Keyword/Tag: immokalee

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!

“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.

Brighter Bites Launch in Florida Covered by the Naples Herald

Posted on April 27, 2018 by -

Brighter Bites recently launched our program in Southwest Florida. Reporters from the Naples Herald went to one of our schools to cover our arrival to Immokalee. Check out their story below!

“Brighter Bites Seeking to Bring Vegetables and Healthy Eating Habits to SWFL Families”

By: Jordan Hester
April 26, 2018

Vegetables are often one of those difficulties in childhood, ask many parents, it’s hard enough to get kids to eat them.  But it’s worse when you realize how many families lack the ability to have that problem in the first place. Brighter Bites is changing that one school at a time. And now they’ve arrived in Immokalee.

“We used to do produce co-oping at home years ago, but the turning point was honestly when my then six-year-old told me he didn’t want to eat the cake at a birthday party, he wanted to ask them if they had some fruit instead,” Lisa Helfman, founder of Brighter Bites said.  “It was really life changing for us, merely having access to fresh fruits and vegetables, so I started Brighter Bites to give people that chance.”

On Wednesday, families cycled in and out of Eden Park Elementary in Immokalee, several pounds of produce for each family, all locally grown.  Even the staff operates like a family, keeping each other in high spirits and raising each other up. It was the second of two distributions they did in Immokalee this week.

Starting in the Houston, Texas area, they expanded to nearly 50 schools in that state, including some in Dallas and Austin.  They’ve got places in Prince Georges County, in Maryland, a suburb of the nation’s capital.  They’ve even been distributing food in the Bronx.

98 percent of Brighter Bites parents report their children eating more fruits and vegetables while participating in the Brighter Bites program. Of those, 74 percent said they maintained that increased level of consumption after Brighter Bites ended.  This is important because it stays with the kids to adulthood, the health part of it as well as the ready acceptance of more produce in a diet.

The plan is to have five schools in Collier by the end of next school year and start expanding throughout Florida.

“We’ve given out 16 million pounds of food to date, not including our time in Immokalee,” Stefanie Cousins, the Director of Marketing and Communications said.  “Which is no small feat considering how many families that actually feeds.”

They’ve partnered with Lipman Family Farms, a massive family owned farm system based in Immokalee that has locations in multiple states, and the Harry Chapin Food Bank locally.  These partnerships are crucial to Brighter Bites ease of moving food and making sure families have access to what they need.

Education is just as important to access, so they also prepare easy and fun ways to prepare all of their produce, be it through pickling or simple additions to other staple meals.

They do extensive research after every event, trying to keep up with their bases as well as can be expected, through e-mail and some exit surveying.

“Food security is a dangerous statistic, and it’s not like I’m preaching to people that they have to eat vegetables, we’re just doing our best to give people access to them,”  Helfman said  “It was eye opening how nearly impossible it is to get fresh produce outside of the Houston Metro, and a lot of it goes to waste because some families have never cooked with it before, so why would they buy it?” ”

Read the full article here.

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!

WINK News Covers Brighter Bites’ Launch in Southwest Florida

Posted on April 26, 2018 by -

Brighter Bites’ official launch in Southwest Florida was covered by WINK News, the CBS Naples, FL affiliate station. Read their coverage below.

Brighter Bites provides free and healthy food to Immokalee families

A new partnership is fighting “food deserts” in parts of Southwest Florida that were hit by Hurricane Irma.

“Food deserts are defined as parts of the country vapid of fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthful whole foods, usually found in impoverished areas,” according to the USDA. “This is largely due to a lack of grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers.”

Immokalee is one area where children don’t always see healthy food on their plates. 99 percent of students in the area qualify for free lunch, according to school officials.

Hurricane Irma ravaged the Immokalee community which was already struggling.

That’s where Brighter Bites comes to the rescue.

“Not only are we getting them food but we’re giving them education and teaching them how to use it,” said Lisa Helfman, founder of Brighter Bites.

Brighter Bites is teaming up with Harry Chapin and Lipman Farms to help families access and learn about free healthy produce.

The free produce saves families about $35 a week.

Sponsors brought the group in from Texas. Helfman says these meals aren’t just a temporary fix. The program is built to form habits and children are eager to get their fruits and veggies each week.

“It’s fun and it’s becoming a part of the fabric of their lives,” said Helfman.”

In fact, 94 percent of families report that they eat all of the produce provided weekly.

The program will expand to more schools and the Boys and Girls Club summer camp.

To register for those camps, you can visit the Boys and Girls Club website.”

Watch WINK’s video coverage here.