Kingsville, ON – If you tuned in last Tuesday to the virtual SUNSET Rocks event, you’re probably still singing along to the playlist of rock, pop, and country hits played during the event. In its first ever virtual event, SUNSET Rocks brought in not one but four major recording artists for an exclusive event that connected the entire industry and raised funds for the non-profit organization, Brighter Bites®. The event was a massive success, far surpassing the partnership’s fundraising goal thanks to the generous donations made by sponsors and viewers.
“By turning SUNSET Rocks into a virtual event, we were able to create an immersive and dynamic digital experience for the industry,” shared Mark Figueiredo, Creative Director of Mastronardi Produce. “We could bring in more acts, more attendees, and ultimately raise more money for Brighter Bites, while also sharing important messages from our partners and sponsors. Overall, it rocked on so many levels.”
SUNSET Rocks brought together the entire industry for the exclusive event. With the generous donations from the event’s attendees and sponsors, over $200,000 was collected for Brighter Bites. The funds raised will allow Brighter Bites to distribute nearly 1,000,000 pounds, or 2,400,000 servings, of fresh produce to families who need it most and will help the organization expand their program to new communities and schools. This was the organization’s most successful single-day fundraiser to date since their founding in 2012.
“Having attended past year’s SUNSET® Rocks events, my expectations for this year were set pretty high. Yet somehow Dean Taylor, Paul Mastronardi and the SUNSET® Team still managed to blow my mind in every way imaginable,” said Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman. “I am still in awe at the fact one of my all-time favorite artists helped raise more than $200,000 for Brighter Bites and the families we serve. This was a night I will never forget, and I can’t thank SUNSET® and our sponsors enough.”
A huge thank you goes out to the PMA, premier sponsor Enza Zaden, matching and event sponsors SUNSET®, EarthFresh, Sunkist®, Chelan Fresh™, H-E-B®, Grimmway Farms®, Good Foods™ Group LLC and Calavo® RFG, and to all attendees who came together to help support the cause. Let’s keep rocking together to make the world a brighter, healthier place.
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About SUNSET®
A pioneer and industry leader in the gourmet greenhouse industry, SUNSET® grows and markets nationally recognized brands, including Campari®, Angel Sweet®, and Flavor Bombs® tomatoes. SUNSET® has been family-owned for over 70 years and prides itself on producing consistently flavorful gourmet tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and berries.
To learn more about SUNSET®, visit sunsetgrown.com or read our past releases.
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 more than 30 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than 350,000 individuals (including teachers!) in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, and Southwest Florida. The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) named Brighter Bites the winner of the 2018 PHA Impact Award. In 2016, Brighter Bites won the Texas Health Champion Award. To learn more about Brighter Bites visit BrighterBites.org.
