Brighter Bites, which distributes fresh fruit and education materials to school children and their families in major urban centers, has a $2 million campaign to continue meeting their needs during the pandemic.
School closures disrupted regular channels in which Brighter Bites distributes fresh produce. The organization serves 25,000 families in Houston, Austin, Texas; New York City, Washington, D.C,. and Southwest Florida.
The week of April 20, 14,100 families in Houston and Austin began receiving bi-weekly $25 vouchers, redeemable at H-E-B stores. The following week, Southeastern Grocers, parent company of Winn-Dixie stores, will be offering the vouchers to 1,100 Brighter Bites families in Florida.
The payments will continue for two to three months.
“When schools closed and our distribution model was interrupted we knew we had to pivot our business,” Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman said in the release. “Brighter Bites will continue providing our families with fruits and vegetables through this program, allowing them to maintain the same level of produce in their homes as they did through Brighter Bites distributions.”
The organization is working to restore supplies to the children and families in all of the 100-plus schools it serves. To do so, Dachman said the non-profit will need more donations.
Donations can be made at https://www.brighterbites.org/.
See The Packer’s COVID-19 updates page for information on how the industry is meeting the needs of consumers.
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