Wheatley Students Served up Learning with a Side of Healthy Eating 

Partnership with Nonprofit Bolsters Knowledge and a Positive Relationship with Food 

(Washington, DC)—Second graders at Wheatley Education Campus experienced the joy of cooking during a visit from the Brighter Bites Foundation. Smoothies were on the menu, as students sliced and diced fresh fruit for a tasty afternoon treat. 

“We made a smoothie with apples, strawberries… a lot of healthy ingredients,” said Isaac, one of the second graders who observed the lesson. “It was really good. And I can make it at home with my family because we got the recipe.” 

Brighter Bites is a national nonprofit working to improve the long-term health of children and families. The centerpiece of the program is a preassembled, high-quality produce box that can be delivered to houses or picked up from the school, allowing families more options for accessing produce. 

“This partnership is really special,” said Amanda Perz, Principal of Wheatley Education Campus. “It started off as a way to expose kids and families to healthier options, trying new foods. And it’s really expanded into these big, bright, colorful food boxes, recipes, demos, lessons, school-wide events.” 

“Connection and community are important,” said Dr. Shreela Sharma, epidemiologist at the University of Texas School of Public Health and co-Founder of Brighter Bites. “We are trying to create communities of health through fresh food and education.”  

“At Wheatley, our team found that families want a lot of greens. We can take that data and better source the greens our families have asked for,” Sharma explained. “We want to make sure we are engaging with families and using our data to inform what we are doing.”  

Engagement was ripe for Wheatley students, who could not wait to take part in the smoothie-making class. “It was cool, and I learned something new,” said Roderick, another student at the lesson. “I want to tell my family what we made as soon as possible!” 

“Food is an amazing tool to bring people together,” explained Principal Perz. “We’re using food in the same way that families use food to bring people together, to bring our school family together.”