Brighter Bites, a Houston, Texas-based nonprofit providing under-resourced families with fresh produce and nutrition education, has received a $1.5 million grant from the Walmart Foundation to expand programming in communities throughout the country.
The grant will support Brighter Bites’ project, “Build a Better Tomorrow for Our Families,” by creating communities of health through increasing access to fresh food and nutrition education across neighborhoods in participating cities. Currently, Brighter Bites’ serves more than 30,000 school children and their families across 148 schools in Houston, Dallas, Austin, the Washington, D.C. metro area, New York City, Salinas, California, Southwest Florida and Los Angeles.
Brighter Bites will use the granted funds to establish new partnerships with food banks, community partners, additional local funders and school districts through the 2023-2024 school year. These will also be utilized to hire staff and other resources necessary for expansions to other cities. By broadening its national scope, Brighter Bites will increase the impact it currently provides among families living in neighborhoods and communities defined as “food deserts.”
Additional investments in technology will be made as well, including an improved data infrastructure that will enhance data collection and maintenance. Brighter Bites will extend teachers and school administrators’ access to digital resources, which will then be applied inside the classroom and at home among families.
“Empowering children and families to make healthier food choices is crucial in strengthening the health and wellbeing of communities,” said Eileen Hyde, senior director community resilience, Walmart.org. “Our support of Brighter Bites over the years has helped communities across the U.S. to consume more fresh fruits and vegetables, and we’re thrilled with the impact their programs are having.”
“Brighter Bites is honored and grateful to be awarded this grant from the Walmart Foundation,” said Rich Dachman, CEO of Brighter Bites. “These funds will allow us to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to even more families around the country as we continue expansion to other cities, creating communities of health and removing barriers to access of fresh food.”
The company partners with the UTHealth School of Public Health to demonstrate its impact in terms of improving its families’ long-term health and nutrition.
To learn more, visit brighterbites.org.
