Brighter Bites worked with the Harry Chapin Food Bank and Lipman Family Farms to deliver more than 266,000 pounds of free produce since the beginning of 2021.
Sites are qualified for the program if the site receives Title I funding, 80% or more of students receive free or reduced lunch or if 75% or more of the students live below the national poverty line, according to the Brighter Bites website. Once a site is accepted, all families are eligible regardless of income.
The Harry Chapin Food Bank and Lipman Family Farms have been anchor partners for Brighter Bites since the Texas-based nonprofit expanded into Southwest Florida in 2018.
Brighter Bites partners with Harry Chapin Food Bank and Lipman Family Farms – Produce Blue Book producebluebook.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from producebluebook.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A longtime CEO who served the community for decades is retiring after 17 years.
The St. Matthew’s House board of directors announced Vann Ellison’s retirement last week. For years, he worked with other nonprofits to help people all over Southwest Florida, from the homeless to the hungry to those suffering from addiction.
Those who worked with him recalled his legacy of giving.
“He’s very pastoral. He really cares for the people that we care for as an organization,” said Peter Johnson, vice president of development at St. Matthew’s House.
“From time to time, he would get victims in his shelter, refer them over to us. We would end up getting women in our shelter who were homeless that needed to be referred to Vann’s program over at St. Matthew’s House,” said Linda Oberhaus, CEO at the Shelter for Abused Women and Children.
Storm Smart donates $62,000 to March to a Million Meals
Published: March 1, 2021 8:25 PM EST
Updated: March 15, 2021 10:00 PM EDT
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WINK Feeds Families March to a Million Meals reached its goal of $400,000 and had surpassed it Monday, but a business leader in Southwest Florida wasn’t done contributing.
The effort was already at more than $493,000 to benefit families facing food insecurity in Southwest Florida, and Brian Rist, the executive chairman of Storm Smart, helped us all smash that goal even more.
Rist joined us with Richard LeBer, the CEO and president of beneficiary Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida, during our newscast to present a check worth $62,000 to bring the money raised to more than $500,000.
An incredible difference has been made in Southwest Florida. On Monday, WINK News reached its goal of raising $400,000 that will go toward a million meals distributed in the community for those who need it. The fundraising drive is for the month of February, but money continues to come in thanks to the community’s generosity. […]