HOUSTON – Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education resources directly into families’ hands, celebrates its 10th year of helping under-resourced communities throughout the U.S.
Since its founding in 2012, Brighter Bites has shared over 50 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education to more than 500,000 individuals across all communities it serves, including: Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, Washington D.C., Southwest Florida, Salinas, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield.
In 2021 alone, the organization distributed over five million pounds of produce in seven metro areas and taught 53,984 nutrition education lessons and activities in classrooms. Brighter Bites also received over $11 million from in-kind produce donations, surpassing the $8 million in 2020.
“During this upcoming school year, we’re expected to deliver over nine million pounds of produce, impacting almost 28,800 families,” said Lisa Helfman, co-founder of Brighter Bites. “We are beyond grateful to all of our fresh produce partners, volunteers, and donors who have made the last ten years possible, and we look forward to many more to come!”
In addition to this milestone, Brighter Bites is hosting a back-to-school fundraising campaign with a goal of reaching $500,000 to create more equitable communities that foster healthy minds and bodies. To join in on the celebration, readers can donate, volunteer, and/or partner with Brighter Bites through the links provided.
“The need for increasing access to fresh food and nutrition education to students and their families in under-resourced areas is monumental, and Brighter Bites plans to continue to improve programming to meet those needs,” said Helfman. “We expect to grow to at least two more cities in 2023 and anticipate keeping this momentum for the next ten years and beyond.”
To learn more about Brighter Bites, visit brighterbites.org, or follow the organization on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter or YouTube.
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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 500,000 individuals (including teachers) in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, Southwest Florida, Salinas, Los Angeles, and Bakersfield. To learn more about Brighter Bites visit www.brighterbites.org.
