This is the third summer of Brighter Bites programming in Dallas! From serving 150 families at three Project Transformation sites in the summer of 2014 to serving approximately 1600 families at 15 sites this summer, we have come a long way. With this growth we have been able to welcome new partnerships with City of Dallas Recreation Centers, YMCA and Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas, and other community centers. The Brighter Bites Dallas team has been working with staff and volunteers at each site every week to bring healthful food choices and nutrition education to participating families.
Thanks to our food bank partner in Dallas the North Texas Food Bank, Brighter Bites has been able to share a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables with families. A total of 295,000 pounds so far this summer and counting! A few of the family’s favorites have been blueberries, mangoes, melons, squash varieties, and radishes. Parent volunteers and their children continue to stop by our sites to lend a hand in the bagging and distribution of all these pounds of produce. Volunteers from several organizations in Dallas, among them the National Charity League – Addison Chapter, have also joined us in this endeavor and they have done a stellar job. Last Spring we clocked in a total of 2,590 volunteer hours, so we’ll see how many more our volunteers will do this summer!
We have also paired some tasty recipes for taste-testing with the produce families are taking home, and so far the Broccoli and Grape Salad is taking the lead as the most enjoyed by the kids, followed closely by the Mango Tango Salsa! In addition to the fresh produce and fun food samples, our Program Coordinators have also been teaching CATCH lessons in the classroom around the clock at Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Dallas Brighter Bites locations and Voice of Hope Ministries. Coordinators have thoroughly enjoyed doing hands on activities with the kids and teaching them some useful tools to lead healthier lifestyles. Other sites like Trinity River Mission and Wesley-Rankin Community Center are doing a superb job at fully implementing CATCH themselves with materials and guidance provided by Brighter Bites.
This has been a successful summer so far, and we have to thank our partners, volunteers, and staff at sites for continuing to support Brighter Bites’ mission to create communities of health through fresh food!
