Brighter Bites raises more than $56,000 through Wine For a Cause virtual auction

Brighter Bites, a Houston-based nonprofit providing underresourced families with fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education, raised more than $56,000 in a fundraising event at last month's International Fresh Produce Association Foodservice Conference in Monterey, Calif. 

The organization highlighted a virtual wine cellar for trade show attendees to bid on items ranging from single bottles and wine cases to winery tours and tastings, according to a news release. 

All proceeds will be used to provide Brighter Bites with the produce and nutrition educational resources to impact more families across the country, the group said.

“Seeing our industry come together at the IFPA Foodservice Conference to help an important cause that we take so seriously encourages and strengthens our mission, and we look forward to the next opportunity to do so again," Rich Dachman, CEO of Brighter Bites, said in the release.

The Wine for a Cause virtual auction included multiple donors, resulting in $56,805 total donations, according to the release.

Brighter Bites cited the support of IFPA in creating the event, and a generous gift of $10,000 from D’Arrigo New York.

With the low cost associated with the event, Brighter Bites was able to keep nearly every dollar raised, the release said.

This fall, Brighter Bites will celebrate its 10th year of providing fresh fruits and vegetables, along with nutrition education, to families throughout the country. Beginning in 2012 in Houston, the organization has now grown to serve families and students in food deserts across nine major metropolitan areas with over 50 million pounds of fresh produce, the group said.