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. To see the cities we serve, click here.
We have replicated our proven formula across the country
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 UNFAMILIAR, 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. Interested in becoming a produce partner? Visit our Produce Partners page.
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. Hungry to help? Sign up to volunteer here.
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. Download our mobile app here for our full library.
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
We provide evidence-based nutrition education curriculum for our schools
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.
Kids and their families taste new dips, soups, snacks, main dishes, and more. We provide that recipe and more tips and tools to our families through the app. Download our mobile app here for our full library.
OUR SIGNATURE SAMPLES ARE CONCOCTED BY IN-HOUSE NUTRITIONISTS
FROM APPLES TO ZUCCHINI, WE CAN HELP YOU WITH ALL OF THE A-Z'S OF ENJOYING PRODUCE
Step Seven
Take Home
the Fun
When all is said and done, each family and teacher walks away with a pair of bags that contain 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. Interested in bringing Brighter Bites to your community? Visit our Partner page
REPLICATED DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND SUMMERS
WE'VE PASSED OUT MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF PRODUCE TO THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES
Part 2️⃣ of our Dallas volunteer appreciation post! Meet some more of the amazing volunteers that give their time, muscles, and and energy to support our program!
Conswella's favorite part of volunteering is seeing the kids smile as their families participate with the program. Her favorite fruits are oranges and strawberries. She enjoys making a fruit salad with what she receives in the produce box. 🍊🍓
Carolyn enjoys engaging with the students and families whenever she volunteers with Brighter Bites. Her favorite fruits are oranges and grapes. 🍊🍇
Alma enjoys helping people and volunteering whenever she has the opportunity to do so. Her favorite fruits are grapes and mangos. 🍇🥭
Abelinda enjoys giving back to the community and loves that she can see and interact with the students while volunteering with Brighter Bites. Her favorite produce are oranges and celery. 🍊
@BrighterBitesDallas
#BrighterBitesImpact #BrighterBites #BrighterBitesDallas #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
Allow us to introduce you to the people behind the produce! 🍓🌽🍊
This #ThankfulThursday, we are highlighting some of our amazing Dallas volunteers and sharing their stories! Part 1️⃣
Antonia is a parent volunteer and enjoys volunteering with Brighter Bites. She says It’s rewarding as a parent to participate in volunteering opportunities offered at her children’s school. She is very grateful to Brighter Bites for offering such wonderful food for her family. She likes to prepare a vegetable soup with items such as the squash, potato, and sweet potato found in the produce box. 🥘
Maria C. is a school staff member that has been volunteering with Brighter Bites for 2 years. She says it is rewarding to know that families are receiving fresh foods. Working with Brighter Bites is one of the reasons why she loves her job. Her favorite produce items are spinach and papaya.
Maria enjoys serving the community. Thanks to Brighter Bites she learned about eggplant and enjoys cooking it as an eggplant breaded recipe. 🍆 Her favorite fruit and vegetables are apples, strawberries, lettuce, and onions. 🍎🥬🍓🧅
Maria A. said she enjoys helping others. She mentions she gets a rewarding feeling from volunteering with Brighter Bites, who is involved with her community. She loves making a warm, soupy chicken dish with potatoes, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Her favorite fruits are apples and oranges. 🍅🌶🍏🍊
Lety says it’s rewarding to volunteer with a program that brings nutritious produce which helps her community be healthy and happy. She likes to prepare a savory dish of chicken with bell peppers and rice. Her favorite produce are cucumbers and bell peppers. 🥒
@BrighterBitesDallas
#BrighterBitesImpact #BrighterBites #BrighterBitesDallas #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
Our First Annual Impact Report is here! 🙌
What's Inside?
- 2020 Milestones 🏆
- Programming Highlights by the Numbers 🔢
- Nutrition Education Data 📈
- Operations During COVID-19 😷
- A Look Forward to 2021 ☀️
- And more! 👏
“We’re proud and thankful to share a great report that reflects the team’s hard work and efforts over the past year. Despite new protocols in place for COVID-19, we worked with our amazing partners around the country to ensure fresh food & nutrition resources were available for children and their families when they needed them the most.”
-Lisa Helfman, Founder & Board Chair
Visit our website at www.brighterbites.org/financials to see the full report featuring the mission that drives us, facts that back up our program methods, and the families and impact that keeps us moving forward. We are so proud of the work that we do, and we hope that you join us in our mission! Here's to looking back at a successful year in 2020 full of impact and to many more years of creating communities of health through fresh food!
#BrighterBites #BrighterBitesImpact #nonprofit #FreshProduce #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience
We think our Brighter Bites teachers are really GRAPE! 🍇
Brighter Bites partners with school staff to teach nutrition education lessons, produce activities, and PE activities in the classroom. Nutrition education is an essential piece to our formula, and it takes a school village to help make it happen! THANK YOU to our school staff, principals, teachers, and coaches for all of the work that you do within the school to teach your students about healthy eating. You truly are making such an impact on your Brighter Bites students! Here is a look at what our educators have achieved!
📚Nutrition Education lessons taught: 9,015
🤸♀️PE Activities done: 452
🥦Produce Activities executed: 19,493
#BrighterBites #FreshProduce #Fruits #Veggies #Vegetables #JoyOfFresh #HaveAPlant #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #WeAreBrighterBites
❤️Brighter Bites mourns the loss of a beloved friend, colleague, and important member of our team. Willie Woods, Program Coordinator in Houston, Texas, was dependable, good natured, and an enthusiastic giver. Willie was always there for anyone who needed him. Our hearts go out to his family during this difficult time, and we celebrate his life and impact on everyone he knew.
At Brighter Bites, we support and love each other like family. We celebrate in good times and come together in hard times. We humbly created a fundraising effort to support the needs of Willie's family. Please see the link here and in bio if you are interested in giving. https://gofund.me/3cf1f92c
Wishing all of our moms a happy and healthy Mother's Day this Sunday. 💐
To our soon-to-be moms, teachers, volunteers, families, staff, and even our dog moms, THANK YOU for all that you do for your little ones and more. We celebrate YOU this weekend! 💕
#HappyMothersDay #BrighterBitesMoms #MothersDay2021
Here's the latest on what's happening in the Big Apple! 🍎
🏫Total sites: 13 schools
🙌Total number of families served: 2,600 families
🌽Total pounds of produce distributed: 930,000 lbs
🤝Program partners: Our programming is made possible from partnerships with @cityharvestnyc, @darrigonewyork, @myredrabbit, and of course all our schools and families!
🍍Some family favorite produce in the boxes: plantains, papayas, pineapples, and mangos
🎉Staff highlight: We recently welcomed a long time volunteer into our NYC team as a program associate. We are thrilled to have Jen Bodero on board!
💙Thank you to one of our newest supporters @eifoundation!
@BrighterBitesNYC
#BrighterBitesImpact #BrighterBites #BrighterBitesNYC #NYC #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
🎉BIG shout out to our newest NYC supporter, @eifoundation!
Through the support of Entertainment Industry Foundation's grant, we are able to serve so many families in our NYC programming. THANK YOU @eifoundation for your support in creating communities of health through fresh food!
About EIF:
The Entertainment Industry Foundation was founded in 1942 by Hollywood icons (Samuel Goldwyn, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, and the Warner brothers) with the intent of building awareness and raising funds to support organizations that facilitate positive social change. The current focus is on critical health and educational and social issues.
Brighter Bites was identified and selected to receive a grant because we are mission-aligned through our support of high-need families in need of food and nutrition education during the pandemic. Thank you @eifoundation for your support in our mission!
#BrighterBites #BrighterBitesNYC #FreshProduce #Fruit #Vegetables #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #nonprofit
Did someone say SALSA? 💃
Salsas are great recipes to add more fruits and veggies into your diet. Here are some festive and delicious salsa recipes to add to your recipe rotation:
🥭 Mango Tango Salsa
🌽 Black Bean & Corn Salsa
🧄 Poblano Salsa
🍉 Watermelon Salsa
➡️ For the full recipes check out our website https://brighterbites.org/recipes
#NationalSalsaMonth #WellnessWednesday #BrighterBites #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Smoothies #HealthyCooking #HealthyEating #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
🍊 Ever wondered why orange juice is the most popular fruit juice in America?
We think it's because of it's bright color, sweet taste, and it's health benefits! In honor of National Orange Juice Day, we are sharing a few facts about oranges:
🍊Oranges are sweet citrus fruits.
🍊These fruits have long growing seasons from autumn to spring.
🍊They come in many sizes and different shades of orange.
🍊These citrus fruits are good sources of vitamin C.
#NationalOrangeJuiceDay #OrangeJuice #BrighterBites #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Smoothies #HealthyCooking #HealthyEating #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
❤️🍈🍎🥦
Cutest way to say "Thank you!" to our supporters, partners, volunteers, and friends? The artwork of our little Brighter Biters, of course!
🎨 Credit: Ms. Delacruz's 2nd grade class at Kruse Elementary in Houston
#BrighterBites #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes #FreshProduce #EatHealthy #FoodIsMedicine #Fruits #Veggies #Vegetables #JoyOfFresh #HaveAPlant #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #WeAreBrighterBites
This month, Brighter Bites is recognizing the contributions and influence of Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States. At Brighter Bites, we love celebrating cultures through food! Tropical fruits like passion fruit, kumquats, dragon fruit, lychee, and pineapple and vegetables like bok choy, taro root, daikon radish, and Napa cabbage are native to Asian countries and are a delicious way to celebrate this rich culture.
#asianamericanpacificislanderheritagemonth #aapiheritagemonth
What's cooking in D.C.? 🏛🍳 So glad you asked!
We are excited to highlight the work of our D.C. team this school year:
📍10 sites in the Washington, D.C. metro area
🍽 ~ 3,000 families served
🍎 338,493 POUNDS of fresh produce have been distributed since the beginning of 2020-2021 school year
🖐5 amazing staff members!
🤝We could not make our programming happen without the incredible partnerships of @capitalareafoodbank and @coastalsunbeltproduce 🎉
@BrighterBitesDC
#BrighterBitesImpact #BrighterBites #BrighterBitesDC #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
Looking for a RAISIN to smile? 😃🍇
Our Triple Fruit Coleslaw will surely put a smile on your face! This is a kid favorite!!! 🎉
Have your kids involved in preparing this yummy recipe- they can measure out and mix together all of the ingredients.
For this delicious recipe go to our website ➡️ https://brighterbites.org/recipe/triple-fruit-coleslaw/
#NationalRaisinDay #HealthyEating #HealthyCooking #VegetarianRecipe #BrighterBitesImpact #BrighterBites #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy
This #ThankfulThursday, we’d like to thank our partner Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas for choosing Brighter Bites for a #HealthyKidsHealthyFamilies grant! Together, we have been able to accomplish some really great work in our Texas communities!💙
We've provided safe distributions to families in Texas and sent home prepacked boxes of produce containing more than 1,000,000 pounds of 85 different varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables during this quarter alone!
Additionally, Brighter Bites held 469 produce distributions attended by 14,733 unique families. While in our Brighter Bites schools, the teachers have taught 1,446 CATCH lessons to 46,222 students!
Thank you Blue Cross Blue Shield for helping keep our Brighter Bites families healthy!
#BrighterBites #BlueCrossBlueShieldOfTexas #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #NutritionEducation #nonprofit #partnership
Cheers to brightening your day with a fresh and o so colorful smoothie! 🌞🍎
Smoothies are great recipes that your kids can help with in the kitchen. Have your kids wash the fresh produce, pour in the liquid, and push the blender button!
What better way to brighten up your day than with our Brighter Bites Smoothie? Here's the scoop➡️
🥕INGREDIENTS:
1 red beet, peeled and shredded
1 small apple, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
Handful of fresh or frozen berries, no sugar added
Handful of fresh kale, spinach, or other leafy greens
1 cup cold water
🍓DIRECTIONS:
Wash all fresh produce. Remove kale leaves from stem. Combine all ingredients in blender, and puree until smooth.
#WellnessWednesday #BrighterBites #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Smoothies #HealthyCooking #HealthyEating #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy #BrighterBitesInvolved
Did you know?
🍈Each week, Brighter Bites provides families with 50-60 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables, along with budget-friendly recipes and tip sheets to get kids cooking in the kitchen.
🍉While it costs a family $0 to participate in Brighter Bites, it also saves them approximately $35 each week on groceries.
👍According to research, by the end of just one year of Brighter Bites families will report:
• Healthier eating and snacking habits
• A significant, long-term increase in the amount of fresh produce consumed
• A significant decrease in the amount of added sugars consumed
• More scratch cooking and family meals
• Smarter grocery purchases
For just $15, you can ensure a family of four has enough fruits and vegetables for an entire month. Give $100 and sponsor a Brighter Bites family for six months, or $200 for a full year!
Head over to our website to help donate to our Brighter Bite communities ➡️ https://www.brighterbites.org/donate/
#HealthyEating #HealthyCooking #BrighterBitesInvolved #BrighterBites #WeAreBrighterBites #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy #GetInvolved
Happy THIRD anniversary to our programming team in Southwest Florida! 🎉🎈🍅🍊 Here is a look back at some highlights over the years!
@brighterbites_swfl
#BrighterBites #BrighterBitesSouthwestFlorida #FreshProduce #Fruits #Vegetables #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #nonprofit
Tomorrow is National Zucchini Bread Day, and we've got the perfect recipe to celebrate! 🍞
Have you tried our Sweet Potato and Zucchini Muffins yet?
🧑🍳 This is a great recipe to get your kids in the kitchen this weekend! Have your children wash the fresh produce, measure ingredient, shred produce and spoon the batter into the molds. 👩🍳
See the full recipe on our website and GET BAKING! ➡️ https://brighterbites.org/recipe/sweet-potato-zucchini-muffins/
#NationalZucchiniBreadDay #ZucchiniMuffins #WeAreBrighterBites #Fruit #Veggies #EatHealthy #NutritionEducation #FreshProduce #NonProfit #FunFoodExperience #BrighterBitesInvolved #BrighterBitesBrighterHomes
Our program highlight this week is Salinas! ⛰🌄
We are sharing a few facts about our newest community!➡️
☀️Programming in Salinas, California started in February 2021
📍 We serve 6 Monterey County Head Start centers and 1 Elementary School.
🍽 ~ 650 families served
🍎 50,000+ POUNDS of fresh fruits and vegetables have been distributed already!
🥦 Some recent unique fresh produce received includes: Broccolini, broccoli flower, and endive.
@BrighterBitesSalinas
#BrighterBites #WeAreBrighterBites #BrighterBitesSalinas #FreshProduce #fruits #vegetables #Nonprofit #NutritionEducation #FunFoodExperience #JoyOfFresh #EatHealthy #BrighterBitesImpact