Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, partners with Sunkist, the longest-standing agricultural cooperative in the nation, to help improve the health of students and families in the Bakersfield, California area.
Bakersfield serves as Brighter Bites’ third location in California, following Salinas (2021) and Los Angeles (2022). In early December, Sunkist began providing monthly donations of citrus to the Brighter Bites Bakersfield locations, helping to provide families with weekly access to fresh produce at no cost.
“We are excited to grow our ongoing support of Brighter Bites’ mission by providing fresh, California-grown citrus to students across the Bakersfield community,” said Christina Ward, senior director, global marketing at Sunkist Growers. “As we celebrate our 130th anniversary as a farmer-owned cooperative, our family of citrus growers understands the importance of nutritious and delicious foods. Through the Brighter Bites program, there are many opportunities to educate families on the health benefits of citrus and the many fun ways to snack, drink and cook with oranges, lemons, mandarins and more.”
Sunkist offers a robust portfolio of nearly 40 conventional, specialty and organic citrus varieties and is committed to continually striving for excellence and nurturing its citrus to high standards, all in the pursuit of growth.
"I am very excited to have mandarins this week as it provides good vitamin C for my kids which is essential this time of year,” said Tiffany Reid, a parent at Virginia Avenue Elementary School. “I've noticed other programs give canned items, but Brighter Bites always gives fresh and beautiful produce. I've participated every week and I'm grateful to have Brighter Bites here.”
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. 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.
For more information:
Gabby Ausbrook
Brighter Bites
[email protected]
www.brighterbites.org
