ALL THOSE DETAILS COMING UP. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BROOKE. NEW TONIGHT, WE’RE LOOKING AT THE IMPACT A LOCAL NONPROFIT IS HAVING ON THE COMMUNITY AS IT CELEBRATING TEN YEARS. EAT BETTER, LIVE BETTER IN DELRAY BEACH. STARTED WITH JUST $15 TO TOUCHING OVER 200,000 LIVES. OUR REPORTER RACHEL WILLIAMS SHARES HOW THIS GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATION IS HELPING FAMILIES. I JUST WANTED TO HELP PEOPLE. SO I ACTUALLY JUST STARTED EAT BETTER, LIVE BETTER. WANTING TO DO NUTRITION EDUCATION FOR KIDS BECAUSE IT’S REALLY HARD TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO EAT BETTER AND LIVE BETTER. WHAT STARTED AS AN IDEA LED TO IMPACT FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEBORAH KENDRICK SAYS THE NONPROFIT GOT ITS START BY KNOCKING ON DOORS AND SHOWING UP FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST. I WAS ABLE TO COME TOGETHER WITH SOME OTHER ORGANIZATIONS, AND I DELIVERED 100 MEALS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK FOR TEN WEEKS STRAIGHT. RAIN OR SHINE, KNOCKED ON EVERYONE’S DOOR. WORK WITH THE HOUSING AUTHORITIES. WORK WITH ORGANIZATIONS AND CHURCHES AND FAITH BASED GROUPS. DELIVERING GROCERIES LED TO THE ORGANIZATION STARTING A GROCERY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. EDUCATING FAMILIES ON NUTRITION AND SECURING A BUILDING TO HAVE AN AFFORDABLE FARMER’S MARKET LOCATION ON TOP OF NUTRITION, EDUCATION, NUTRITION ACCESS IS A HUGE EQUALIZER AS WELL BECAUSE HOW CAN YOU MAKE GOOD CHOICES IF YOU CAN’T ACCESS THEM? WHAT DO YOU THINK SETS YOUR NONPROFIT APART? IF YOU SEE THE QUALITY OF THE PRODUCE THAT WE PROVIDE, THE QUALITY OF THE GROCERIES TOO, BECAUSE WE SEE A LOT OF FAMILIES THAT ARE GOING THROUGH CHEMOTHERAPY THAT HAVE AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS, THAT HAVE DIABETES OR HEART DISEASE, AND THEY CAN’T EAT THINGS THAT ARE LOADED WITH SUGAR OR TOO MUCH SODIUM. SO WHAT ALSO SETS US APART IS THAT WE DON’T GIVE OUT THOSE FOODS. IN THE LAST TEN YEARS, THE ORGANIZATION TAUGHT NUTRITION EDUCATION TO OVER 12,000 KIDS AND HELPED FAMILIES REACH FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE. WE HAVE HELPED OVER 200 FAMILIES INTO FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE. AND NOW, ON AN ANNUAL BASIS, BETWEEN ALL OF OUR PROGRAMS FROM THE GROCERY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM TO THE AFFORDABLE FARMER’S MARKET, TO OUR POP UP PRODUCE THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. WE ACTUALLY REACH OVER 200,000 INDIVIDUALS HERE IN PALM BEACH COUNTY ALONE. THE ORGANIZATION ISN’T STOPPING HERE. LAST YEAR, WE WERE HIT WITH SOME FEDERAL GRANT CUTS WHERE THEY REALLY COVERED A LOT OF OUR INCOMING FOOD SUPPLY THAT WE WERE GETTING ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO OUR GOAL THIS YEAR IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT DOESN’T AFFECT OUR ABILITY TO SAY YES FOR EVERYONE COMING THROUGH OUR
Eat Better, Live Better celebrates 10 years of community impact
Debra Tendrich is founder of nonprofit that provides nutrition education and grocery assistance programs.
Updated: 12:09 AM EDT Mar 22, 2026
Eat Better, Live Better, a nonprofit based in Delray Beach, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, having grown from a $15 initiative to a community cornerstone impacting over 200,000 lives.Debra Tendrich, the founder and executive director, said, “I just wanted to help people. So, I actually just started Eat Better, Live Better, wanting to do nutrition education for kids because it’s really hard to figure out how to eat better and live better.”The organization began by knocking on doors and collaborating with other groups to deliver meals.”I was able to come together with some other organizations, and I delivered 100 meals a day, seven days a week, for 10 weeks straight. Rain or shine. Knocked on everyone’s door, worked with the house of authorities, work with organizations and churches and faith-based groups,” the Lake Worth Beach resident said.This effort led to the creation of a grocery assistance program and the establishment of an affordable farmers’ market.Tendrich emphasized the importance of nutrition access, saying, “On top of nutrition education, nutrition access is a huge equalizer as well, because how can you make good choices if you can’t access them? We really feel that you could feed the hunger without feeding the disease.” Tendrich highlighted the quality of the produce provided, noting, “If you see the quality of the produce that we provide, the quality of the groceries, too, because we see a lot of families that are going through chemotherapy that have autoimmune disorders that have diabetes or heart disease and they can’t eat things that are loaded with sugar or too much sodium. So what also sets us apart is that we don’t give out those foods. We really make sure that the contents and food nutrition, density is high. If I won’t eat it or any of our team members or volunteers won’t eat it, we’re not going to give it to a family.” Over the past decade, the organization has taught nutrition education to more than 12,000 children and helped more than 200 families achieve financial independence.”We have helped over 200 families into financial independence and now on an annual basis, between all of our programs, from the grocery assistance program to the affordable farmers market to our pop-up produce throughout the community,” she said. “We actually reached over 200,000 individuals here in Palm Beach County alone.”Despite facing federal food grant cuts last year, the nonprofit remains committed to its mission.”Last year, we were hit with some federal food grant cuts where it really severed a lot of our incoming food supply that we were getting on a regular basis,” she said. “So our goal this year is to make sure that doesn’t affect our ability to say yes for everyone coming through our doors. We’re really out here getting food drives done, seeking new donations and support.”The nonprofit is hosting a fundraiser luncheon called “Feeding the Hands of Hunger” on April 22 at Boca West Country Club, celebrating its 10-year anniversary. “That’s going to help keep our organization operational, from buying the produce to the grocery assistance to making sure we can provide those wraparound services for the families in need right here in Palm Beach County,” she said.
DELRAY BEACH, Fla. —
Eat Better, Live Better, a nonprofit based in Delray Beach, is celebrating its 10th anniversary, having grown from a $15 initiative to a community cornerstone impacting over 200,000 lives.
Debra Tendrich, the founder and executive director, said, “I just wanted to help people. So, I actually just started Eat Better, Live Better, wanting to do nutrition education for kids because it’s really hard to figure out how to eat better and live better.”
The organization began by knocking on doors and collaborating with other groups to deliver meals.
“I was able to come together with some other organizations, and I delivered 100 meals a day, seven days a week, for 10 weeks straight. Rain or shine. Knocked on everyone’s door, worked with the house of authorities, work with organizations and churches and faith-based groups,” the Lake Worth Beach resident said.
This effort led to the creation of a grocery assistance program and the establishment of an affordable farmers’ market.
Tendrich emphasized the importance of nutrition access, saying, “On top of nutrition education, nutrition access is a huge equalizer as well, because how can you make good choices if you can’t access them? We really feel that you could feed the hunger without feeding the disease.”
Tendrich highlighted the quality of the produce provided, noting, “If you see the quality of the produce that we provide, the quality of the groceries, too, because we see a lot of families that are going through chemotherapy that have autoimmune disorders that have diabetes or heart disease and they can’t eat things that are loaded with sugar or too much sodium. So what also sets us apart is that we don’t give out those foods. We really make sure that the contents and food nutrition, density is high. If I won’t eat it or any of our team members or volunteers won’t eat it, we’re not going to give it to a family.”
Over the past decade, the organization has taught nutrition education to more than 12,000 children and helped more than 200 families achieve financial independence.
“We have helped over 200 families into financial independence and now on an annual basis, between all of our programs, from the grocery assistance program to the affordable farmers market to our pop-up produce throughout the community,” she said. “We actually reached over 200,000 individuals here in Palm Beach County alone.”
Despite facing federal food grant cuts last year, the nonprofit remains committed to its mission.
“Last year, we were hit with some federal food grant cuts where it really severed a lot of our incoming food supply that we were getting on a regular basis,” she said. “So our goal this year is to make sure that doesn’t affect our ability to say yes for everyone coming through our doors. We’re really out here getting food drives done, seeking new donations and support.”
The nonprofit is hosting a fundraiser luncheon called “Feeding the Hands of Hunger” on April 22 at Boca West Country Club, celebrating its 10-year anniversary.
“That’s going to help keep our organization operational, from buying the produce to the grocery assistance to making sure we can provide those wraparound services for the families in need right here in Palm Beach County,” she said.
