HOUSTON – Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, expands its reach through the Produce Rx program with the support of DoorDash and its Project DASH initiative.
In 2022, Brighter Bites partnered with UT Physicians, McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health to conduct a randomized controlled study to assess the impact of two Produce Rx strategies among children who are overweight and obese, along with their families who are Medicaid-eligible at two UT Physicians’ clinics in Houston, Texas.
DoorDash has helped make this possible by transporting 16 bi-weekly deliveries of 15 to 20 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables to children and families who are prescribed Produce Rx. These deliveries consist of the same size produce box that the school-based program, Brighter Bites, regularly distributes.
Although Produce Rx is currently only available in Houston, DoorDash and Brighter Bites have recently made a commitment to support the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health and its goal of ending hunger by 2030. Both organizations will expand their impact through delivery of prescription fresh produce to several additional cities across the U.S. by 2025.
“The opportunity to deliver produce directly to children who require dietary intervention is an exciting one,” said Mike Pomeroy, VP of Operations for Brighter Bites. “Some children are at risk with their long-term health if they don’t make dramatic improvements to their daily food intake. Our Produce Rx partnership with UT Physicians and DoorDash enables us to reach the children who need Brighter Bites the most.”
“DoorDash is proud to expand our partnership with Brighter Bites in support of the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. Local delivery of charitable food can have a transformative impact by breaking down barriers to access and enabling partners like Brighter Bites to promote health and wellness through produce boxes. We look forward to growing our partnership and joining with all sectors to grow our collective impact,” said Daniel Riff, Head of DoorDash Drive Government and Nonprofit.
The study, conducted among 150 families, will be completed this spring and will determine the feasibility and effectiveness of improving weight management outcomes, food insecurity and diet quality among the participating children and their families. If successful, this will provide the evidence needed for a new healthcare partnership model for Brighter Bites.
To read more about the White House commitment to help end hunger and create healthy communities, click here, and to review the entire list of commitments, click here.
To learn more about becoming a corporate sponsor through product or financial donations, visit brighterbites.org or contact Director of Strategy and Partnerships, Amy Priebe, at amy.priebe@brighterbites.org. To stay informed on additional ways to support the organization, follow Brighter Bites on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, or YouTube.
Any organizations that are interested in providing local delivery for their clients via Project DASH can reach out to projectdash@doordash.com.
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 60 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than one million individuals (including teachers) in Austin, Bakersfield, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, New York City, Salinas, San Antonio, Southwest Florida, and the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. To learn more about Brighter Bites visit www.brighterbites.org.
About DoorDash®
DoorDash (NASDAQ: DASH) is a technology company that connects consumers with their favorite local businesses in more than 25 countries across the globe. Founded in 2013, DoorDash builds products and services to help businesses innovate, grow, and reach more customers. DoorDash is your door to more: the local commerce platform dedicated to enabling merchants to thrive in the convenience economy, giving consumers access to more of their communities, and providing work that empowers.
