News Type: Events

Austin Marathon Less Than Two Weeks Away!

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Christina Blick -

It’s hard to believe the Austin Marathon is just around the corner! It was actually back in September when we announced here that Brighter Bites had been selected as one of the 27 official charities of the event by the Austin Gives Miles program. Since then, we’ve created a team, raised funds, and developed new partnerships all as a result of our involvement with this event!

If you are still interested in representing Brighter Bites in your race (Marathon, Half Marathon, or 5K) and donating to our team, please click here. It’s not even too late to register for the race, which you can still do here.

The Race Expo is on Friday, February 17 & Saturday, February 18 at the Austin Convention Center. That’s where the race’s 14,000+ runners pick up their race packets, try new running gear, and sample energy snacks, Brighter Bites will be there too (along with our new partners at Shipt), handing out crisp red apples to anyone who comes to our booth and giving out t-shirts in exchange for a small donation!

One final note about the big event!

We are looking for 50 volunteers to help out at our Aid Station during the Austin Marathon. As a volunteer you’ll be cheering on more than 14,000 runners and hydrating them as they pass.

The Brighter Bites Aid Station is located at Mile 8 of the Marathon course at “The Rock at Town Lake,” 2102-2104 Stephen F Austin Drive, Austin, TX 78703. This is a well-known meeting place under MoPac located just across the street from Stephen F. Austin High School Tennis Center. Parking is best found around the high school.

So far, the amazing folks at Target have ensured that 25 of their employees will be there bright and early – did we say 6:00am? Our new partners at Shipt are also supplying volunteers from their local Austin membership base.

Who wants to join them? You’ll get two t-shirts (one from Brighter Bites and one from the Marathon), plus some yummy snacks to keep you going all morning. We heard there might even be breakfast tacos at our Aid Station!

Interested? Want to find out more? You must sign up here to join the Brighter Bites Austin Marathon Volunteer Team. We’re looking forward to seeing you on Sunday, February 19, 6:00-10:00am. It’s going to be a blast!

And, if you need more information about the Austin Marathon, the Austin-American Statesman published a great article about it in Monday’s paper that tells you the top 20 things you need to know about this year’s event, including the 18 live bands playing along the course, best vantage points to watch from, the top competitors, and much more.

See you on race day!!

Pondicheri Community Breakfast to Benefit Brighter Bites

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Christina Blick -

Brighter Bites is thrilled to announce that Pondicheri, the Indian-fusion restaurant in Houston, has selected us as the beneficiary of its second Community Breakfast of 2017.

Pondicheri serves innovative and nourishing Indian food with traditional Indian flavors infused with local and organic ingredients. Every second Saturday Pondicheri holds a Community Breakfast, donating 50% of their sales from 8:00am-12:00pm to the featured nonprofit. This time it’s Brighter Bites!

Join us at Pondicheri for breakfast this Saturday, Feb. 11, after your morning run or before you start your day. Bring your friends and family. It’s going to be a fun morning!

See you there!!!

Saturday, February 11, 2017
8:00am-12:00pm

Pondicheri
2800 Kirby, Ste. B132
Houston, Texas 77098
Phone: 713.522.2022

Brighter Bites Makes a Splash at APHA!

Posted on November 5, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Brighter Bites Co-Founder Dr. Shreela Sharma presented the findings from her recently-published research on the impact of Brighter Bites to a full house in Denver last week at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Sharma’s presentation stirred up tremendous interest in Brighter Bites. So much so that the Brighter Bites staff in attendance was inundated with interest from people around the country who want to bring the program to their cities!

Brighter Bites was featured in a number of other presentations, including a Brighter Bites Photovoice study presented by Dr. Sharma and a poster presentation by Dr. Ru-Jye (Lindi) Chuang, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at UTHealth School of Public Health, and Gregory Bounds, Brighter Bites Director of Analytics about the Health Eating Active Living (HEAL) program administered by UTPhysicians.

The HEAL program at UT is for women who are pregnant or who have an infant and would like to embrace a healthier lifestyle for themselves and their baby. HEAL includes weekly cooking and exercise classes, breastfeeding support, and fresh produce and nutrition education materials to take home every week through the Brighter Bites program and Legacy of Health.

One special treat worth noting was a round table discussion led by APHA President Dr. Georges Benjamin with participation by four CDC Directors, including current CDC Director Dr. Tom Fried en, and the last three CDC Directors Dr. Julie Gerberding, Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, and Dr. David Satcher. These public health leaders discussed the most exciting and challenging times during their tenure as well as what they believe are the most pressing public health issues to tackle right now including the epidemic of opiate overdoses, Zika virus prevention, investment in public health, an HIV vaccine, and a global public health strategy.

The Brighter Bites staff who attended APHA was immersed in public health sessions and well as public health partners. They connected with friends from CATCH, Michael and Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living, Sustainable Food Center, and other partner organizations who were presenting at the event. Overall, a great time was had by all who attended.

Join our Team at the Austin Marathon!

Posted on October 25, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Did you know that Brighter Bites is one of the 26 Official Charities of the Austin Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5K? Race day is Sunday, February 19, 2017 and we are looking for runners to join Team Brighter Bites in our race to deliver healthy food choices into the homes, minds, and mealtimes of families in Austin.

Our Goal
For 50 runners to raise $10,000 (at least $200 each), enough to pay for 50,000+ lbs of produce!

Fundraising Levels and Prizes
Hustleberries ($100) – Team Brighter Bites Nalgene bottle
Tater Trots ($200) – Team Brighter Bites tee shirt
Fruitscooters ($300) – 30 pounds of fresh produce and recipes
Root Force ($400) – Engraved YETI Rambler 30
Mighty Melons ($500+) – Brighter Bites will pay your race entry fee

Join our team here and register for the marathon, half-marathon, or 5K here.

Austin Works Out for Brighter Bites

Posted on October 23, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Thanks to everyone in Austin who turned out to support Brighter Bites at HEAT Bootcamp on Saturday! Members of HEAT and friends of Brighter Bites came to the gym located in south Austin for intense workouts, delicious Hulk Smoothies, and samples of other nutritious foods from local vendors. We even gained some new volunteers!

Thanks to HEAT Bootcamp for hosting us! It was a fantastic morning!

Come and sweat for Brighter Bites with TEAM HEAT!

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Christina Blick -

On Saturday Oct. 22, HEAT Bootcamp, a gym in south Austin, will be opening its doors to EVERYONE! One donation to Brighter Bites in Austin lets you take as many 25 minute workouts as you can handle!

The HEAT Community Bootcamp event will be Saturday morning from 9:00am-12:30pm, with 25 minute workouts starting every half hour. Pre- and post-workout snacks will be provided by Live Beverages, Rhythm Superfoods, and Oatmega bars from Amplify Snack Foods. Plus, Brighter Bites staff will be making kale smoothies — the same ones they make for the families who participate in our program so we can spread kale goodness to even more people!

This event is open to EVERYONE, so if you, or someone you know, have been wanting to try HEAT Bootcamp out, this is a GREAT opportunity to do it! AND you’ll be contributing to a GREAT cause.

Team Brighter Bites Makes Debut at 2017 Austin Marathon

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Christina Blick -

This summer Brighter Bites was chosen to be one of 26 Official Charities of the Austin Marathon and Half -Marathon, which will be held on Sunday, February 19, 2017. With the help of the online fundraising site CrowdRise and Austin Gives Miles, the philanthropy wing of the Austin Marathon, runners can join Team Brighter Bites to raise money for our Austin program. With a fundraising goal of $10,000, we are looking for 50 runners to raise $200 each. Easy Peas-y! If we reach our goal, those funds could pay for 55,000 pounds (one week’s worth) of fresh produce for our 1600+ Austin families.

Brighter Bites Founder Lisa Helfman and Executive Director Sam Newman are currently training for the half-marathon and we hope you will too! All members of Team Brighter Bites will be invited to monthly group training runs at Lady Bird Lake followed by post-workout healthy protein smoothies. The fundraising incentives include a Brighter Bites t-shirt, a Brighter Bites Nalgene bottle, a Yeti Rambler 30, and free registration for the race.

Last year more than 750 runners dedicated their training miles to one of the 25 official nonprofit organizations and raised more than $260,000. Couple that with The Moody Foundation’s generous offer to match the funds raised for each charity, up to $10,000, and the grand total exceeded $440,000.

The official charity chaser program will return for the 2017 race with a yet-to-be-announced legendary and well-known Austin runner. This runner will raise awareness for the Austin Gives Miles program by starting in last place and raising money for every runner they pass.

According to Austin Gives Miles, 2016 was a record-breaking year, but 2017 promises to be even bigger! They anticipate that the program’s fourth year will bring the overall total raised to more than $1 million. Help Brighter Bites meet that goal!

North Texas Giving Day is TODAY

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Countless North Texans will give to nonprofit organizations today for North Texas Giving Day, the largest day of giving in the United States. Brighter Bites is asking you to consider making your donation today to us.

Why? Brighter Bites is creating communities of health through fresh food, nutrition education, and fun food experiences in North Texas neighborhoods that need it most.

And it’s working. Our research shows that families who participate in Brighter Bites are consuming more fruits and vegetables, cooking more often from scratch, and using nutritional labels when grocery shopping more often than families who don’t receive Brighter Bites.

Currently, we serve approximately 3,000 families at 15 schools in Dallas. We would love to increase that number, and we need your help to do it.

A contribution to Brighter Bites in any amount today will help our team continue to serve families like Angelina’s and Ana’s. Here’s how…

$10 will provide 2 weeks of Brighter Bites to one of our families.
$40 will supply a family with Brighter Bites for a full semester.
And if you want to help that same family for an entire school year (16 weeks), then donate $80.

Please consider making a contribution to Brighter Bites TODAY to help us expand our program to include more families in the Dallas area.

You have until Midnight TODAY to go to our giving page and help raise money for our North Texas community!

Thank you!

Brighter Bites Double Dips into Houstonia Magazine

Posted on September 19, 2016 by Christina Blick -

On Sunday night, Houstonia magazine held its first ever Secret Supper at La Table in the Galleria/Uptown section of Houston benefiting Brighter Bites. La Table was named the Best New Restaurant in Houston by the magazine’s Restaurant Critic Alice Levitt.

The location of the dinner was kept a secret until ticket holders found out where they were going early on Sunday morning. Dinner was served in two seatings and among the best dishes were the Roasted Beet Salad, Roasted Chicken, Caramelized Carrots, and Warm Apple Tart. In addition to sampling delicious food and wine, attendees had the opportunity to bid on a raffle that included dinner for two at La Table, two Brighter Bites t-shirts, and two Brighter Bites Nalgene water bottles. Brighter Bites is honored to have received all proceeds from donations and raffle tickets.

In addition to dining at Houston’s Best New Restaurant, attendees received a copy of the newest issue of the magazine, which includesa wonderful article about Brighter Bites. Reporter, Roxanna Asgarian interviewed Brighter Bites Founders Lisa Helfman and Shreela Sharma as well as Executive Director Sam Newman. Roxanna visited two Brighter Bites sites in Houston this summer, observing both produce baggings and distributions and speaking with parents who receive Brighter Bites and volunteer their time with the program.

Overall it was a great night of good food, good will, and good reads.

Brighter Bites Chosen as Beneficiary for Houstonia’s First Ever Secret Supper

Posted on September 9, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Last week Houstonia magazine announced its first ever Secret Supper to be held on Sunday, September 18. What’s the secret? Dinner will be served at Houstonia’s choice for Houston’s best restaurant of 2016, announced in the October issue of the magazine that hits stands after the event. That issue will also feature an article about Brighter Bites in Houston!

Guests will be the first to know the magazine’s pick for Best Restaurant (the location of the event) the morning of Secret Supper. The evening will host a one-of-a-kind culinary experience with four-course dinner and drink pairing while getting a front row seat to the Chef’s kitchen. Guests will leave happy knowing all proceeds from donations and event raffle will benefit Brighter Bites!

Here at Brighter Bites we were blown away when we heard Houstonia had chosen us to benefit from this exciting event. And, to be honest, we’re super curious about which restaurant the magazine chose as the best in Houston!

Click here for more information and to purchase Secret Supper tickets.