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Queens organization provides fresh food to families in need
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
As part of its commitment to create
healthier communities free of hunger
during the COVID-19 crisis, the poverty
fi ghting 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 nonprofi t 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.
Th e Robin Hood Foundation initiative
allows Brighter Bites to continue to
serve 2,000 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 suff ering 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. Th is
Robin Hood grant ensured that we were
able to do that … setting off a spectacular,
community-based operation.”
Th e 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.
Th is collaboration ensured that families
living in the hardest hit ZIP codes
received fresh 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
offi cer 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.”
Photo courtesy of Brighter Bites
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