Queens organization receives $30,000 grant
to provide fresh food to families in need
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As part of its commitment
to create healthier communities
free of hunger during the
COVID-19 crisis, the povertyfighting
organization Robin
Hood allocated a $30,000 grant
to Brighter Bites, supporting
home delivery of free, fresh
produce to families living in
several Queens neighborhoods
impacted by the pandemic.
Brighter Bites is a nonprofit
that creates communities of
health through fresh food with
the goal of changing behavior
among children and their
families to prevent obesity and
achieve long-term health.
The Robin Hood Foundation
initiative allows Brighter
Bites to continue to serve 2000
families in Queens that were
already receiving fresh fruits
and vegetables before COVID-
19 began to spread throughout
the borough.
“Brighter Bites NYC was incredibly
proud to be the recipient
of a generous Robin Hood
Relief Fund grant allowing us
to safely distribute nutritious
fresh food to families suffering
during this time,” said Melanie
Button, regional program director,
Brighter Bites. “As an
organization, we were adamant
that school closures would not
stop us from continuing to provide
produce to our families,
but we knew that we would
need to shift our model. This
Robin Hood grant ensured that
we were able to do that … setting
off a spectacular, community
based operation.”
The Robin Hood funded
program included a partnership
with Connected Chef, a
culinary education company
that designed the delivery
model and re-employed chefs
and cooks, who have lost viable
sources of food due to shortened
hours and job losses to pack and
deliver the produce.
This collaboration ensured
that families living in the hardest
hit ZIP codes received fresh
2 Dinners & 1 Bottle of Wine
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.8 COM | JULY 10-JULY 16, 2020
immune-boosting produce, valuable
nutrition information, and
cooking tips delivered to their
door to reduce risk of exposure.
Brighter Bites and its partners
distributed a total of
296,965 pounds of mixed produce
during May and June,
allowing for 2,000 care packages
to be distributed per week.
Distributions took place in
the Jackson Heights, Corona,
Woodside, Astoria and East
Elmhurst neighborhoods.
Prior to the pandemic, the
organization served over 25,000
families nationwide enrolled in
the program across 100 schools,
with each family receiving
25 pounds of fresh produce
and nutrition education on a
weekly basis. When COVID-19
struck, schools were shuttered
and families lost access to fresh
produce they were dependent
on for daily nourishment.
“At the height of the COVID-
19 pandemic in New York City,
one in three parents were reducing
or skipping meals to
feed their children and 2 million
of our neighbors were at
risk of going hungry,” said
Emary Aronson, chief knowledge
officer and senior advisor
to the CEO at Robin Hood. “We
are proud to support Brighter
Bites’ initiative to quickly get
food into the hands of families
in the hardest hit neighborhoods
in Queens.”
Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed
by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or by phone
at (718) 260–4526.
Brighter Bites and its partners distributed mixed produce
during May and June, allowing for 2,000 care packages to be
distributed per week in Queens neighborhoods impacted by
COVID-19. Photo courtesy of Brighter Bites
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