News Type: Events

Using SNAP at Farmer’s Markets

Posted on August 5, 2015 by -

Did you know that some farmer’s markets accept SNAP? Now you can spice up your routine by taking the kids on a farmer’s market adventure! It’s a great way for the kiddos to learn directly from the farmers about the fruits and vegetables they love. A scavenger hunt [like the one found here] is sure to spark your kids’ enthusiasm for a normally boring errand. When you involve your kids in the selection process they are more invested in the final outcome: dinner! The produce found at farmer’s markets are usually fresher because local farmers sell what is in season. Ever notice why tomatoes in summer are so much more flavorful than ones bought in December? It’s all about the season. You can use SNAP benefits on other items such as bread, honey, meats, fish, poultry, dairy products, and seeds/plants that produce food too. Below is a list of SNAP friendly farmer’s markets in Houston, Dallas, and Austin HOUSTON:

  1. East End Market, 2600 Navigation Blvd
  2. Get Moving Houston Farmers Market (Magnolia), 7037 Capitol St
  3. Get Moving Houston Farmers Markets (Lyons HC), 5602 Lyons Ave
  4. Get Moving Houston Farmers Markets (Sunnyside), 4605 Wilmington St
  5. Palm Center Farmers Market, 5400 Beekman Rd

DALLAS:

  1. Dallas Farmers Market/Grow North Texas, 1010 S Pearl Expy
  2. Vickery Meadow Local Market, 5803 E Northwest Hwy
  3. White Rock Local Market At Lakeside, 9150 Garland Rd
  4. White Rock Local Market, Inc., 702 N Buckner Blvd

AUSTIN:

  1. Barton Creek Farmer Market , 2901 S Capital of TX Hwy
  2. F2m At Mueller Farmers Market, 4550 Mueller Blvd
  3. Hope Farmers Market, 412 Comal St
  4. Johnson’s Backyard Garden, 9515 Hergotz Lane
  5. SFC Farmers Market 6, 201 W Saint Elmo Rd
  6. SFC Farmers Market 7, 2200 Berkeley Ave
  7. SFC Farmers’ Market 5, 7500 S Pleasant Valley Rd
  8. SFC Farmers’ Market At Sunset Valley, 3200 Jones Rd
  9. Springdale Farm, 755 Springdale Rd
  10. Sustainable Food Center Farmers’ Market East, 2835 E MLK Jr Blvd

 

Free Activities for Kids

Posted on July 10, 2015 by -

Eating well is important, but staying physically active during the summer also promotes a healthy lifestyle. The following are a list of FREE activities in Houston, Dallas, and Austin that will keep your kids happy and healthy. HOUSTON:

  1. Free Bowling Daily– The Bowl on Bellaire (4191 Bellaire Blvd), Emerald Bowl (9307 Boone Rd), Copperfield Bowl (15615 Glen Chase Dr.), Times Square Entertainment (402 West Grand Parkway South). Register Online. Monday-Sunday. Times dependent on location. Ages 15 and under.
  2. Nature Story Time– 7112 Newcastle St, Wednesdays, 4pm.
  3. Free H2O Safe Swimming Classes– Ages 6-13. Locations all over Houston listed. July 14- July 24 and July 28- August 7. Time Dependent on Level and Location. Register online. Scroll down on the website for more information on levels and locations.
  4. Circus Arts Classes at Discovery Green – 1500 McKinney St, Wednesdays, 5:30-7PM. Ages 13 and up.
  5. Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark– 103 Sabine St, 7 days a week, 9am-10pm. Recommended age 10 and up.

DALLAS:

  1. Children’s Park at Klyde Warren Park– 2012 Woodall Rodgers Freeway. Daily, 6am-11pm. All ages.
  2. Creative Motion presented by Circus Freaks/Clown Gym– Midtown Gallery at Valley View Center (13331 Preston Road), Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8-10pm. Would recommend for kids ages 10 and up.
  3. Trinity River Audobon Center– 6500 Great Trinity Forest Way. Free every third Thursday; 9am-4pm. All ages.
  4. Spraygrounds– Locations vary throughout Dallas area. Daily, 10am-8pm. All ages.
  5. White Rock Lake Park– 8300 East Lawther Dr. Daily, 6am- midnight. All ages welcome but would recommend for older kids.

AUSTIN:

  1. Toddler Town in iPlay Austin – 8816 Cullen Lane, Monday: 12-8pm, Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-8pm. 3yr and under. (Free under 2yrs).
  2. Free Summer Playgrounds Program– Register at locations all around and in Austin. Monday-Thursday: 9am-5pm; Friday: 10am-5pm. Through August 7th.  Ages 6-12yrs.
  3. Hike St. Edwards Trail– 7301 Spicewood Springs Road, Open daily. All ages of children welcome depending on difficulty of trail.
  4. Free Swimming– Hours and days dependent on the many locations throughout Austin. All ages.
  5. Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve– 3505 W 35th St, Daily 5am-10pm. All ages.

Hunger Free Texans Conference

Posted on April 17, 2015 by -

Brighter Bites staff members attended the Hunger Free Texans Annual Conference in Houston this year. We were one of the many booths educating industry professionals on our efforts to keep Houston healthy. The conference afforded us the opportunity to build partnerships with other organizations whose goals mirror our own: improving food literacy and igniting a passion for fresh produce. It was inspiring for us to meet and collaborate with other people who are as equally passionate about keeping our community healthy. Our co-founder Shreela Sharma, PhD RD LD, from the UT School of Public Health presented her research on Brighter Bites. She described how our model incorporates CATCH for promoting healthier environments at school and at home to help fight obesity. Dr. Sharma’s presentation is available here in video format or here in PDF only.

Get Kidz Fit Fest

Posted on April 14, 2015 by -

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 George Farhat, Program Manager Alicia Farhat, Community Relations Specialist Meredith Spence

The Get Kidz Fit Fest was held on Saturday, April 11th in Dallas. It is an annual family fitness festival that educates kids and their families about wellness and nutrition and engages them in fun activities. The kids participate in a variety of physical activities and games like dancing and obstacle courses, while the parents learn about healthier habits and nutrition. Brighter Bites participated in the Get Kidz Fit Fest too and we were really busy! In total, we brought 15 pallets (or 20,000 pounds) of carrots, apples and potatoes to the event. We filled 1600 Brighter Bites bags with that produce and gave them to 800 families. We also distributed our nutrition handbooks to families along with some healthy recipes like the Black Bean and Corn Salsa and the Cheesy Portobello Pizzas. To involve the kids in a more interactive way, we played a Jeopardy-style trivia game. The questions included topics such as fruits, vegetables, physical activity and GO vs. WHOA foods. The kids loved figuring out the answers to the nutrition questions. We even joined them in some physical activity when they were challenged to run in place for 10 seconds or do 10 jumping jacks. We got our workout in that day! The Brighter Bites staff in Dallas really enjoyed being a part of such a fun event! Educating families about healthier habits is what we strive to achieve every day.

PhotoVoice Exhibition

Posted on March 3, 2015 by -

Last week we held our first ever PhotoVoice Exhibit!  Listen to Brighter Bites mom, volunteer, and researcher talk about how Brighter Bites has affected her community. What is PhotoVoice?  It is a community research project that explores how communities are reacting to the Brighter Bites Program. The parents who participated in this project developed research questions, took photos then reflected on and analyzed the resulting pictures, all as a team.  To see the photos visit our Facebook page.