Keyword/Tag: fresh produce

Brighter Bites Expands Impact in NYC with Guru Krupa Foundation Grant

Posted on March 12, 2025 by -

Brighter Bites NYC is proud to be a first-time grant recipient of the Guru Krupa Foundation, receiving $25,000 to support our mission of bringing fresh produce and nutrition education to families. Since receiving the grant, we have served 4,622 families across 17 schools in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens, and distributed over 422,000 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, including blackberries, mangoes, avocados, plantains, and winter squash. The grant also supports our ability to engage students with in-class nutrition education lessons and empower parents through healthy eating discussions and hands-on culinary demonstrations.

With the support of the Guru Krupa Foundation, Brighter Bites NYC is on track to serve 8,600 students and 6,500 families by the end of the grant period. Families are not only receiving nutritious food, they are gaining the knowledge and skills to make lifelong healthy choices. As we continue our mission, we look forward to increasing our impact and building healthier communities across New York City.

Brighter Bites, Zespri Kiwifruit and Gelson’s Collaborate for In-Store Promotion

Posted on July 30, 2024 by -

Zespri and Gelson’s to Each Donate One Dollar to Brighter Bites For Each  SunGold Kiwi Unit Purchased at Gelson’s.

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 31, 2024) – Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, partners with Zespri™ Kiwifruit and Gelson’s to host a two week, in-store promotion running from August 14 to 27. During this time, Zespri and Gelson’s will each donate $1 ($2 total) to the national nonprofit Brighter Bites for every one-pound package of Zespri SunGold Kiwi purchased.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Zespri Kiwifruit and Brighter Bites for the second year of this promotion,” said Sean Saenz, vice president of fresh foods for Gelson’s. “This initiative aligns with our commitment to offering high-quality products and supporting the health and well-being of our local communities.”

The promotion aims to support Brighter Bites’ mission of creating communities of health through fresh food. By purchasing Zespri SunGold Kiwi at any Gelson’s location, shoppers will not only enjoy the delicious and nutritious fruit but also contribute to a cause that provides fresh produce and nutrition education to children and their families.

“Zespri is proud to join Gelson’s in supporting Brighter Bites,” said Jeanne Wilson, head of marketing for Zespri North America. “Our SunGold Kiwifruit is not only a tasty and nutritious choice but also a means to make a positive impact on children’s health and nutrition.”

Last year, Brighter Bites, Zespri and Gelson’s came together for the same promotion and raised $2,500 to further the nonprofit’s dedication to provide reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and exposure to recipes that feature fresh food.

“This type of collaboration is a great example of how retailers and produce companies can come together to support an important mission of providing fresh fruits and vegetables to local communities,” said Rich Dachman, CEO of Brighter Bites. “Our promotion together last year was a great success, and we look forward to continuing to work together to encourage healthier choices.”

 

Feeding Houston: Brighter Bites, Houston Food Bank and Cougar Cupboard

Posted on April 17, 2024 by -

We cover a number of gourmet restaurants, booming burger joints and primo pizza parlors here in the Houston Press. And as much as we enjoy scouting out new cafes and happy hour hotspots, we also realize that a large number of Houstonians not only lack the means to dine out but also face hunger within their homes as well.

We are a massively spread out city and arguably the most diverse in the nation. And meeting the needs of those facing food insecurity is a daunting task. One organization alone cannot serve all of Houston’s families and residents in need. Houston Food Bank, the nation’s largest food bank network, serves 18 southeast Texas counties. That’s a lot of people to feed.

There are other organizations, however, that also have arisen in the past few years to provide more than just boxes of non-perishable foods, but also fresh produce and education. Working together, these non-profits benefit those in need of food and healthy habits. And some of them have experienced some big boosts lately in their efforts to do so.

Brighter Bites

Recently, we were invited to the Brighter Bites Second Anniversary Gala to meet with some of its organizers and strategists, folks who aim to not only provide school children with fresh produce but also educate families about the preservation and cooking of the precious ingredients.

Brighter Bites, which began in 2012, is the brainchild of founder and board chair Lisa Helfman and co-founder Dr. Shreela Sharma. Helfman attributes her inspiration for the non-profit to her decision years ago to take part in a weekly fruit and vegetable co-op to provide fresh produce for her family. One day her 6-year-old son, now a young man seated in the audience, turned down a slice of cake at a party because it was too sweet and asked instead for some berries. Helfman says she realized then that exposing children to healthy foods could make a difference but that not all children have access to fresh produce.

She began a collaboration with Dr. Sharma, a nutrition expert and professor of epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health. They started with local schools, providing fruits and vegetables donated by produce partners. Some students did not even recognize the different berries, citrus and greens.

Click to read the full article.

Fall 2019 Semester in Review

Posted on December 18, 2019 by -

That’s a wrap!

Brighter Bites finished up our fall 2019 programming season after distributing an estimated 2.5 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables at 100 program sites nationwide! This semester, nearly 19,000 families and over 3,000 teachers participated in our six programs across the country, spanning Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Southwest Florida. Throughout the programming season, over 408,000 pieces of nutrition education (like handbooks, how-to produce guides, shopping and planning advice, healthy-eating tips and tricks, and recipes) made their way into the hands of thousands of participating families.

We can’t wait to come back next spring to continue creating communities of health through fresh food!

Press Release: Walmart announces more than $1 million in support for Brighter Bites

Posted on October 8, 2019 by -

Walmart has committed $4 million to help fight food insecurity in Texas, and nearly $1.3 million will go to fresh produce-focused nonprofit Brighter Bites.

Brighter Bites distributes produce and provides nutrition and preparation information to families in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C., metro area and southwest Florida. The program will enroll more than 100,000 people from roughly 30,000 families for the 2019-20 school year.

Since the 2017-18 school year, the number of school sites with Brighter Bites programming has grown 23%, and the number of families served has more than doubled.

“The Walmart Foundation’s support of Brighter Bites allows us to build larger communities of fresh food in the cities where we operate, pursuing our mission without missing a beat,” Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman said in the release.

Since it launched in 2012, Brighter Bites has distributed more than 23 million pounds of produce through schools, after-school programs and summer camps. Research shows that produce consumption of participating families increases during the Brighter Bites program and remains at that higher level after the program ends, according to the release.

Participants in Brighter Bites reported higher consumption of vegetables and fruits as snacks, lower consumption of added sugar by children, and more meals eaten together as a family.

Those taking part in the program also report a two-fold increase in cooking meals from scratch and a two-fold increase in using nutrition labels to inform purchases at the store.

“Food insecurity is an issue that far too many families face every day, and we know the best way to make a difference is by using our strengths and engaging local organizations with deep roots in communities we serve,” Julie Gehrki, vice president of philanthropy at Walmart, said in the release. “Brighter Bites has a proven track record of making a strong, measurable impact and it’s our hope that through this work we can ensure that families have access to healthy, nutritious food.”

 

This exciting milestone was reported by the following publications:

The Packer
Produce Retailer
Chronicle of Philanthropy – Roundup of Recent Grants

Brighter Bites at the Pasadena Library

Posted on July 18, 2018 by -

Pasadena Library is now a Brighter Bites site! Listen to what Brighter Bites Senior Program Director Mike Pomeroy and Program Director Emily Kelly have to say have to say about our fun, free, and simple, three-part formula: Produce Distribution + Nutrition Education + Fun Food Experience. Check it out here!

Lisa Helfman Featured on The Produce Moms Podcast

Posted on June 14, 2018 by -

Brighter Bites Founder Lisa Helfman was recently featured in a brand new podcast by The Produce Moms Founder and CEO Lori Taylor. The two like-minded produce entrepreneurs had a fantastic discussion about the origins of Brighter Bites, how fresh produce empowers people to take control of their health, and how demystifying produce is key to behavioral change.

 

During their talk, Lisa explained the goal of Brighter Bites, saying “we want to make impact on two levels — we want to impact each family that we touch individually and change their behavior, and then we also want to change the whole conversation on [produce] equalling health, so people really understand that it matters what they put in their mouths, and that they can live healthier lives just by doing those simple things like eating apples or kale.”

The Produce Moms is a community of passionate fresh produce advocates with a mission to inspire everyone, especially children, to eat more fruits and vegetables. 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.

During May, The Produce Moms partnered with #GiveHealthy to host a produce drive benefiting Brighter Bites.

Listen to the fruitful discussion here!

Brighter Bites Best Nine

Posted on February 5, 2018 by -

February can be tough when it comes to healthy food creativity, especially when you’re short on time and feeling further and further away from those new year’s resolutions. But we’ve got you covered! We’ve compiled a list of our best nine recipes based on the likes of more than a thousand of our followers on Instagram. These recipes are a breeze to make and will deliver a mid-week vitamin and nutrient boost. Plus they’re budget friendly! Check them out below:

Brighter Bites Best Nine

Plum, Cucumber, and Basil Quinoa Salad
Perfect Pear and Brussels Sprouts Salad
Sweet Potato Cookies
Sweet Potato Fries
Roasted Winter Squash Soup
Apple Cake
Un-beet-lievable Smoothie
Superfood Kale Salad
Popping Pomegranate Salsa

These favorite recipes are packed with fruits and veggies (and are beautiful too!). Which one do you want to make first? We’re eyeing the sweet potato fries!

If you give any of these recipes a go, share pics with us @BrighterBites on social media!