Dear PBH Partners and Plant-Passionate Advocates,
As your PBH President & CEO, I must say THANK YOU. Thank you for your heartfelt sentiments and support as I move into the next chapter of my career. My heart will always beat strong with fruit and veggie love, and it is my goal to carry my lifelong passion for produce into my next role.
I have always appreciated the Dr. Seuss quote, “Don’t cry because it’s over; smile because it happened.” Being your leader and an advocate for fruit and vegetable consumption has truly been the highlight of my career and will forever represent many of my proudest professional moments. In fact, I can’t stop smiling as I think of the many memories and milestones we created together.
President & CEO
Produce for Better Health Foundation
I am incredibly grateful to all of you, for trusting me and my team as we transformed PBH into the premier, research-focused, consumer-centric philanthropy dedicated to inspiring new fruit and vegetable consumption habits every single day. I am so proud of our accomplishments toward making fruits and vegetables easy, delicious and fun for everyone.
Together, we led ground-breaking research to identify inspiring and actionable consumption habit-forming strategies, leading to the widely-successful, solutions-focused Have A Plant® Movement. We formed innovative partnerships and alliances, doubling membership in the National Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Coalition and creating PBH’s first-ever Influencer Network and Scientific Advisory Council. Perhaps most importantly, we joined together to create National Fruits & Veggies Month as well as the Lead The Change Collaborative Consumption Campaign to elevate fruit and vegetable consumption as a national priority. You can read more about our collective success in the recently-released 2022 PBH Annual Report. Without you, these accomplishments would not be possible, and so – THANK YOU!
The 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health further illuminated the need for the fruit- and veggie-loving community to come together and passionately advocate for innovative ways to ensure all Americans can enjoy fruits and vegetables every day. There has never been a more critical time to elevate consumption as a national priority; champion efforts to improve accessibility of all forms of fruits and vegetables; and encourage new, sustainable fruit and vegetable eating habits. We MUST work together in bringing more fruits and vegetables to Americans wherever and whenever they enjoy meals and snacks – which is why the PBH merger with the International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) Foundation for Fresh Produce is the right next step for PBH’s future.
With our combined research expertise, stakeholder relationships, and consumer behavior insights, PBH and IFPA’s Foundation for Fresh Produce will create the largest global community of advocates for fruits and vegetables. The timing is perfect, as the collective organization is poised to advance fruit and vegetable consumption in America and around the world.
I know PBH’s work is far from over, and you will continue to lead monumental initiatives that close the consumption gap. Your PBH team is committed to bringing your vision to life as part of IFPA’s Foundation for Fresh Produce into 2023 and beyond. And, of course, please do not hesitate to call on me for anything you may need in the future; you can reach me via LinkedIn, my personal email (wrkapsak@gmail.com) and/or my cell phone (703-862-4070).
As we head into 2023, I have much to be grateful for and that includes you and all of your plant-passionate advocacy in the work that you do every day to advance fruit and vegetables consumption. Thank you for your trust, partnership and friendship. You inspired me every day, and I will forever be the loudest advocate for fruits and vegetables, and for all of you. When I look back on my time as PBH President & CEO, I will always have a smile on my face.
Best wishes for a happy, healthy new year and many occasions to #haveaplant,
Wendy
