Keyword/Tag: harry chapin food bank

Brighter Bites Partners with Harry Chapin Food Bank and Lipman Family Farms in Southwest Florida

Posted on June 15, 2021 by -

BRIGHTER BITES PARTNERS WITH HARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK & LIPMAN FAMILY FARMS TO DISTRIBUTE PRODUCE TO STUDENTS & FAMILIES IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

Naples, FL (June 15, 2021) – Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits, vegetables and nutrition education resources directly into families’ hands, partnered with Harry Chapin Food Bank and Lipman Family Farms to ensure Southwest Florida families continue to receive produce after the pandemic impacted their communities. 

At the beginning of the 2021 semester, the three organizations increased its number of families served to over 930, resulting in more than 266,000 pounds of produce distributed and 10,477 boxes delivered to students, their families, and teachers. Each box contained Brussels sprouts, asparagus, eggplant, green beans, apples, oranges, and other items. Thousands of nutrition education materials were also distributed directly to participating Brighter Bites families along with in-class lessons conducted on a regular basis at schools.

“Brighter Bites is so grateful to Harry Chapin Food Bank and to Lipman Family Farms for their support during this unusual school year,” said Brighter Bites Senior Program Director Mike Pomeroy. “Both organizations stepped up to help as soon as the pandemic crisis hit in 2020, providing produce donations and volunteer assistance. This assistance proved to be essential as we continued to serve families at our six elementary schools in Florida.” 

In addition to monetary and product donations, Harry Chapin Food Bank and Lipman Family Farms both provided volunteer support with produce sorting, packing and box distribution. This additional assistance on the ground during this crucial time was much needed and appreciated by Brighter Bites’ staff as well as the elementary schools’ teachers and administrators. 

“It was a true collaboration as our organization, Brighter Bites and Lipman Family Farms worked to meet the needs of the community in Southwest Florida during the 2020-2021 school year,” said Harry Chapin Food Bank President and CEO, Richard LeBer.  

Brighter Bites, which is based in Houston, is dedicated to creating healthy communities by providing produce and nutrition literacy to families in cities throughout the country. The organization works with families in over 120 school settings in seven cities, with each family receiving approximately 25 pounds of fresh, seasonal produce and nutrition education on a weekly basis.

“We are pleased to be a part of these great initiatives launched by Brighter Bites in the Immokalee/Naples area,” said Jaime Weisinger, Director of Community Relations and Government Relations at Lipman Family Farms. “We value our incredible partnerships with Brighter Bites and Harry Chapin Food Bank, and we look forward to making an even greater impact in the coming years.”

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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 nearly 40 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than 475,000 individuals (including teachers) in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, and Southwest Florida. In February 2021 Brighter Bites expanded its programming to Salinas, California. To learn more about Brighter Bites visit www.brighterbites.org.

About Lipman Family Foundation:

Lipman Family Farms is a full-service tomato and vegetable company operating in both open-field and protected agriculture. Lipman is the largest open-field tomato grower in North America. Lipman also specializes in greenhouse-grown tomatoes and vegetables, with greenhouse operations in Nebraska, Canada, and Mexico. Lipman’s seed-to-shelf supply chain control – research and development, farming, processing, repacking, logistics and marketing – delivers the consistency and quality that has made Lipman Family Farms North America’s most dependable source of fresh tomatoes and vegetables. The Lipman Family Foundation’s commitment to being “Good from the Ground Up” means creating lasting impact in the communities in which they operate.  With a focus on supporting children, education, and hunger relief, they are proud to be involved in a variety of initiatives across the country. Learn more at www.lipmanfamilyfarms.com.

About Harry Chapin Food Bank:

Harry Chapin Food Bank, a member of Feeding America, is the largest hunger-relief organization in Southwest Florida. The food bank rescues food that would otherwise go to waste and distributes it to children, families, seniors and veterans who are hungry through a series of food distribution programs that feed more than a quarter of a million people each month. Harry Chapin Food bank distributed $59.5 million dollars’ worth of food in fiscal year 2020. Through our food distribution programs, we supplied nearly 34.2 million pounds of food and other grocery items, including 9.6 million pounds of fresh produce. The food is the equivalent of 28.5 million melas distributed to those who are hungry. Our membership with Feeding America enables us to amplify our food and distribution efforts and bring in food from various retail and grocery stores, national food producers and distributors and growers locally, nationally and even internationally. Harry Chapin Food Bank is proud to be named a Blueprint Partner by the Naples Children & Education Foundation (NCEF), the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival. Harry Chapin Food Bank is also a United Way partner agency. For more information or to make a gift, call 239.334.7007 or visit harrychapinfoodbank.org.

 

The Packer: Brighter Bites continues to distribute produce during pandemic

Posted on March 24, 2020 by -

 

Brighter Bites, which distributes fresh produce to students and families through a network of schools, is working to reach them as schools shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organization, which serves Houston, Dallas, Austin, Texas, New York City, metropolitan Washington D.C., and southwest Florida, is making nutrition education available for families when produce distribution is not an option.

Brighter Bites’ priority is the safety of its employees and families it serves, according to a news release, and it is “making every effort to find distribution mechanisms to ensure” families receive fresh produce.

“While the schools we partner with are closed, Brighter Bites is working with stakeholders to develop alternative opportunities for distributing produce to local families,” according to the release. “We are also working with our produce partner suppliers to redirect donated produce and working with our supply chain to help continue that process moving forward.”

Some of the Brighter Bites efforts during the crisis are;

  • Providing more than 300 families with students at Public School 151Q in Queens, N.Y., with almost 4,600 pounds of organic grapes, oranges and pre-packed pantry bags from City Harvest;
  • Packing and distributing 830 bags of fresh produce at three Austin elementary schools, using product donated by Hardie’s Fresh Food.
  • Distributing produce to more than 500 families at the Bethel Assembly of God in Immokalee, Fla. Harry Chapin Food Bank, Southern Specialties, Freedom Fresh and B&W Quality Growers donated 12 different produce items.

Brighter Bites will continue to find ways to distribute fresh produce to families, according to the release.

COVID-19 Update from Brighter Bites

Posted on March 20, 2020 by -

 

Dear Friends,

We are all witnessing and living through one of the most challenging times in modern history.

Like all of you, Brighter Bites is adapting to the new reality brought on by the coronavirus outbreak.

Our number one priority is the health and well-being of our employees and the families and communities we serve. For that reason, we are following protocols to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

 

 

Brighter Bites understands that families need fresh, nutrient-rich food to keep them healthy, and we are making every effort to find distribution mechanisms to ensure they receive it.

While the schools we partner with are closed, Brighter Bites is working with community stakeholders to develop alternative opportunities for distributing produce to families in the cities where we operate.

 

 

We are also working with our produce partner suppliers to redirect donated produce to our local food banks and working with our supply chain to help continue that process moving forward.When we aren’t able to distribute fresh produce, we are making nutrition education and healthy recipes available to our families electronically to help them make the most of the food they do have while they are at home with their children. You can access healthy recipes here and tips and tools for cooking at home here.

Here are some examples of how Brighter Bites is supporting our communities this week:

 

Our Southwest Florida team distributed fresh produce to more than 500 families at the Bethel Assembly of God in Immokalee, FL with the help of so many community partners. Harry Chapin Food Bank, Southern Specialties, Freedom Fresh, and B&W Quality Growers collectively donated 12 different produce items. The Blue Zones Project in SWFL donated reusable bags. Collier County Schools and the Benison Center made the event possible.

 

Staff and volunteers in Austin packed 830 bags of fresh fruits and vegetables for families whose children attend Cook, T.A. Brown, and Harris Elementary Schools in Austin ISD. Thanks to Hardie’s Fresh Food for their incredible support during this challenging time.

 

At PS 151Q in Woodside, Queens we provided 300+ Brighter Bites families and local community members with 4,586lbs of organic grapes, oranges, and pantry bags pre-packed by our incredible partners at City Harvest. 

 

We are living in a rapidly changing environment and in the coming weeks we’ll be making our best efforts to identify ways to regularly support our families with fresh, healthy foods and nutrition education alongside our local food banks and city partners. Above all else, the health and safety of our employees, families and communities will remain our focus.

Brighter Bites is grateful for the continued support and understanding from our families, partners, donors, supporters, and stakeholders. As uncertain as things are, we know we will get through this by working together.

We wish you and your family good health and safety as we navigate the coming weeks.

Yours sincerely,
The Brighter Bites Team

Brighter Bites Shines in Southwest Florida

Posted on April 5, 2019 by -

In Spring 2018, Brighter Bites took our mission of creating communities of health through fresh food to Southwest Florida. Learn all about the people, program, and partners who make Brighter Bites shine in the Sunshine State.

Behind-the-Scenes in Southwest Florida

Posted on April 4, 2019 by -

In Spring 2018, Brighter Bites brought our mission of creating communities of health through fresh food to Southwest Florida, the most recent region to join our growing network of programs across the country. The move to Florida was a huge geographic jump for us, as the five previous cities we introduced to Brighter Bites were all based in either Texas or the Northeast.

While Brighter Bites has experience expanding to new cities, there was plenty to learn as we began programming in the Sunshine State. We found new friends and partners in the Harry Chapin Food Bank and Lipman Family Farms, and piloted our program in two Immokalee schools.

Our friends at the Harry Chapin Food Bank

The hard work of our dedicated Program Director Marcela Romero, who single-handedly led the program in its first season, paid off, and we’re now thrilled to be growing our program in the region, serving five schools and 1,000 families. The program was recently honored with a grant award by the Naples Children & Education Foundation at the organization’s annual awards ceremony to support our continued programming in the area.

A special part of Brighter Bites in Southwest Florida is the strong familial bond that ties together our staff members, school faculty, and families. Marcela initially grew the program as a one-woman show, and she eventually found the perfect coordinator and associate to back her up. The three women operate today as a dynamic team. You can read more about our Southwest Florida staff here.

L to R: Program Associate Mariana Coronado, Program Director Marcela Romero, and Program Coordinator Rosmery Garcia

The team has been based out of the Naples, FL, office of the Harry Chapin Food Bank since our Spring 2018 inception. We couldn’t be more grateful to work every day next to such an amazing partner.

Of course we wouldn’t be the program we are without our dedicated volunteers who come out each week to lend a helping hand. In Southwest Florida, we’re supported by family and community volunteers at our baggings and distributions.

Some of our most loyal summer volunteers pause for a photo as they assist with a Southwest Florida distribution.

Last fall the Naples Daily News featured Brighter Bites’ work at The Boys and Girls Club of Collier County, where we met our families last summer to continue our programming. The article highlighted how Brighter Bites is challenging food insecurity, food illiteracy, and food deserts in Collier County by providing our families with risk-free access to nutritious produce. Read the story here.

We love serving our Southwest Florida families and always welcome additional volunteers to help us carry out our mission of creating communities of health through fresh food. If you’re interested in volunteering at any of our Southwest Florida sites, visit our volunteer page to see how you can contribute!

Fantastic Partners in Florida

Posted on April 4, 2019 by -

Brighter Bites is fortunate to work closely with several incredible partners in Southwest Florida, including the Harry Chapin Food Bank, Lipman Family Farms, Southern Specialties, and The Blue Zones Project. Get to know a little about each of the organizations below!

The Harry Chapin Food Bank, a leading force for ending hunger in Southwest Florida, provides Brighter Bites with produce and handles all of our logistics. They additionally welcomed our team into their Naples, FL office space, where our three staff members handle the behind-the-scenes work of running Brighter Bites.

Our friends from the Harry Chapin Food Bank!

Lipman Family Farms is America’s largest field tomato grower and the lead funder of our program in Southwest Florida. Lipman is always willing to lend a helping hand with extra produce and logistics support when our program needs it. Juan Vila is one of Lipman’s super star employees who always goes above and beyond to make sure Brighter Bites gets all produce to the schools on time.

Southwest Florida Program Director Marcela Romero and Senior Program Director Mike Pomeroy take a tour of Lipman Family Farms

Southern Specialties is a produce distributor who helps ensure Brighter Bites gets to share a wide variety of produce with our families so they can try fruits and veggies they’ve never tasted before. Southern Specialties has introduced our families to sugar snap peas, white asparagus, and escarole, just to name a few!

A student at RCMA Immokalee Community School shows off some asparagus donated by Southern Specialties

We’re also excited to partner with the Southwest Florida chapter of The Blue Zones Project, a community-by-community initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life. The Blue Zones Project is a great community partner who always invites us to their events and help us spread the word about Brighter Bites in the region.

Join us in thanking our incredible Southwest Florida partners!

“AndNowUKnow” Features Brighter Bites Florida Expansion

Posted on May 1, 2018 by -

AndNowUKnow, an online news media company, reported on Brighter Bites’ partnerships with Lipman Family Farms and the Harry Chapin Food Bank upon our expansion to Southwest Florida. Read their coverage below and click here for the full story.

Fri. April 27th, 2018
By Kayla Webb

FORT MYERS, FL – Lipman Family Farms is setting its sights on what it can do to increase exposure to fresh fruits and vegetables for families in underserved communities. Teaming up with Harry Chapin Food Bank and Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that helps create communities of health through fresh food, Lipman Family Farms is launching school-based programs to encourage healthy eating by providing fresh produce, nutrition education materials, support of in-class education, and healthy recipes to families in South Florida.

Jaime Weisinger, Director of Community Relations and Government Relations, Lipman Family Farms“Over the past couple of years, Lipman Family Farms has donated tomatoes to Brighter Bites programs in Houston, Dallas, and Austin, and we’ve been proud of our association with the program and its impact on so many lives,” said Jaime Weisinger, Director of Community Relations and Government Relations, Lipman Family Farms. “When there was an opportunity to bring the program to Southwest Florida, we jumped at the chance. Brighter Bites fits every part of our philanthropy strategy, and we’re thrilled to be donating even more produce to Brighter Bites right here in our own backyard.”

According to Feeding America, nearly 40,000 individuals in Collier County, 36 percent of whom are children, lack consistent access to nutritionally adequate food. To remedy that, Brighter Bites is running programs this spring and summer that will provide more than 75,000 pounds of produce and thousands of pieces of nutrition education materials to over 600 families and teachers at Lake Trafford Elementary School, Eden Park Elementary School, and the Boys and Girls Club in the Collier County School District. Lipman Family Farms and Harry Chapin Food Bank are supporting the initiative and doing their part by donating thousands of pounds of fresh fruits and veggies, warehousing, and transportation services.

Samuel Newman, Executive Director, Brighter Bites“Local partnerships are critical to the success of our organization and the impact we have on the communities where we work,” said Samuel Newman, Executive Director of Brighter Bites. “We could not be happier to be partnering with two of the most trusted organizations in the region.”

Within the initiative, a simple formula is used to introduce healthy lifestyles to families that includes produce distribution, nutrition education, and encouraging families to sample delicious and fun recipes. Parents and community volunteers also pack bags of fresh fruits and veggies for families and teachers to take home each week over the course of three eight-week sessions. Each free two-bag set contains approximately 50 servings of 12 different produce items.

Richard LeBer, President and CEO, Harry Chapin Food Bank“Many hungry families struggle to eat healthy food on a budget. Teaching them how to do that is an important priority for us,” said Richard LeBer, President and CEO of Harry Chapin Food Bank. “That’s why we’re very excited to bring Brighter Bites’ effective programs to Southwest Florida.”

According to a press release, research shows the Brighter Bites model provides consistent opportunities for children and their families to practice healthier behaviors in school and at home, with 98 percent of parents reporting their children eating more fruits and vegetables thanks to the Brighter Bites program and 74 percent maintaining that increased level of consumption after the program ends. Children and parents participating in Brighter Bites also reported:

  • Significant increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed
  • Significant increase in serving more fruits and vegetables as snacks
  • Two-fold increase in cooking meals from scratch, and a significant increase in eating meals together and serving more produce as part of those meals
  • Two-fold increase in using nutrition labels to guide grocery purchases
  • A significant decrease in added sugars consumed among children

Since launching in 2012, Brighter Bites has distributed more than 16 million pounds of produce and over 100,000 nutrition education materials to 40,000 familiesthrough elementary schools, preschools, and summer camps. Southwest Florida is the sixth Brighter Bites program to launch after Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, and Washington, D.C.

For more news like this, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.

Partner Spotlight: Harry Chapin Food Bank and Lipman Family Farms

Posted on April 26, 2018 by -

Brighter Bites is so excited about our expansion to Southwest Florida, where we are currently creating communities of health through fresh food in two Collier County elementary schools. But no Brighter Bites community would be complete without our amazing local partners, and we have two of them in Southwest Florida to celebrate today: Lipman Family Farms and Harry Chapin Food Bank!

Lipman Family Farms is America’s largest field tomato grower and a trusted staple in the Southwest Florida community. Lipman Family Farms was founded under a different name in the 1930’s, but its dedication to building lasting relationships with its customers and being responsible for the natural environment and the health of the families it works with has stayed the same. Brighter Bites has been friends with Lipman for years, previously receiving tomatoes for our families in Houston, Dallas, and Austin. We’re so excited to now be working with Lipman in their own backyard!

The Harry Chapin Food Bank‘s mission is to lead its community in the fight to end hunger. With Brighter Bites, it is able to support its priority of emphasizing the importance of healthy choices for the families it serves. The Harry Chapin Food Bank was founded in 1983 and serves five Southwest Florida counties. Every week, the Harry Chapin Food Bank provides food for over 28,000 individuals. We are so excited to be working with such an important organization for Southwest Florida families.

We can’t wait to see what the future holds for Brighter Bites with our new partners. We know that it will certainly be brighter with these folks by our side!