Michelle McCarty is the Senior Program Manager for Brighter Bites in Salinas. In her role she manages programmatic activities and operations while monitoring her site. She moved to Monterey County in 2022, but had trained at DLI while serving in the U.S. Army and has been very happy to have returned. She earned her undergraduate degree from Shasta College in Communication Arts and her BA from the University of Utah in Spanish, with emphasis in teaching. She has experience working in education and with non-profits.

Michelle credits her passion for healthy eating and learning to cook to her food allergies, which requires extensive label reading and avoiding pre-made meals. Seeing what goes into packaged foods has inspired her to educate others on nutritional health. She grew up in Redding where her grandparents had a hobby farm and her parents have always put in a garden. She developed a passion for composting and vermicomposting and has become an advocate for environmental issues. She discovered Square Foot Gardening and has loved learning to sprout, ferment, can and dry her excess food and loves sharing her knowledge and experience with families in her community. In her free time you may find her bicycling, roller blading, watercolor painting, crocheting, or scrapbooking.