On Wednesday, March 6th from 2:00 – 3:0 pm EST Brighter Bite’s Co-Found, Shreela Sharma, PhD will be speaking during the CDC Foundation Webinar on the Vision to Action: The Power of Partnerships to End Hunger and Create Better Health for All. Dr. Sharma will be joining other representatives from the White House Domestic Policy Council, Fresh Food Coalition, Vertical Harvest Farms and UTHealth Houston School of Public Health to spotlight innovative partnerships and discuss new approaches and commitments to end hunger and advance healthy communities. Since 2022, the CDC Foundation has been collaborating with the White House to engage partners in a comprehensive approach to advance over $8 billion in public-private commitments to meet the nation’s challenges of hunger, nutrition, and health.
Keyword/Tag: Shreela Sharma
Brighter Bites’ Co-Founder, Dr. Shreela Sharma, Participates in Q&A Focusing on Produce Consumption
Dr. Shreela Sharma participated in a special Q&A in December that discussed the importance of produce consumption among children. The article, published by Perishable News, also highlighted Brighter Bites’ mission, programming, and success so far. Dr. Sharma, a Brighter Bites co-founder, is a Professor of Epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.
Brighter Bites/American Federation of Teachers Partner to Support Dogan Elementary School in Houston
American Federation of Teachers and Brighter Bites Partner to Support Houston’s Fifth Ward Families
Sponsorship Will Provide Fresh Produce to Dogan Elementary School Students in Houston
Houston, TX (May 7, 2021) – Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables and nutrition education resources directly into families’ hands, today announced a new partnership with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to support students and their families at Dogan Elementary School, located in Houston’s Fifth Ward.
The partnership will ensure that all 200 participating families at Dogan Elementary receive 16 weeks of Brighter Bites programming this spring and fall. As part of the Brighter Bites program, students will receive 20-25 pounds of fresh, seasonal produce and teacher-led nutrition education on a weekly basis. Co-branded American Federation of Teachers/Brighter Bites signage will also be featured throughout the school, promoting healthy eating and wellness.
Kids who are hungry can’t focus on learning, and research shows that they’re more likely to be distracted, anxious and more likely to face other negative impacts like school discipline,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten. “As part of our effort to make public schools places that support the whole child, and centers where families and communities feel welcome and safe, we want every kid to be able to access healthy meals, so they’re ready to concentrate, grow and thrive. Brighter Bites helps make that mission a reality, and we’re thrilled to work together to support kids and their families.”
With the mission of creating communities of health through fresh food, Brighter Bites’ ultimate goal is to increase access to — and sustainable consumption of — fruits and vegetables to reduce health disparities among populations that are particularly vulnerable to obesity and diet-related diseases. Since launching in 2012, Brighter Bites has distributed almost 40 million pounds of produce and hundreds of thousands of nutrition education materials to over 500,000 individuals through schools, after school programs and summer camps in the cities in which it serves. Brighter Bites uses a simple formula for introducing healthy lifestyles to families: produce distribution, nutrition education, and a fun food experience that helps demystify produce and show just how great it can taste.
“Brighter Bites/Houston is excited to partner with the AFT to support families and teachers at Dogan Elementary. As part of the Brighter Bites program, Dogan’s staff will teach the students CATCH nutrition education lessons during the school year, ensuring that they know the importance of eating fruits and vegetables for their overall health,” said Mike Pomeroy, Senior Director of Programming at Brighter Bites. “Teachers play a significant role in the Brighter Bites program by helping their students build healthy habits for life.”
In addition to this year’s general programming assistance to Brighter Bites, the American Federation of Teachers will also augment its support by providing additional resources to Dogan Elementary’s students and their families.
“The staff at Dogan Elementary School is so grateful to the American Federation of Teachers for helping to support our teachers, our students, and their families this year,” said Dogan Elementary School Principal Margarita Tovar. “The teacher-led nutrition lessons, the distributed produce boxes, and the fun food experiences of the Brighter Bites program will help ensure that the produce is prepared and enjoyed at our families’ homes throughout the program period and beyond.”
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About Brighter Bites:
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. Brighter Bites is an evidence-based, multi-component elementary school, preschool, and summer camp program that utilizes reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and consistent exposure to recipes and messages that feature fresh food. Since 2012, Brighter Bites has provided more than 40 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than 475,000 individuals (including teachers) in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, and Southwest Florida. In 2021 Brighter Bites expanded its programming to Salinas, California. To learn more about Brighter Bites visit www.brighterbites.org.
About the American Federation of Teachers:
The American Federation of Teachers is a union of professionals that champions fairness; democracy; economic opportunity; and high-quality public education, healthcare and public services for our students, their families and our communities. AFT represents 1.7 million workers nationwide. Its local affiliate, the Houston Federation of Teachers, represents some 6,000 employees of Houston ISD.
Modern Luxury/Houston Interviews BB Founders Lisa Helfman & Dr. Shreela V. Sharma
Modern Luxury, Houston, interviewed Brighter Bites founders and board chairs, Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela V. Sharma in its October 2020 issue. The Q/A discussed the nonprofit’s founding, as well as how it successfully pivoted its programming to address the evolving needs around the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more here.
The Packer Interviews Dr. Shreela Sharma About Normalizing Vegetables
As a lead up to its “Packer 25” issue, The Packer’s Amy Sowder interviewed Brighter Bites’ founder Dr. Shreela V. Sharma about her career in health and nutrition and Brighter Bites’ efforts to expand access to produce throughout the U.S. Find the Zoom interview here.
Dr. Shreela Sharma, Brighter Bites’ Founder, Publishes Study Around Low-Income Families During COVID-19
A rapid assessment survey was administered by Brighter Bites and the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) School of Public Health in April 2020 to identify social needs among Brighter Bites families during the COVID-19 crisis. Families in Houston, Dallas, Washington, DC and Florida were surveyed around issues affecting them such as food security, financial stability and access to healthcare. This results of this screening will allow organizations such as Brighter Bites to continue to serve those in need during circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brighter Bites Founder, Dr. Shreela V. Sharma, along with seven others in the medical community conducted and wrote the study. The full study and its conclusions were published by PLOS ONE.
Brighter Bites and The Produce Moms Speak at National Conference
Fresh produce advocate Lori Taylor of The Produce Moms teamed up with Brighter Bites’ Dr. Shreela Sharma to speak at this year’s Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior’s annual conference. The primary topic included child nutrition programming and how the two organizations are working to demystify how families can buy and prepare fresh fruits and vegetables. And Now U Know and The Packer covered the event.
Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma Join Meghan Markle on Business Insider’s Food 100
On Friday, Aug. 9, 2019, And Now U Know, the produce industry trade publication, published this story about Brighter Bites Founders Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma making the Business Insider Fo0d 100 list.
Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma Join Meghan Markle on Business Insider’s Food 100
By Kayla Webb
HOUSTON, TX – A few of our industry’s charity queens, Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma, are joining the likes of real-life royalty! Recently, Business Insider published its Food 100, a ranking of the 100 coolest people in food and drink, and included Helfman, Sharma, and the Duchess of Sussex herself: Meghan Markle—all on the same leadership list!
“We are humbled to be joining this impressive group of innovators in the food industry,” said Helfman, Brighter Bites’ Co-Founder. “For Business Insider to include us among these leaders demonstrates that our evidence-based nutrition education and health promotion program is gaining traction…and living a healthier life through fresh food is really the coolest way to live.”
Helfman and Sharma, the co-founders of Brighter Bites, ranked #60 and #61 on the list, a great accomplishment for their produce careers and the nonprofit organization that is making waves beyond just the produce industry.
Other notable figures who ranked on Business Insider’s inaugural Food 100 list were Markle (#32), Charles, Prince of Wales (#63), George Clooney (#9), and award-winning restauranteurs Clare Smyth (#3) and Asma Khan (#1).
If you haven’t yet familiarized yourself with all that Brighter Bites is doing for the next generation of produce consumers, I highly recommend doing so and fast—there’s no stopping this growing organization from completely evolving health, eating, and shopping behaviors and you (yeah, YOU growers, packers, shippers, and suppliers!) won’t want to miss out on this next wave!
Congratulations to Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma for this fantastic accomplishment! For more produce industry wins, stick right here with AndNowUKnow.
This story was also reported by The Packer. Read their take on this news here.
FoodTank: Brighter Bites Works to Fuel Kids with Healthy Food
Check out this recent article in Food Tank: The Food Think Tank, featuring Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma and demonstrating how we work with our partners across the food system to provide access to free fresh produce and nutrition education to help the families we serve make healthier choices.
The Packer: Brighter Bites Founders Chosen as ‘Cool’ Food Industry Members
Amy Sowder
July 26, 2019
Brighter Bites co-founders Lisa Helfman and Shreela Sharma made a Business Insider list. ( Courtesy of brighterbites.org )
Six founders of companies largely devoted to fresh produce made the cut in Business Insider’s Food 100 — placing them alongside world-renowned celebrities.
Brighter Bites co-founders Lisa Helfman and Shreela Sharma are ranked Nos. 60 and 61 on the financial publication’s annual listing of the 100 “coolest people in food and drink.”
The Houston-based nonprofit organization’s mission is to improve long-term health outcomes by providing free fresh produce and nutrition education, according to a news release.
Three leaders of two New York-based companies handling fresh produce also made the list: Irving Fain, Bowery Farming CEO and founder, ranked No. 75, and Dominik Richter and Thomas Griesel, meal kit delivery service HelloFresh cofounders, ranked Nos. 25 and 26. Andy Levitt, CEO and founder of Needham, Mass.-based Purple Carrot, ranked No. 79.
They join Prince Charles, Meghan Markle (Duchess of Sussex) and George Clooney.
“We are humbled to be joining this impressive group of innovators in the food industry,” Helfman said in the release. “For Business Insider to include us among these leaders demonstrates that our evidence-based nutrition education and health promotion program is gaining traction … and living a healthier life through fresh food is really the coolest way to live.”
Each week, families and teachers participating in Brighter Bites receive two bags containing about 50 servings of 8-12 different fresh produce items along with nutrition-education materials.
Researchers at UTHealth School of Public Health track the behavior of Brighter Bites families, and its studies show that the Brighter Bites model provides consistent opportunities for children and their families to practice healthier behaviors in school and at home, according to the release.
https://www.thepacker.com/article/brighter-bites-founders-chosen-cool-food-industry-members