Brighter Bites, DoorDash partner to deliver fresh produce to families

Houston-based Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that delivers fresh produce and nutrition education resources directly into families’ hands, has partnered with DoorDash through its Project DASH initiative to increase fresh produce accessibility to children and their families in New York City, Houston and Washington D.C.

The initiative helps families facing transportation barriers to participate in the Brighter Bites program, according to a news release. DoorDash drivers will go to select enrolled schools to gather the produce boxes and deliver them directly to families’ doorsteps.

By using the same technology available to DoorDash’s merchant partners, Brighter Bites can reach families in a new way and continue to provide fresh food to those in need.

To date, Project DASH has made possible more than 1.8 million deliveries of more than 33 million estimated meals nationwide and in Canada, according to the release.

“Leveraging logistics that DoorDash has to offer has been a game changer in our work. There is a barrier for families who rely on alternative ways to get to and from school that can hinder their ability to take the fresh produce boxes home,” said Brighter Bites CEO Rich Dachman said in the release. “DoorDash’s capability to pick up and drop off the produce boxes directly to families’ doorsteps is monumental.”

For now, DoorDash is being used at select schools in three of the nine cities where Brighter Bites programming takes place. The organization plans to extend the partnership to the remaining cities this fall.

“Local delivery has been critical in supporting food banks and other social impact organizations’ provision of food and other essentials while emphasizing convenience and dignity,” DoorDash Drive Director Brittany Graunke said in the release.

Brighter Bites works with families in more than 120 school settings in nine cities, with each family receiving about 25 pounds of fresh, seasonal produce and nutrition education on a weekly basis. Brighter Bites families are actively engaged during the program, with data showing that they consume significantly more fresh produce and talk about nutrition more often in their homes, according to the release.

To learn more about Brighter Bites, visit brighterbites.org.