches Produce Voucher Program

Posted on April 23, 2020 by -

Brighter Bites Launches Produce Voucher Program to Continue to Support Food Insecure Families during Coronavirus Pandemic                  Nonprofit rolls out $2 million COVID-19 relief program

Houston, TX (April 23, 2020) – The combined public health crisis and economic collapse inflicting our nation has brought much uncertainty to all of our lives, but is especially magnified for those who identify as food insecure. With the onset of the COVID-19 crisis and widespread school closures, 25,000 families in Houston, Austin, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Southwest Florida who normally rely on nonprofit Brighter Bites for weekly produce and nutrition education are now in even more need of daily nourishment. These are families who already struggle to make ends meet.

Today, Brighter Bites is announcing a new, emergency initiative aimed at ensuring that all families who are currently enrolled in Brighter Bites around the U.S. have the opportunity to access fresh produce when they need it most.

Brighter Bites is rolling out the initiative this week for 14,100 families In Houston and Austin in partnership with the Texas grocery retailer H-E-B and next week for 1,100 families in Southwest Florida with Southeastern Grocers, parent company of Winn-Dixie stores.

Brighter Bites is giving $25 produce vouchers bi-weekly to every Brighter Bites household for fruit and vegetable purchases over the next two-three months at H-E-B and Winn-Dixie stores. This initiative will ensure no Brighter Bites family has to forfeit health or safety in order to survive this crisis.

“This is a time that our families need healthy food more than ever to boost their immune systems. When schools closed and our distribution model was interrupted we knew we had to pivot our business,” said Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman. “Brighter Bites will continue providing our families with fruits and vegetables through this program, allowing them to maintain the same level of produce in their homes as they did through Brighter Bites distributions. We could not have executed this program without the partnership of H-E-B, Southeastern Grocers, and Winn-Dixie. We are so grateful for their support.”

Dachman added Brighter Bites will convert its online nutrition education programs to a distance learning model.

Under normal circumstances, Brighter Bites works with their families across 100 plus schools in six cities, with each family receiving 25 pounds of fresh, seasonal produce and nutrition education on a weekly basis. Brighter Bites families were actively engaged in the program, and data shows that they were consuming significantly more fresh produce and talking about nutrition more often in their homes, too.

To sustain this program for all Brighter Bites families for the next two to three months, the nonprofit will need to raise additional funding to continue issuing produce vouchers to families until this crisis subsides. To make a donation please visit www.brighterbites.org.

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.

This story was published in the following publications:

 

 

COVID-19 Update from Brighter Bites

Posted on March 20, 2020 by -

 

Dear Friends,

We are all witnessing and living through one of the most challenging times in modern history.

Like all of you, Brighter Bites is adapting to the new reality brought on by the coronavirus outbreak.

Our number one priority is the health and well-being of our employees and the families and communities we serve. For that reason, we are following protocols to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

 

 

Brighter Bites understands that families need fresh, nutrient-rich food to keep them healthy, and we are making every effort to find distribution mechanisms to ensure they receive it.

While the schools we partner with are closed, Brighter Bites is working with community stakeholders to develop alternative opportunities for distributing produce to families in the cities where we operate.

 

 

We are also working with our produce partner suppliers to redirect donated produce to our local food banks and working with our supply chain to help continue that process moving forward.When we aren’t able to distribute fresh produce, we are making nutrition education and healthy recipes available to our families electronically to help them make the most of the food they do have while they are at home with their children. You can access healthy recipes here and tips and tools for cooking at home here.

Here are some examples of how Brighter Bites is supporting our communities this week:

 

Our Southwest Florida team distributed fresh produce to more than 500 families at the Bethel Assembly of God in Immokalee, FL with the help of so many community partners. Harry Chapin Food Bank, Southern Specialties, Freedom Fresh, and B&W Quality Growers collectively donated 12 different produce items. The Blue Zones Project in SWFL donated reusable bags. Collier County Schools and the Benison Center made the event possible.

 

Staff and volunteers in Austin packed 830 bags of fresh fruits and vegetables for families whose children attend Cook, T.A. Brown, and Harris Elementary Schools in Austin ISD. Thanks to Hardie’s Fresh Food for their incredible support during this challenging time.

 

At PS 151Q in Woodside, Queens we provided 300+ Brighter Bites families and local community members with 4,586lbs of organic grapes, oranges, and pantry bags pre-packed by our incredible partners at City Harvest. 

 

We are living in a rapidly changing environment and in the coming weeks we’ll be making our best efforts to identify ways to regularly support our families with fresh, healthy foods and nutrition education alongside our local food banks and city partners. Above all else, the health and safety of our employees, families and communities will remain our focus.

Brighter Bites is grateful for the continued support and understanding from our families, partners, donors, supporters, and stakeholders. As uncertain as things are, we know we will get through this by working together.

We wish you and your family good health and safety as we navigate the coming weeks.

Yours sincerely,
The Brighter Bites Team

Brighter Bites Featured in Andy Roddick Interview on Austin CBS Affiliate Station

Posted on July 10, 2019 by -

Brighter Bites partners with the Andy Roddick Foundation (ARF) Summer Learning Program in Austin, TX to provide produce distribution, nutrition education, and a fun food experience to students during the summer months. Founder and chair of ARF (and former tennis champion) Andy Roddick sat down to talk about ARF’s mission, effect, importance in our community, and gave Brighter Bites a shout out! Watch the Austin CBS affiliate station interview here.