Brighter Bites Goes to Washington!
Keyword/Tag: expansion
The Packer Reports Brighter Bites Expansion to DC
The Packer, a leading source for news, information, and analysis in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry, shared the details of Brighter Bites’ recent launch in the Washington, D.C. metro area. Read the full story here.
“Coastal Cos., Food Bank Partner with Brighter Bites in D.C.
By Daniel Vanderhorst
May 2, 2018
Capital Area Food Bank and The Coastal Cos. Foundation are partnering with nonprofit Brighter Bites to launch school-based programs giving families increased exposure to fresh produce in Prince George’s County, Md.
The new program aims to foster healthy eating habits by giving low-income children and their families fresh fruit and vegetables along with nutrition education materials.
“We know that food habits form early, and that those habits can impact health and well-being for life,” said Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank, Washington, D.C., in the release.
“We’re committed to working with our community’s schools to get good food — especially fruits and vegetables — into the hands of kids and families, which is why we’re excited by the Brighter Bites model and eager to see the impact that this partnership will have in Prince George’s County and beyond.”
The Brighter Bites programs will run in schools this spring and summer, distributing 80,000 pounds of produce and lots of nutrition education materials to 500 families and teachers at William Paca Elementary School, Cool Spring Elementary and several summer camps in Prince George’s County, according to the release.
Capital Area Food Bank and The Coastal Cos. Foundation will supply thousands of pounds of fresh produce, including warehousing and transportation services to support the initiative.
“When we learned that Brighter Bites was coming to the Washington, D.C., area, we knew right away it would be the ideal partnership for The Coastal Cos. Foundation,” Micah Brown, president of East Coast Fresh and executive director of The Coastal Cos. Foundation, said in the release. “Brighter Bites’ desire to provide kids and families with access to fresh, healthy food aligns perfectly with our Foundation’s mission to nourish our community.”
As part of the Brighter Bites program, parents and community volunteers pack bags of fresh produce items for families and teachers to take home free each week during three eight-week sessions. Each two-bag set has about 50 servings of eight to 12 different produce items, according to the release.
Prince George’s County is the sixth Brighter Bites program to launch after Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City and southwest Florida.
The Coastal Cos. Foundation, established in 2012, coordinates the giving of The Coastal Cos. businesses: Coastal Sunbelt Produce, East Coast Fresh and Cold Chain Logistics.”
Press Release: Brighter Bites Expands to Washington, D.C. and Metro Area
Media Contact:
Stefanie Cousins
Stefanie.Cousins@brighterbites.org
919-360-4156
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Washington D.C. Area’s Food Bank Teams Up with Nutrition Education Nonprofit to Improve Access to Healthy Food for Students and Their Families
Capital Area Food Bank and The Coastal Companies Foundation help bring more fresh fruits and vegetables to families in Prince George’s County through a new partnership with Brighter Bites
Washington, D.C. (May 2, 2018) – Capital Area Food Bank and The Coastal Companies Foundation today announced a partnership with Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that helps create communities of health through fresh food, to launch school-based programs designed to increase exposure to fresh fruits and vegetables for families in underserved communities in Prince George’s County, MD.
Nearly 130,000 individuals in Prince George’s County, 22 percent of whom are children, lack consistent access to nutritionally adequate food, according to Feeding America. The new program aims to encourage healthy behaviors by providing low-income children and their families with fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as nutrition education materials, support of in-class health education, and healthy recipes.
“We know that food habits form early, and that those habits can impact health and well-being for life,” said Radha Muthiah, President and CEO of the Capital Area Food Bank. “We’re committed to working with our community’s schools to get good food – especially fruits and vegetables – into the hands of kids and families, which is why we’re excited by the Brighter Bites model and eager to see the impact that this partnership will have in Prince George’s County and beyond.”
Brighter Bites will run programs this spring and summer that will provide 80,000 pounds of produce and thousands of pieces of nutrition education materials to approximately 500 families and teachers at William Paca Elementary School, Cool Spring Elementary, and selected summer camps in Prince George’s County. Brighter Bites plans to grow its presence to serve even more elementary schools and summer programs in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area in the coming years.
As part of the initiative, Capital Area Food Bank and The Coastal Companies Foundation will supply thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, warehousing, and transportation services to support the initiative.
“When we learned that Brighter Bites was coming to the Washington DC area, we knew right away it would be the ideal partnership for The Coastal Companies Foundation,” said Micah Brown, President, East Coast Fresh & Executive Director at The Coastal Companies Foundation. “Brighter Bites’ desire to provide kids and families with access to fresh, healthy food aligns perfectly with our Foundation’s mission to nourish our community. We are excited to see a transformation in the eating habits of the next generation and are thrilled to help make such a powerful impact.”
Since launching in 2012, Brighter Bites has distributed more than 16 million pounds of produce and 100,000s of nutrition education materials to 40,000 families through elementary schools, preschools, and summer camps. Brighter Bites uses a simple formula for introducing healthy lifestyles to families: produce distribution, nutrition education, and a fun food experience that includes sampling a recipe of the week to see just how great produce can taste. Parents and community volunteers pack bags of fresh fruits and veggies for families and teachers to take home each week during three eight-week sessions. Each free two-bag set contains approximately 50 servings of eight to 12 different produce items.
“Local partnerships are critical to the success of our organization and the impact we have on the communities where we work, said Samuel Newman, Executive Director of Brighter Bites. “We could not be happier to be partnering with two of the most trusted organizations in the region.”
Brighter Bites measures the outcomes of its program to determine impact. Research shows the Brighter Bites model provides consistent opportunities for children and their families to practice healthier behaviors in school and at home:
- 98% of Brighter Bites parents report their children eating more fruits and vegetables while participating in the Brighter Bites program.
- Of those, 74% said they maintained that increased level of consumption after Brighter Bites ended.
Children and parents participating in Brighter Bites reported a:
- significant increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed;
- significant increase in serving more fruits and vegetables as snacks;
- two-fold increase in cooking meals from scratch, and a significant increase in eating meals together and serving more produce as part of those meals;
- two-fold increase in using nutrition labels to guide grocery purchases;
- and a significant decrease in added sugars consumed among children.
Prince George’s County is the sixth Brighter Bites program to launch after Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, and Southwest Florida.
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 16 million pounds of produce and 100,000s of nutrition education materials to more than 40,000 families and 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 Capital Area Food Bank
The Capital Area Food Bank is the largest organization in the Washington metro area working to solve hunger and its companion problems: chronic undernutrition, heart disease, and obesity. By partnering with 444 community organizations in DC, MD, and VA, as well as delivering food directly into hard to reach areas, the CAFB is helping 540,000 people each year get access to good, healthy food. That’s 12% of our region’s mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and grandparents.
About The Coastal Companies Foundation
In 2012, The Coastal Companies and its operating businesses, Coastal Sunbelt Produce, East Coast Fresh, and Cold Chain Logistics, established a foundation to coordinate all giving. The mission of The Coastal Companies Foundation is to “nourish our community” through nutrition, education, and good corporate citizenship. The Coastal Companies Foundation accomplishes its mission by building community partnerships, sponsoring innovative service projects, and investing in people.
“AndNowUKnow” Features Brighter Bites Florida Expansion
AndNowUKnow, an online news media company, reported on Brighter Bites’ partnerships with Lipman Family Farms and the Harry Chapin Food Bank upon our expansion to Southwest Florida. Read their coverage below and click here for the full story.
Fri. April 27th, 2018
By Kayla Webb
FORT MYERS, FL – Lipman Family Farms is setting its sights on what it can do to increase exposure to fresh fruits and vegetables for families in underserved communities. Teaming up with Harry Chapin Food Bank and Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that helps create communities of health through fresh food, Lipman Family Farms is launching school-based programs to encourage healthy eating by providing fresh produce, nutrition education materials, support of in-class education, and healthy recipes to families in South Florida.
Jaime Weisinger, Director of Community Relations and Government Relations, Lipman Family Farms“Over the past couple of years, Lipman Family Farms has donated tomatoes to Brighter Bites programs in Houston, Dallas, and Austin, and we’ve been proud of our association with the program and its impact on so many lives,” said Jaime Weisinger, Director of Community Relations and Government Relations, Lipman Family Farms. “When there was an opportunity to bring the program to Southwest Florida, we jumped at the chance. Brighter Bites fits every part of our philanthropy strategy, and we’re thrilled to be donating even more produce to Brighter Bites right here in our own backyard.”
According to Feeding America, nearly 40,000 individuals in Collier County, 36 percent of whom are children, lack consistent access to nutritionally adequate food. To remedy that, Brighter Bites is running programs this spring and summer that will provide more than 75,000 pounds of produce and thousands of pieces of nutrition education materials to over 600 families and teachers at Lake Trafford Elementary School, Eden Park Elementary School, and the Boys and Girls Club in the Collier County School District. Lipman Family Farms and Harry Chapin Food Bank are supporting the initiative and doing their part by donating thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and veggies, warehousing, and transportation services.
Samuel Newman, Executive Director, Brighter Bites“Local partnerships are critical to the success of our organization and the impact we have on the communities where we work,” said Samuel Newman, Executive Director of Brighter Bites. “We could not be happier to be partnering with two of the most trusted organizations in the region.”
Within the initiative, a simple formula is used to introduce healthy lifestyles to families that includes produce distribution, nutrition education, and encouraging families to sample delicious and fun recipes. Parents and community volunteers also pack bags of fresh fruits and veggies for families and teachers to take home each week over the course of three eight-week sessions. Each free two-bag set contains approximately 50 servings of 12 different produce items.
Richard LeBer, President and CEO, Harry Chapin Food Bank“Many hungry families struggle to eat healthy food on a budget. Teaching them how to do that is an important priority for us,” said Richard LeBer, President and CEO of Harry Chapin Food Bank. “That’s why we’re very excited to bring Brighter Bites’ effective programs to Southwest Florida.”
According to a press release, research shows the Brighter Bites model provides consistent opportunities for children and their families to practice healthier behaviors in school and at home, with 98 percent of parents reporting their children eating more fruits and vegetables thanks to the Brighter Bites program and 74 percent maintaining that increased level of consumption after the program ends. Children and parents participating in Brighter Bites also reported:
- Significant increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed
- Significant increase in serving more fruits and vegetables as snacks
- Two-fold increase in cooking meals from scratch, and a significant increase in eating meals together and serving more produce as part of those meals
- Two-fold increase in using nutrition labels to guide grocery purchases
- A significant decrease in added sugars consumed among children
Since launching in 2012, Brighter Bites has distributed more than 16 million pounds of produce and over 100,000 nutrition education materials to 40,000 familiesthrough elementary schools, preschools, and summer camps. Southwest Florida is the sixth Brighter Bites program to launch after Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
For more news like this, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
Brighter Bites Expands to Southwest Florida
Brighter Bites is thrilled to announce our expansion to Southwest Florida!
Brighter Bites in the Big Apple
If you’ve been keeping up with Brighter Bites’s Facebook and Instagram feeds, you know that we have some exciting news we’re bursting to share. Drum roll please…
Brighter Bites is in New York City!
Today marks our very first day of distribution in the Big Apple, where we’ll begin serving our tried and true nutrition education program to students and families of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens. Led by our newest Program Director, Melanie Button, the Brighter Bites NYC team will bring the three-step Brighter Bites formula of fresh produce distribution, nutrition education, and a fun food experience to a brand new community.
New York is the fourth city to house Brighter Bites programming (after Houston, Dallas, and Austin) and the first city outside of Texas. This big step for Brighter Bites was taken in collaboration with City Harvest, a New York-based food rescuer and distributor, and D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of New York, a wholesale produce supplier in the New York metro area. This launch coincides with Brighter Bites’ 5th birthday, which we celebrated earlier this week. That’s five years of creating communities of health and over 14 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables distributed.
How ’bout them apples?
Brighter Bites Expands to Brazoria County
This week marks the latest expansion for Brighter Bites, as we begin our programming with approximately 400 families who attend four schools in Freeport, TX, located in Brazoria County, about 60 miles due south of Houston.
Brighter Bites Houston by the Numbers
This fall, the Brighter Bites program in Houston will be our biggest season yet, serving more schools and families, and delivering more produce and nutrition education materials than ever before. Since there are so many schools, people, and produce that make up Brighter Bites in Houston in fall 2016, we thought we’d share our eye-popping stats with you:
50 Total number of sites/schools
16 Elementary schools new to Brighter Bites
9 Total full-time program staff
3 New full-time program staff
10 Total part-time program staff
6 New part-time program staff
7 Total fall interns
4+ Number of interns last fall
7500 Number of families to be served this fall
5000 Number of families served last fall
1.8 million Pounds of produce to be provided in Houston this fall
1.1 million Pounds of produce provided in Houston last fall
Brighter Bites Begins Year Two in Austin: Staff focus on Coordinated School Health
On September 6, Brighter Bites Austin will kick off fall programming in seven elementary schools and one early childhood center in the Austin Independent School District (AISD). We are thrilled to welcome back: Casey Elementary, Cunningham Elementary, Odom Elementary, and Langford Elementary. New schools joining us this fall are: Metz Elementary, Linder Elementary, Norman Elementary, and Uphaus Early Childhood Center. Unlike last year, Brighter Bites programming extends to all grades this year and the faculty serving those grades, with the exception of Langford Elementary, where families and teachers in grades pre-K through 3rd will be eligible to sign up for the program.
To prepare our schools for Brighter Bites programming and spark excitement for the beautiful produce and delicious recipes coming their way, our staff have been speaking with school leaders and faculty before programming begins. These meetings introduce and review the specifics of our dynamic nutrition education program (Food Access + Food Literacy + Food Engagement) as well as our process for partnering with teachers to utilize Brighter Bites produce as fun, hands-on educational tools in the classroom. Additionally, we explain how Brighter Bites fits into all of AISD’s coordinated school health programming.
AISD is different from the other school districts Brighter Bites works with, because this district uses the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model in addition to the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) curriculum, used in all of our other school districts. As a coordinated school health approach to student learning and wellness, WSCC embraces every aspect of a child’s education and health to improve his/her development. It includes not only physical activity, nutrition, family, and community involvement, but also social services and counseling, health services, social and emotional learning, employee wellness, and the physical environment. Brighter Bites fits nicely into the community involvement component of this model and we are grateful to AISD for incorporating our program into this coordinated school health approach.
At Brighter Bites, our goal is to create a community of health through fresh food, nutrition education, and fun at each school campus we serve, by increasing exposure to fruits and vegetables and empowering kids to try new foods. Classroom teachers, as significant role models in the school environment, are crucial to our success. The programming staff of Brighter Bites in Austin is charged up to begin our fall distributions next week. We’re looking forward to seeing familiar faces, catching up with volunteer alumni, and making new Brighter Bites friends.