Our Process
Eight steps to Brighter Bites.
Step 1
Engage
Step 2
Select the
Select the
Week’s Variety
Step 3
Load Up!
Step 4
Bag the
Bag the
Produce
Step 5
Teach
Teach
Brighter Choices
Step 6
Sample
Sample
& Share
Step 7
Take Home
Take Home
the Fun
Step 8
Replicate
Engage
Select
Load
Bag
Teach
Sample
Take
Replicate
Step One
Engage
Communities
It all starts with the right relationships. We engage schools, communities, and partners and introduce them to our Brighter Bites model: produce distribution + nutrition education + a fun food experience.
From local farmers to leading university researchers, teachers to three-generation families, it takes teamwork to build a culture of health. Brighter Bites was built to scale, and we make it as easy as possible for communities.
A LITTLE HEART PLUS ONE MAGIC FORMULA
HEALTHY CHANGE: LOCALLY SOWN, NATIONALLY GROWN!
Step Two
Select the
Week’s Variety
Our produce suppliers donate fresh fruits and vegetables to our partnering food banks. Each week, our staff chooses 8 to 12 different types of produce from the huge warehouse coolers, and the food is specially tagged for Brighter Bites.
Working closely with leaders like Sysco not only helps us ensure that a wide variety of fruits and vegetables are available for Brighter Bites, but also that the food meets stringent standards of safety, quality, and traceable tastiness—no matter its shape or size!
WE CHOOSE OUR PRODUCE AS CAREFULLY AS WE CHOOSE OUR PARTNERS
WE EMBRACE THE FUNFAMILIAR, FROM SWISS CHARD TO STARFRUIT!
Step Three
Load Up!
Massive pallets teeming with bags and cases of fresh produce for Brighter Bites are loaded by warehouse staff into a large box truck. It is hard work: each truckload can feed hundreds of families.
Each pallet carries 1500 lbs of fresh produce
The truck can hold 8-10 pallets (enough to feed 400 families!)
Step Four
Bag the
Produce
Once the truck arrives at the site, it is typically unloaded into a gym or cafeteria. Unified in our bright red t-shirts, Brighter Bites staff, parents, and community volunteers work as an assembly line to unpack and divide the variety of produce into bags.
Each family and teacher receives two bags of fresh fruits and vegetables. Staples like potatoes, onions, carrots, and apples are typically included—along with unique seasonal picks that give families the chance to take home top crops like kale, kiwi, beets, plums, or rutabaga.
TWO BAGS OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES PER FAMILY
200-800 BAGS WILL BE LINED UP ONCE THE PROCESS IS COMPLETE!
Step Five
Teach
Brighter Choices
Also added into the bags are nutrition handbooks, tip sheets, and recipes that incorporate that week’s fresh produce. These bilingual materials are chock full of helpful info and advice, from kitchen safety to smarter snacking to making a healthier menu.
All educational materials are linked to children’s in-class nutrition lessons from CATCH and other evidence-based, coordinated school health programs that we help implement via our specially-trained staff.
Nearly 100 bilingual recipes exist in our database
CATCH IS BACKED BY NEARLY 25 YEARS OF UNIVERSITY RESEARCH
Step Six
Sample
& Share
Let the fun food experience begin! Our team prepares healthy, tasty “brighter bites” for families to sample, using one or more of the produce items being shared that week.
The recipe for that very demo also waits in the bags, ready to be taken home and tried out. Kids and their families taste new dips, soups, snacks, main dishes, and more—and they never leave without a stop at our happenin’ tattoo station.
OUR SIGNATURE SAMPLES ARE CONCOCTED BY IN-HOUSE NUTRITIONISTS
HULK SMOOTHIE, ANYONE?
Step Seven
Take Home
the Fun
When all is said and done, each family and teacher walks away with a pair of bags that contains approximately 50 servings of fresh, seasonal produce, plus tips and tools for how to use it.
For one week for a family of four, that’s two extra servings of fruits and vegetables a day—at no extra cost to our participating families.
Light fare, heavy load: one set of bags = 20-25 lbs!
2 extra servings of fruits & vegetables a day
At no extra cost
Step Eight
Replicate
This process repeats for 16 weeks during the school year and 8 weeks during the summer. Our scalable co-op model allows us to bring Brighter Bites to more schools and camps each season, creating a culture of health wherever we go.
DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND SUMMERS
WE’VE PASSED OUT OVER 15 MILLION POUNDS OF PRODUCE TO MORE THAN 40,000 FAMILIES
We are happy to announce our partnership with Mr Greens Produce in San Antonio as our produce box logistical partner for our Austin programming! Through the support of Mr Greens, we are able to serve about 2,400 families in the Austin area. This spring we have 147 distributions scheduled across 18 sites. That's 390,600 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables that will be distributed this spring semester! Thank you @mrgreensproduce for supporting the work that we do! 💚
“We are thankful to be working with Mr Greens who stepped in to partner with Brighter Bites at a critical time,” said Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman. “The Mr Greens team consistently shows their commitment to our mission by going above and beyond the scope of our agreement, and it is our hope that this partnership grows into a longstanding collaboration.”
#BrighterBites #BrighterBitesAustin #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #HealthyEating #nonprofit #partnership #ThankfulThursday
March is National Nutrition Month, so we are highlighting one of our favorite nutritious and delicious recipes!
Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables helps make sure you are getting all of the nutrients you need to be healthy! Fill your plate with color to ensure that your body is getting the various vitamins and minerals it needs to stay healthy. 🌈🍓🍊🍌🥦🍇
Since spring ("primavera" in Italian and Spanish) begins in a couple weeks why not try our delicious Pasta Primavera with our Homemade Pasta Sauce?! 🍝🌼
See the full recipes on our website!
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce ➡️ https://www.brighterbites.org/recipe/homemade-spaghetti-sauce/
Pasta Primavera ➡️ https://www.brighterbites.org/recipe/pasta-primavera/
#NationalNutritionMonth #HealthyEating #HealthyCooking #VegetarianRecipe #BrighterBitesImpact #BrighterBites #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
Interested in learning a little bit more about our impact in the communities we serve? Here's the scoop! ➡️
Since its inception in 2012, Brighter Bites has delivered more than 40,000,000 pounds of fresh produce and hundreds of thousands of nutrition education materials to more than 475,000 individuals (including teachers) in multiple cities across the country. 🎉🙌
A majority of children in the United States do not consume sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables. These consumption rates are significantly lower among minority populations who live in underserved areas known as food deserts: places without access to fresh produce. So we bring good food to where kids already are: preschools, elementary schools, and summer camps. 🏫
Every week, Brighter Bites heads to these sites and distributes fresh, seasonal produce for families and teacher to pick up and take home. Each week of programming, we provide approximately 50 servings of fruits and vegetables, weighing 20-25 pounds, for the families we serve. 📦🥦🌽🍇
Currently we are serving over 120 schools across SEVEN cities! Some of our most frequently distributed produce items include: apples, carrots, oranges, pears, potatoes, bananas, cucumbers, limes, tomatoes, onions, and pineapple. Now that is big and healthy impact! 🍎🥕🍊🍐🥔🍌🥒🍋🍅🧅🍍
#BrighterBitesImpact #BrighterBites #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
Mondays aren't so bad when you have a Brighter Bites box of produce to look forward to! 📦🍎🍍🥦🥕
Brighter Bites distributions are outdoor drive thru and walk up lines this year. They are safe and contactless, and not to mention fun and healthy for the whole family! We cannot wait to see our Brighter Bites families this week! What do you think is in the box this week? 🤔📦
#BrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience
Another successful week of distributions across our cities this week! Here's a look at what our teams and volunteers have been up to. 👏📦🥬🌽🍅🥦🍌🥕
Despite the winter weather challenges, our teams are ready to serve! ☀️
#BrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #NutritionEducation #HealthyEating #Nonprofit #BrighterBitesHouston #BrighterBitesSalinas #BrighterBitesDallas #BrighterBitesNYC #BrighterBitesDC #WeAreBrighterBites
Today's #ThankfulThursday shout out goes to our wonderful volunteers at William Paca Elementary in @brighterbitesdc . 😀
SNOW matter what the weather, these volunteers have shown their passion, dedication, and excitement to serve our community. ❄️ Thank you for showing up each week to support our mission of creating communities of health through fresh food. 🍎 Each week, these amazing volunteer help serve our 140+ families at William Paca Elementary. Keep up the good work! THANK YOU!
#BrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #Volunteering #BrighterBitesVolunteer
We are thrilled to share that we’ve been selected as a #VoicesDMV Community Action Awards winner for our Washington, D.C. program! Thank you @communityfndn for helping us spark change and turn our ideas into action to enhance our community!
#AdvocacyToAction #CommunityAction
It’s official! 🎉
Brighter Bites has officially headed West and has its first distribution TODAY in California. We could not be more excited to partner with the Salinas community in sharing our love of fresh produce, nutrition education, and a fun food experience!
The fertile fields of the Salinas Valley (also known as the “Salad Bowl of the World”) are home to numerous growers, and the headquarters of many Brighter Bites partners making it an ideal location for expansion to a seventh market. The Salinas area is known as the "produce capital" of the country and therefore is a natural fit for the organization to work even more closely with local growers, shippers, and organizations to continue the momentum of giving back to a community that has given so much. Brighter Bites looks forward to seizing on this opportunity to improve the health of the students and families in the Salinas area by providing nutrition education and access to free, fresh produce being grown so close (in fact- 30% of the world’s lettuce is grown in the Salinas Valley!). 🥬🍅🥑🥦
Brighter Bites’ launch in the region is made possible through the support of several key partners, including @riverfreshfarms, who is providing logistical support, and critical funding partners like the @walmart Foundation, @yourtaylorfarms @missionavocados, JV Smith Companies, and @churchbrothersfarms. Other donors, including those who are providing produce, include D’Arrigo, @dolepics @bragafreshfarms, Nunes Company, Inc., Muzzi Family Farms, and @veggiesmadeeasy .
For our first semester in Salinas, we are partnering with three school districts including Gonzales Unified School District, Greenfield Union School District, and Monterey County Head Start. Brighter Bites will continue to grow the program in the Salinas region into the summer and fall.
Follow along @brighterbitessalinas to see more of our programming in Salinas! We can't wait to share more our story and impact with you! 🙌
#BrighterBites #BrighterBitesSalinas #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #nonprofit #ProduceDistribution #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience
Brighter Bites is honoring history this month and celebrating alongside our school communities. We love seeing what our school partners are doing within their communities to celebrate the significance of this month!
#BlackHistoryMonth
🍓Strawberries are red,
Blueberries are blue.
Mangoes are sweet🥭,
and we think you are too!
♥️ -The Brighter Bites crew!
#HappyValentinesDay
Brighter Bites is wishing our community a Happy Lunar New Year!
#LunarNewYear
This #WellnessWednesday we are celebrating the avocado!
Avocados are in peak season. 😋🥑
What does that mean❓ When fruits and vegetables are in season it means that they are the most flavorful and affordable.
✨It can be tricky to choose the right avocado, but here are a few of our tips!
🥑 Avocados are available year round like most fruits and vegetables these days, but January through March is the best time of year for the best flavor.
🥑Look for avocados that are green and firm if you won’t be using them for a few days or avocados that are
black and evenly yield to gentle touch for immediate use.
🥑To ripen avocados, you may leave them out at room temperature until they soften.
🥑Look for avocados without bruises, blemishes, soft spots, or very mushy flesh.
Fun fact: Avocado is a fruit. 🥑😎
#BrighterBites #EatinSeason #FreshProduce #Fruit #NutritionEducation #Nonprofit #HealthyTips #HealthyFact #Avocado
It's National Pizza Day 🍕🎉, so we are sharing our Zucchini Pizza recipe and a healthy tip for you:
Did you know that you can make pizza without a flour crust? That's right! These yummy zucchini pizzas uses thin slices of zucchini as the crust! This recipe is flavorful, easy to make, full of nutrition, and budget-friendly. 🥫🧅It is sure to fit in with your health goals this year. 💪
Check out the recipe below, and let us know what you think!
INGREDIENTS:
3 medium zucchini
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 small jar low sodium pizza or marinara sauce
¼ cup part skim shredded mozzarella cheese
your favorite vegetable toppings (onion, bell pepper, olives, or mushrooms)
DIRECTIONS
Turn on oven broiler, or preheat to 425°F. Wash zucchini and cut into slices about ¼ inches thick. Lightly sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, and place on baking sheet. Spread a small amount of sauce on each zucchini slice, then top with cheese and your choice of veggies. Broil on high for 3-5 minutes, or bake until cheese is melted. Serve immediately!
#BrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #HealthyEating #HealthyCooking #RecipeOfTheDay #TuesdayTips #NationalPizzaDay #NutritionEducation #EatHealthy #BBHouston #BBAustin #BBDallas #BBNYC #BBWashingtonDC #BBSWFL
Looking for delicious and nutritious appetizers for this Super Bowl weekend at home?? 🏈
Here are a few of our favorite dips perfect for the occasion-
• Better Than Ranch Dip
• Black Bean Dip
• Corn Guacamole
• Poblano Salsa
😋🥕🥑🌮
Pair these dips with sliced veggies, tortillas chips, or as a toppings on tacos.
Visit our website for the full recipes. ➡️https://brighterbites.org/recipe/
What are you snacking on this Super Bowl Sunday? Comment below with the healthy recipes! You’ll be making at home!
#BrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #HealthyCooking #HealthyEating #RecipeOfTheDay #SuperBowlSnacks
Think we are crazy for putting clothes on vegetables? We don’t CARROT all! 🥕😉
We love putting smiles on our families’ faces, and this guy sure did this week at Beacon Heights Elementary in DC! 🤩
@brighterbitesdc
#brighterbites #brighterbitesdc #freshproduce #fruits #vegetables
Can you guess what is special about today's "date"⁉️
It is #NationalMedjoolDateDay! 🌴 To help celebrate National Medjool Date Day we would like to share a quick tip about dates:
Did you know that the white spots that occur on dates are not mold, but the date’s natural sugar moving to the surface.😋
For more tips on dates and other delicious fruits and vegetables visit our website at www.brighterbites.org/tips-tools 🤩
@ndmedjooldates
#BrighterBites #NationalMedjoolDateDay #FreshProduce #NutritionEducation #Nonprofit #HealthyFact
Just a friendly reminder that it is National Carrot Cake Day! 🥕🍰
To celebrate, why not whip up a batch of our Carrot Cupcakes?
INGREDIENTS
• 1½ cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup honey
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup unsalted light butter
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups shredded carrots (about 5 carrots)
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• Cooking spray or paper liners
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl mix (preferably with an electric whisk or beaters) the applesauce, honey, butter, egg, sugar, and vanilla together. Then, add flour mixture until well combined. The batter will be fairly thick at this point. Finally, add the carrots, raisins, and walnuts, and stir until everything is well incorporated. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray or insert paper liners. With a spoon evenly divide batter to muffin pan. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and muffins are beginning to turn golden brown on top.
See the full recipe here ➡️
https://brighterbites.org/recipe/carrot-cupcakes/
#BrighterBites #freshproduce #vegetables #HealthyBaking #HealthyEating #RecipeOfTheDay #NationalCarrotCakeDay #WellnessWednesday
Southwest Florida Friends!
Save the Date! You’re invited to join the Naples Children & Education Foundation on Saturday, January 30th at 7:00PM on WINK-TV. The one-hour televised event will highlight organizations it has funded and the systems of care it has built to support children like ours in Collier County. Please join us and help improve the life of a child—you won’t even have to get off the couch to do it.
Good news for our friends outside of Florida- The event will also be livestreamed online for all to see! Please visit https://www.ncefkids.com/ to tune in live on Saturday at 7:00PM EST.
@ncef_nwwf @brighterbites_swfl
#ItsAllForTheKids #NCEFNaples #NWWF21 #NCEFkids #BrighterBites #BrighterBitesSWFL #partnership #nonprofit #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #NutritionEducation
This week, our Houston families received dates in their boxes, and there was nothing but excitement for this fun fruit! 🤩 Thank you @ndmedjooldates for your generous donation to our Brighter Bites families. We were able to share this tasty treat with over 665 families across 5 of our schools! These sweet smiles say it all! 🤎
@brighterbiteshou
#BrighterBites #NaturalDelights #partnership #FreshProduce #FruitsAndVegetables #fruits #nonprofit #NutritionEducation #HealthyEating #FunFoodExperience
We are so honored to be a #KrisStops Mavs Foundation Grant recipient! 💙🤍🏀
This past year, the Dallas Mavericks and Kristaps Porzingis continued the #KrisStops community initiative to fight childhood hunger. For every block Porzingis made during the 2019-2020 season, he personally donated $500 to the MAVS Foundation. This past fall, Brighter Bites was honored to receive $10,000 from this initiative. Thank you @mavsoffcourt @dallasmavs @Kporzee for your generous support for our mission to create communities of fresh food in the Dallas area! We'd say this was a SLAM DUNK for our families! 🏀
#KrisStops #BrighterBites #BrighterBitesDallas #partnership #nonprofit #freshproduce #nutritioneducation