Our Team

The people behind every bag.

Founders

Lisa Helfman

Founder & Board Chair

Lisa Helfman is the founder and board chair of Brighter Bites. In the fall of 2011,…

Shreela Sharma, PhD

Co-Founder

Dr. Shreela Sharma is co-founder of Brighter Bites. Dr. Sharma is responsible for operationalizing the Brighter…

National Team

Christina Maynor

Senior Manager of Branding and Program Support

Christina Maynor is the Senior Manager of Branding and Program Support for Brighter Bites. She received…

Rich Dachman

Chief Executive Officer

Rich Dachman is the Chief Executive Officer of Brighter Bites. Rich comes to Brighter Bites with…

Mike Pomeroy, MPH

Vice President of Programs

Mike serves as Vice President of Programs of Brighter Bites, overseeing programmatic aspects of Brighter Bites,…

Houston
Dallas
Austin
NYC
Washington, D.C.
Southwest Florida

Michael Carpenter

Program Supervisor

Michael Carpenter is a Program Supervisor for Brighter Bites in Houston. Michael began his tenure with…

Katie Degen

Senior Program Manager

Katie Degen is a program manager for Brighter Bites in Houston. She received her undergraduate degree…

Thelma Green

Senior Program Manager

Thelma Green is a Senior Program Manager for Brighter Bites in Houston. When she was two…

Tibisay Guzman

Senior Program Coordinator

Tibisay Guzman is a program coordinator for Brighter Bites in Houston. She began her career at…

Anjanette Nikodym

Senior Program Coordinator

Anjanette Nikodym is a senior program coordinator for Brighter Bites in Houston. She began working with…

Maryann Aguinaga

Program Supervisor

Maryann is a Program Supervisor for Brighter Bites in Dallas. Maryann has been passionate for our…

Melanie Button, MPH

Project Manager

Melanie Button is a project manager for Brighter Bites, overseeing our NYC and Washington, D.C area…

Gina Flores

Senior Program Manager

Gina Flores is the Senior Program Manager for Brighter Bites in NYC. A true New Yorker,…

Rajni Sood Laurent

Senior Program Manager

Senior Program Manager Rajni Sood Laurent is a mom, baker, and lover of fresh foods. She…

The Fruit Loop

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May 12

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This May, we’re excited to celebrate peppers and shine a spotlight on our partnership with @sunsetgrown! 🌶️⁠
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Thank you, SUNSET, for being a valued partner in our mission to build healthier communities. Your support helps us share the love of peppers, and so much more, with our community!⁠

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May 7

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May 5

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We’re celebrating peppers in all their forms this month 🌶️—sweet, smoky, mild, and spicy!⁠
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In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we’re spotlighting a classic Mexican dish featuring poblano peppers: chile rellenos. It’s a simple, flavorful way to bring peppers to the center of your plate. Give it a try!⁠
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Find the recipe (and more ways to use all kinds of peppers!) at www.brighterbites.org/recipes

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May 1

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Thank you to @BashasMarkets and @FirstFruits_Farms for your generous donation Granny Smith apples to our Phoenix program! Together, we can "Take a Bite Out of Hunger"!🍏⁠
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Last week, we welcomed the Bashas’ team at Frank Borman Elementary School in Phoenix to see their donation in action. The team, along with our school volunteers, sorted and packed the produce bags filled with FirstFruits Farms apples, cabbage, squash, tomatoes, carrots, and more! ⁠
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#TakeABiteOutOfHunger

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May 1

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Celebrating the rich cultures, traditions, and stories of our Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander communities. ❤️⁠
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This AANHPI Heritage Month, we honor the diversity that strengthens our communities and the many ways food, culture, and family bring us together.

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Apr 30

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Last week in Dallas, a group of volunteers from The Wonderful Company rolled up their sleeves to bag and distribute fresh produce to families at a local partner school. Their team went even further by making a financial gift to help sustain Brighter Bites’ work.⁠
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Thank you for showing what it means to be “Wonderful Neighbors” 💚⁠
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Want to bring your team out to volunteer? Join us: www.brighterbites.org/volunteer

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Apr 29

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We are always looking for more ways to stay healthy on a budget. 🍍🥕🍉⁠
We thought we'd share our top tips with you! ⁠
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For more tips, see our full library of healthy tip sheets here👉️www.brighterbites.org/tip-sheets⁠
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#HealthyOnABudget #NutritionEducation #FruitsAndVeggies

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Apr 23

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Just another post of gratitude for our wonderful volunteers! 🫶⁠
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Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers who show up week after week to make sure the families in our program get the best experience possible. We could not do it without you! 🥑🍉🥕

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Apr 22

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We are proud to celebrate our cofounder, Shreela Sharma, PhD, RDN, LD, FAHA, and her work in public health! Thank you for continuing to make a difference in the lives of so many people ❤️ ⁠
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Shreela Sharma, PhD, RD, LDN, Vice Chair and Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at UTHealth Houston, has been named a Fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) by the AHA Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health.⁠
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Thank you to @AmericanHeartAssociation for your commitment to health and nutrition and your recognition of leaders in this important work!

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Apr 22

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Cornhole for a Cause!⁠
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Last week we hosted a cornhole tournament to raise funds for our Las Cruces program. It was wonderful to see colleagues, partners, family, and friends come together in one place, connecting with each other and experiencing the impact of Brighter Bites while sharing in its success. At the event, we had the pleasure to present the Community Partner of the Year Award to Roadrunner Foodbank. We also heard from Brighter Bites participant Jessica Conder and her family about how the produce has helped them cook and eat healthier, with noticeable improvements in their family’s lifestyle since their son was in 2nd grade, now in 4th.⁠
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Thank you to all of our event sponsors: ⁠
@iceboxbrewing
Las Cruces Cornhole ⁠
@nmdoulaorg ⁠
Johann Bencomo ⁠
@nypslicehouselc
Daniela Sierra⁠
Chantelle Yazzie-Martin⁠
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And we could not operate our program in Las Cruces without the support of our wonderful partners!⁠
@roadrunnerfoodbank ⁠
@casadeperegrinos
@lcpsnet
@burrellcollege
@nmsu_ican
@nmsu Human Nutrition and Dietetics Program⁠

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Apr 21

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We’re excited to share our 2025 Annual Impact Report, highlighting the work we've done with bringing fresh food and nutrition education to families nationwide! While this year brought significant shifts in federal funding, we remained steadfast in our mission and adapted quickly, emerging stronger and more resilient than ever. ⁠
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Last year, Brighter Bites distributed over $20.1 MILLION worth of fresh produce, reaching 264,354 students, teachers, and families across 13 cities. Thanks to our amazing volunteers, dedicated partners, and committed supporters we’ve continued to make a difference in communities nationwide despite the challenges we came across. ⁠
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We are grateful for your continued support as we continue to evolve and grow as an organization. We're ready to grow our impact in 2026!

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Apr 20

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Produce Distribution + Nutrition Education+ Fun food Experience⁠
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It's what we do! We're creating healthy futures through fresh food and nutrition education.⁠
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Our vision? To improve health outcomes among children and families in under-resourced communities by using the data-driven, evidence-based strategies of providing fresh produce and nutrition education.⁠
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Want to learn more? Follow us and visit www.brighterbites.org to see how you can get involved.⁠
#BrighetrBites #Nonprofit #HealthyEating #NutritionEducation⁠

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Apr 17

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Apr 16

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We ❤️ our volunteers! ⁠
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Happy National Volunteer Month to all of our wonderful volunteers who help make our program a success! Thank you for all that you do!⁠
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#NationalVolunteerMonth #Volunteering #BrighterBites

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Apr 15

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Looking to stock the pantry this spring? Here our some of our go-to items to have on hand to maintain a healthy lifestyle! ⁠
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Pantry staples are an affordable way to stay on track with healthy eating!⁠
#WellnessWednesday #HealthyEating #BrighterBites

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Apr 10

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Apr 9

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It's National Volunteer Month, and we are celebrating our volunteers! 🎉⁠
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Thank you, volunteers, for giving your time, energy, and effort to support our work. We could not do it without you. Thank you!⁠
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Join us today! www.brighterbites.org/volunteer

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Apr 7

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This month, we are highlighting the amazing avocado with @mission_produce! 🥑⁠
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We are grateful for the support of produce partners, like Mission Produce, who help make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible to families. Avocados are just one of the many colorful, healthy, and delicious fruits that we get to share with the families we serve. Cheers to the amazing avocado and all of the goodness it brings! 🎉

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Apr 6

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Apr 3

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Trying new foods starts with just one bite. ⁠
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One of Brighter Bites’ core program pillars is our Fun Food Experiences—healthy recipe samples families can try when picking up their bags and boxes. These tastings introduce new flavors and show simple ways to use the produce they’re taking home.⁠
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Here’s a look at some of the recipes families have been enjoying across the country lately! 🥕🥗

Our Team

Founders

Lisa Helfman

Founder & Board Chair

Shreela Sharma, PhD

Co-Founder

National Team

Christina Maynor

Senior Manager of Branding and Program Support

Rich Dachman

Chief Executive Officer

Mike Pomeroy, MPH

Vice President of Programs

Michael Carpenter

Program Supervisor

Katie Degen

Senior Program Manager

Thelma Green

Senior Program Manager

Tibisay Guzman

Senior Program Coordinator

Anjanette Nikodym

Senior Program Coordinator

Maryann Aguinaga

Program Supervisor

Melanie Button, MPH

Project Manager

Gina Flores

Senior Program Manager

Rajni Sood Laurent

Senior Program Manager

Board of Directors

Faiyaz A. Bhojani, MD, DrPH

Chief Executive Officer

MRZ Medical Group, PLLC

Joel Grade

Executive Vice President, Business Development

Sysco

Steven Graubart

President & CEO

Community Hospital Partners

Lisa Helfman

Director of Public Affairs, Houston

H-E-B Grocery Company

Scott McClelland

Board Member Emeritus

Benjamin Samuels

Director

Samuels Family Foundation

Manolo Sánchez

Director

Fannie Mae

Shreela Sharma, PhD

Professor of Epidemiology

UTHealth School of Public Health

Sue Smith

Executive Vice President

Craig and Galen Brown Foundation

Vic Smith

Chief Executive Officer

JV Smith Companies

The Fruit Loop