Keyword/Tag: Brighter Bites

Research Shows Brighter Bites Helps Children, Families Eat Healthier

Posted on August 1, 2016 by Christina Blick -

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Shreela Sharma’s paper documenting the benefits Brighter Bites gives to families was published in Preventive Medicine!

Here are a few highlights from the study:

Children ate 9% more fruit after participating in Brighter Bites
Children ate 20% more vegetables after participating in Brighter Bites
Children ate 13% less added sugar after participating in Brighter Bites
Brighter Bites improved the home environment of participating families:
- BB families cook more home
- BB families serve more fruits and vegetables as snacks
- BB families eat more meals as a family
- BB parents have improved understanding of nutrition facts labels and use them to make decisions in the grocery store.

Read the complete paper here.

Lani Alcazar Talks about CATCH on TV

Posted on July 31, 2016 by Christina Blick -

This week, Lani Alcazar, a program coordinator for Brighter Bites in Houston, was invited to appear on Conexion Texas, a program that airs on Saturday and Sunday mornings on Univision all over the state of Texas. She and Dr. Joxel Garcia, Executive Director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Platform at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, spoke about the importance of teaching people about sun care protection.

At Brighter Bites, Lani and her colleagues teach nutrition lessons from CATCH (Coordinated Approach to Child Health) during summer camp programs. This season they are including lessons from the Sunbeatables™ curriculum, which was developed by skin cancer experts at MD Anderson and aims to educate teachers, parents, and children about sun protection and promote sun safety behaviors in an effort to reduce children’s lifetime risk of developing skin cancer.

Watch the segment here to learn more!

Dallas Morning News Features Brighter Bites

Posted on July 22, 2016 by Christina Blick -

The Dallas Morning News ran a great story about Brighter Bites in the paper’s Business section, today (7/22/16). The piece, Program Doles out Healthful Food by Staff Writer Holly Haber, specifically focuses on Jack Lowe Elementary School in the Vickery Meadow section of the city. The story beautifully captured our program’s mission with several photos of produce-filled bags and quotes from interviews with participating families, volunteers, and Alicia Farhat, the Brighter Bites Program Director in Dallas.

Dr. Shreela Sharma Testifies on Capitol Hill!

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Today, Dr. Shreela Sharma, co-founder of Brighter Bites and associate professor of epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health, testified before the House Agriculture Committee about the effectiveness of the Brighter Bites program. This hearing was the 15th in a series of committee hearings called Past, Present, and Future of SNAP: Evaluating Effectiveness and Outcomes in Nutrition Education.

Dr. Sharma was one of four panelists. The others included:

– Ms. Susan Foerster, Founding Member, Association of SNAP Nutrition Education Administrators, Carmichael, CA

– Dr. Jo Britt-Rankin, Associate Dean & Extension Professor, Extension Committee on Organization & Policy, Columbia, MO

– Dr. Kimberlydawn Wisdom, Senior Vice President, Community Health & Equity, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI

These panelists discussed the history and development of SNAP-Ed, program models that use SNAP-Ed funding, like Brighter Bites, and research results to show program effectiveness.

For committee members, Dr. Sharma turned into a font of information because of the robust data platform she developed with colleagues at UTHealth School of Public Health to evaluate the Brighter Bites program impact on participating families.

Brighter Bites Goes To Washington, Again!

Posted on June 17, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Meetings on Capitol Hill last month resulted in the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture inviting Brighter Bites to testify at a hearing on the Past, Present, and Future of SNAP: Evaluating Effectiveness and Outcomes in Nutrition Education. The hearing, which takes place on Wednesday, June 22 at 10:00am ET, will be the first Hill hearing on SNAP nutrition education in years.

Brighter Bites Co-Founder Dr. Shreela Sharma, a professor of epidemiology at UTHealth School of Public Health, will testify about the creation and development of the Brighter Bites model and the robust research infrastructure she uses to evaluate the program and the families who participate in it.

Brighter Bites is Serving up Sunscreen this Summer in Houston!

Posted on June 16, 2016 by Christina Blick -

This summer Brighter Bites is partnering with a family in Houston to provide free sunscreen and sun care educational materials to families participating at two Brighter Bites locations: Ripley House and KIPP Shine. A huge thank you to The Katz Family and The Talisman Family for their generous donation and for joining Brighter Bites in our commitment to teaching healthy habits early.

Brighter Bites to Receive $5,000 Grant from Austin Student via Sodexo!

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Austin 11-year-old Ian McKenna was awarded a $5,000 educational grant from the Sodexo Foundation in Washington, DC this week for creating The Giving Garden. The program grows school and community gardens so children in need can take home fresh fruits and vegetables to their families. Ian named Brighter Bites as the the hunger charity of his choice to also receive $5,000. We are so grateful to Ian and Sodexo Foundation – STOP Hunger. Keep up the amazing work in Austin, Ian!

Cele(ry)brating Our Volunteers

Posted on May 31, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Volunteers are vital to the success of Brighter Bites and without them we could not serve the thousands of families during the year. To show our deep appreciations, the Houston Brighter Bites team celebrated all the volunteers from the school year at a Volunteer Appreciation Party on May 19. We hosted the party at the Houston Food Bank, the site where all of the Brighter Bites produce is stored. It was an event to remember!

Founder Lisa Helfman Speaks at First Lady Summit in Washington, D.C.

Posted on May 19, 2016 by Christina Blick -

Today in Washington, D.C., Brighter Bites Founder Lisa Helfman and Board Member Rich Dachman participated in a panel discussion about growing the grassroots and scaling through partnerships. It was an exciting day!

Houston Food Bank President discusses Brighter Bites in Houston Chronicle Op-ed

Posted on March 20, 2015 by Christina Blick -

In an article about the accessibility of healthy foods for low-income families, Houston Food Bank president Brian Greene discusses how Brighter Bites harnesses the power of “produce as a life-changer.” Our partner explained the Brighter Bites model of filling the plates of young students and their families with fresh produce and educating them on the benefits of fresh food in a fun environment. We’re grateful for the kind shout-out!

Read the full article here.