HOUSTON – Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits, vegetables and nutrition education resources directly into families’ hands, today announced the release of its 2021 annual report. Readers can expect to see Brighter Bites’ financials, the number of nutrition education materials the organization distributed, the number of schools and families served, and a general look back at 2021. The nonprofit’s upcoming plans for the 2022-2023 school year are also highlighted.
Key highlights found within the report:
- 5,139,819 pounds of food were distributed in the seven major metropolitan areas where Brighter Bites served: Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, Washington DC, Salinas, CA., and Southwest Florida,
- 53,984 nutrition education lessons and activities were taught in classrooms (up from 27,147 in 2020),
- There were 1,753,203 total family encounters where Brighter Bites staff interacted directly with families at produce distribution centers,
- The organization received $11,243,176 in-kind produce donations (up from $8,737,417 in 2020).
“We’re honored and thankful to be able to share a report that so greatly reflects the dedication and efforts of our Brighter Bites’ team over the past year,” said Lisa Helfman, co-founder of Brighter Bites. “We are also beyond grateful for all of the partners that have made our work possible and have enabled us to grow into additional regions throughout the country!”
During 2021 Brighter Bites implemented the following activities, strengthening its impact:
- Re-launched volunteer opportunities that were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
- Started programming in Salinas, CA and ramped up efforts to launch in Bakersfield, CA in early 2022,
- Secured SNAP-Ed funding from the state of California for additional growth in the coming years
- Hosted the Smart in the Kitchen fundraising event,
- Held its first-ever “Back-to-School” fundraising campaign,
- Initiated infrastructure for Los Angeles programming with Food Forward as primary partner.
“Thanks to all of our dedicated employees, our sensational business partners, and our generous supporters we were able to overcome all of the obstacles of 2021,” said Rich Dachman, CEO of Brighter Bites. “We not only maintained our program, but we grew into new schools and cities. Our future looks so bright with plans for significant growth in 2022. We are changing lives for the better, and I am thankful to all that help make it happen every day.”
This fall, Brighter Bites will be celebrating its 10th year of providing fresh fruits and vegetables to families throughout the country. Beginning in Houston in 2012, the organization has now grown to serving families and students in food deserts across nine major metropolitan areas, with over 50 million pounds of fresh produce.
Brighter Bites’ 2021 annual report can be downloaded here. 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. In 2022, Brighter Bites expanded its programming to Los Angeles and Bakersfield, California. To learn more about Brighter Bites learn more about Brighter Bites visit www.brighterbites.org.
