BRIGHTER CHOICES. B R I G H T E R O U T LO O K S . BRIGHTER BITES.
W E LCO M E TO B R I G H T E R B I T E S
Brighter Bites is a non-profit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, while teaching them how to use and choose a different kind of fast food. We make it fun. We make it free. And we make it happen via a simple, replicable formula. More on that later. F I R ST, H OW D I D T H I S W H O L E T H I N G STA R T ?
O U R STO RY
How A Spurned Slice of Cake Sparked A New Kind of Co-Op For several years, Lisa Helfman and her family took part in a weekly fruit and vegetable co-op, and she watched her children’s eating habits dramatically transform. So much so that her little boy turned down a piece of cake at a birthday party, craving instead the blueberries he’d grown fond of eating at home. Like most moms, Lisa realized this was a fairly significant decision for a five-yearold, and she wondered what kind of influence regular access to fresh produce might have on all children. Especially if that produce was free to families. She was inspired to replicate this type of positive change in underserved communities identified as “food deserts,” or areas where access to grocery stores stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables is sorely limited. Because nutrition education in these communities is often equally lacking, Lisa’s vision was to bring a produce co-op to schools in
these neighborhoods that included an educational component. She created a collaborative partnership between the Houston Food Bank and Dr. Shreela Sharma, an expert in nutrition and a professor of epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health, and they launched the program now known as Brighter Bites. Since its inception in 2012, Brighter Bites has delivered millions of pounds of fresh produce and nutrition education to our children and families in multiple cities. Nibble by nibble, we’ll go nationwide!
LISA HELFMAN & SHREELA SHARMA, FOUNDERS OF BRIGHTER BITES
F O O D ACC E SS
1
Produce Distribution F I L L T H E P L AT E !
F O O D L I T E R AC Y
2
Nutrition Education E D U C AT E !
F O O D E N G AG E M E N T
3
Fun Food Experience M A K E I T G R E AT !
W E E K LY & W I D E LY
( R E P L I C AT E ! )
O U R T H R E E - PA R T, N OT- S O - S E C R E T F O R M U L A
1
Produce Distribution
2
+
Nutrition Education
Bring fresh produce to where kids already are.
Teach kids and families healthy ways to use their food.
A majority of children in the United States do not consume sufficient fruits and vegetables. These consumption rates are significantly lower among low-income, minority populations, where many families live in areas known as food deserts: places without access to fresh produce. So we bring good food to where kids already are: preschools, elementary and middle schools, summer camps, and after-school programs.
At school and during distributions, we teach families how to make the most of their produce by supporting the enactment of in-class lessons for kids, providing nutrition education handbooks for their parents, and sharing weekly tip sheets and recipes for everyone to try at home together (in English y en EspaĂąol).
Every week, Brighter Bites heads to these sites and distributes fresh, seasonal produce for participants to pick up and take home. Two bags contain 50–60 servings (approximately 30 pounds).
We train and support schools in their implementation of CATCH and other evidence-based programs that promote healthy food choices and physical activity. We are one of the few nonprofits that simultaneously targets increasing food access and food literacy.
+
T H E B E T T E R W E N O U R I S H , T H E B R I G H T E R W E F LO U R I S H
3
Fun Food Experience Create a fun food experience for everyone involved.
During weekly produce pickups, Brighter Bites staff and volunteers create a fun food experience for the whole family, demonstrating colorful recipes and passing out samples that incorporate that week’s fresh produce. As a co-op, we engage the community around us. The vibrant volunteers helping bag and distribute the produce are parents, grandparents, teachers, and friends. Our mission is to show that what’s inherently good can taste incredibly great when combined with a little creativity, a happy environment, and a few stick-on tattoos. Hulk Smoothie, anyone?
Replicate our three-part formula across new sites and cities.
The science behind Brighter Bites tells us that it takes the continuity of our access/literacy/engagement formula to really make an impact. So we divide our program into three seasons: sixteen weeks during the school year and eight weeks during the summer. The simple sustainability of Brighter Bites lets us replicate our co-op anywhere kids can be found. We’re expanding into new schools and sites each year, with more cities on the horizon.
TA ST Y- M O N I A L
“We loved this program! It was great to volunteer to load bags, and such a treat to enjoy delicious, healthy food at home. It helps us discuss good choices with our kids and makes us proud of our school!” HAPPY PARENT
OF THE 98% OF PARTICIPANTS WHO REPORTED EATING MORE PRODUCE WHILE PARTICIPATING IN BRIGHTER BITES, 74% WERE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT INCREASED LEVEL AFTER THE SEASON ENDED.
TA ST Y- M O N I A L
“I am more impressed each and every week. Not only with the goal of the program, but also with the participation rate, how smoothly the distribution runs, and the dedication shown by our parent volunteers. Brighter Bites is really making a difference.” HAPPY TEACHER
BRIGHTER BITES HAS DELIVERED MORE THAN 10 MILLION POUNDS OF FRESH PRODUCE AT MORE THAN 100 SITES TO OVER 20,000 FAMILIES IN HOUSTON, DALLAS, AND AUSTIN.
SEE HOW IT ALL WORKS!
ST E P 1
ST E P 2
Engage Communities
Select the Week’s Variety
It all starts with the right relationships. We engage schools, communities, and partners. We introduce them to Brighter Bites. Together, we build a culture of health.
After our select produce suppliers donate fresh fruits and vegetables to our partnering food banks, our staff chooses 8 to 12 different types of produce from huge warehouse coolers, and the food is specially tagged for Brighter Bites.
ST E P 5
ST E P 6
Teach Brighter Choices Also in the bags are nutrition handbooks, tip sheets, and recipes for parents that incorporate that week’s fresh produce. These are linked to children’s in-school nutrition lessons from CATCH and other evidencebased coordinated school health programs we help implement via trained staff.
Sample & Share Let the fun food experience begin! Our team prepares healthy and tasty new “brighter bites” for families to sample, using one or more of the produce items being shared that week.
ST E P 3
ST E P 4
Load Up!
Bag the Produce
Massive pallets teeming with bags and cases of fresh produce for Brighter Bites are loaded by warehouse staff into a large box truck. Each truckload can feed hundreds of families.
Once the truck arrives at the site, it is typically unloaded into a gym or cafeteria. Parent volunteers and Brighter Bites staff in our red t-shirts work as an assembly line to unpack and divide the variety of produce into our bags.
ST E P 7
ST E P 8
Take Home the Fun
Replicate
When all is said and done, each family walks away with a pair of bags that contains 50–60 servings of fresh, seasonal produce, plus tips and tools for how to use it. All at zero cost to the participants.
This process repeats for 16 weeks during the school year and 8 weeks during the summer. Our scalable co-op model allows us to bring Brighter Bites to more schools each season, creating a culture of health wherever we go.
TA ST Y- M O N I A L
“Brighter Bites made me cook things I wouldn’t have bought for fear of wasting money if my children didn’t like it.” HAPPY PARENT
WHILE IT COSTS A FAMILY $0 TO PARTICIPATE IN BRIGHTER BITES, IT ALSO SAVES THEM AN AVERAGE OF $34.30 EACH WEEK ON GROCERIES.
R E S E A R C H & R E S U LTS
Brighter Bites Research The Proof is in the Papaya While food co-ops are becoming popular, there is little published literature to show their benefit and impact. This is where Brighter Bites takes the fruitcake. Researchers at the UTHealth School of Public Health conducted a two-year study evaluating the impact of Brighter Bites on 760 students and their families at nine schools in Houston during the 2013-15 school years. Results from this study have been published in a scientific peer-reviewed journal called Preventive Medicine. Suffice it to say, science finally proves what we’ve suspected all along: Brighter Bites works—and works well.
94%
EATEN
87%
EATEN
87.5% PARTICIPATION RATE
SUSTAINED CONSUMPTION
HIGH PROGRAM FEASIBILITY
94% of participating parents reported their family ate all or most of the fruits provided, and 87% ate all or most of the vegetables.
Participating families reported attending 7 of 8 available distributions on average in each of the fall and spring semesters.
R E S E A R C H & R E S U LTS
As compared to those in the study’s control group (not receiving Brighter Bites) CHILDREN AND PARENTS WHO DID RECEIVE BRIGHTER BITES DEMONSTRATED:
HEALTHIER HABITS
LESS ADDED SUGAR
MORE HOME COOKING
Significant increase in amount of fruits and vegetables consumed.
Significant decrease in amount of added sugars consumed among children.
Twofold increase in cooking meals from scratch.
HEALTHIER SNACKING
MORE FAMILY MEALS
SMARTER DECISIONS
Significant increase in serving more fruits and vegetables as snacks.
Significant increase in eating meals together at home, and serving more produce as part of those meals.
Twofold increase in using nutrition labels to guide grocery purchases.
Sharma et al, Preventive Medicine, 2016 (91): 8-17.
OUR FAVORITE FRUIT? PASSION.
PA R T N E R S H I P
Let’s Keep A Good Thing Growing We partner with institutions and entities all over the map who share our mission to shape healthy futures. We are humbled by the incredible support of our partners, whose continued creativity, enthusiasm, and expertise help sustain our program and nourish our nation.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider. This material was funded by USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: SNAP.
LEADERSHIP
Contact Us Drop us a lime and let’s see what we can build together.
Lisa Helfman, JD
Shreela Sharma, PhD, RD, LD
FOUNDER
CO-FOUNDER
713.922.7907 lisa.helfman@brighterbites.org
713.500.9344 shreela.sharma@brighterbites.org
Samuel Newman
Beau Vastine
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT
210.859.0525 samuel.newman@brighterbites.org
740.821.4486 beau.vastine@brighterbites.org
Stefanie Cousins, MPH DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
919.360.4156 stefanie.cousins@brighterbites.org
WANT TO JOIN FORCES?
Whether you’re offering financial support, a food bank, or a new fleet of trucks, there’s no one way to work with Brighter Bites. Let’s talk!
H U N G RY F O R M O R E ?
WWW. B R I G H T E R B I T E S .O R G
brighterbites
™
is rooted in the belief that if we
give our kids something
better to munch on,
they will. and the lives they lead will be
as vibrant as the foods
they crave.