Walmart Foundation gives Brighter Bites $1.5 million
The Walmart Foundation has given Brighter Bites $1.5 million to expand to California and support efforts in existing cities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brighter Bites provides students and their families with weekly produce boxes and education materials on nutrition and how to prepare the fruits and vegetables. Houston, Dallas, Austin, Texas, the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, New York City and areas in Florida are currently in the program.
“Access to healthy food builds the foundation for good health in communities,” Eileen Hyde, director of sustainability, food systems and food access for Walmart.org, said in a news release. “Our goal is to improve people’s ability to more consistently consume nutritious food, and we’re thrilled to support Brighter Bites who work every day to do just that.”
The COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn has worsened the hunger and nutrition crisis, particularly in minority communities, which also face hurdles in accessing healthy and affordable food, according to the release.
Brighter Bites saw a 2,000% increase in demand this summer. During the school year, nearly 30,000 families with children in 126 schools will enroll in the program, bringing home 20-25 pounds of fresh each week.
Brighter Bites uses volunteers with parents and others from communities to help bag the bulk produce, but the organization is paying distributors to package the produce into boxes to give to families in carpool lanes due to safety concerns.
Brighter Bites is also working more with growers to glean and distribute fresh produce to avoid food waste, according to the release.
“Brighter Bites is incredibly grateful for the Walmart Foundation’s ongoing support, especially at a time when an unprecedented number of families are struggling to put fresh, immune-boosting food on the table,” Rich Dachman, Brighter Bites CEO, said in the release. “This grant provides the resources we need to rapidly innovate in order to safely bring our program back to schools this fall without missing a beat.”
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