Brighter Bites expands reach in Washington, D.C.

Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly to families, is growing its reach within the Washington, D.C., area. 

“My students are over-the-moon when Brighter Bites comes to our school! They love being able to interact with and learn about a variety of fruits and vegetables in engaging and creative ways,” Mariah Meads, kindergarten teacher at Browne Education Campus, said in a news release. “Brighter Bites intentionally curates meaningful learning opportunities to educate and teach students how to have a healthy relationship with the food they put in their bodies, and we couldn’t be happier our students are able to learn this firsthand.” 

Brighter Bites is an evidence-based, multi-component elementary school, preschools and summer camp program that uses reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and consistent exposure to recipes and messages that feature fresh food.

Brighter Bites has served families in Prince George’s County, Md., since 2017 and is now expanding its reach to hundreds of more families in the D.C. Public Schools District. This year, the organization is serving 16 schools in Prince George's County and two in D.C., including Browne Education Campus and Wheatley Education Campus both located in Washington's Ward 5.

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Brighter Bites’ expansion in the region is possible through key partners, including 4P Foods, a weekly grocery delivery service in the communities of Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland. 

"We believe that fresh, healthy, delicious food should be the norm, not the exception — a right, not a privilege. Working together with Brighter Bites allows us to build towards that mission with every single delivery,” Tom McDougall, founder and CEO of 4P Foods said in the release. “This program not only provides wonderful food to families that might not otherwise have access to it, but it is showing what’s possible when we rethink what the future food system must look like. It is an opportunity to work with a large network of community leaders, families, farmers, educators, children, and others to build towards a better food system. One that is regional, regenerative, equitable, and delicious. We’re honored to be a part of it.”

Since launching in 2012, Brighter Bites has distributed more than 50 million pounds of produce and hundreds of thousands of nutrition education materials to over 500,000 individuals through schools, after school programs and summer camps in the cities in which it serves, according to the release. Brighter Bites uses a simple formula for introducing healthy lifestyles to families: produce distribution, nutrition education,and a fun food experience that helps to demystify produce and show just how great it can taste.