We know they’re cool, and now Business Insider does too, naming Brighter Bites Co-Founders Lisa Helfman and Dr. Shreela Sharma two of the coolest people in food drink.
This year, Business Insider launched its first ever Food 100 list, which ranks the 100 coolest people in the world of food and drink.
Check out Lisa and Shreela’s entry here at #60 and #61!
Fruits and veggies are cool! Pass it on!
March 12 was a banner day for Brighter Bites in Austin, TX! We kicked off the morning bagging produce at a Brighter Bites elementary school alongside First Lady of Texas Cecilia Abbott and a large group of family members from the current Texas Legislature. Next, we stopped by the Texas Capitol to receive special recognition on the House floor. Finally, we wrapped up the day speaking at SXSW. Our hearts are full! Read more about each event below!
On March 12, 2019, Brighter Bites made Texas history when the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas Legislature passed H.R. 777 to “honor Lisa Helfman for her work as founder and chair of Brighter Bites and extend to her and this noteworthy organization sincere best wishes for continued success.” State Rep. Sarah Davis read the resolution on the Texas House floor, noting that “Lisa has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the well-being of young Texans as the founder and chair of Brighter Bites.”
We could not be more proud of Lisa Helfman, Shreela Sharma, our Texas heritage, and our very own HR 777 – triple lucky! Read the full proclamation here.
Top row (L to R): State Rep. Sarah Davis, Dr. Shreela Sharma, Stefanie Cousins, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives Dennis Bonnen; Bottom Row (L to R): Ragen Doyle, Lisa Helfman, Kim Bonnen, Mike Pomeroy
This year’s four-day New York Produce Show and Conference took place December 10 – 13, just in time for our last few weeks of Brighter Bites programming in NYC for the Fall 2018 season. After the produce show, display items were donated to one of our Queens locations. Many of our families got to try produce items like cauliflower, red bell peppers, garlic, cucumbers, pomegranates, and persimmons for the first time! We’re grateful for the generosity of the New York Produce Show and Conference and our NYC partners City Harvest and D’Arrigo Bros. Co. Read all about the produce show’s donation to Brighter Bites here.
Garlic, cauliflower, and red bell peppers, arranged to make an American flag, were all donated to Brighter Bites after the 2018 New York Produce Show and Conference
The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Houston-Galveston recently named Brighter Bites Founder Lisa Helfman the 2018 Humanitarian of the Year! We are so proud of Lisa! Learn more about the honor here.
Brighter Bites Founder Lisa Helfman is being recognized by the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Houston-Galveston (ASFHG) as the 2018 Humanitarian of the Year.
The ASFHG is dedicated to training the next generation of professionals to serve and empower vulnerable people to build healthier communities and live healthier lives.
As Humanitarian of the Year, the ASFHG honors Lisa “as a shining example of the difference one person can make to so many families across our city, for her tireless dedication to provide not only healthy food to children in need, but healthy nutritional education for whole families, for her integrated and community centered responsive approach to solving an under-addressed need in our region, her determination for change one meal and one child at a time so that good nutrition and good health is truly accessible to all, and for showing us all, by her example, that there is always something we can do; serving others is our greatest good. We celebrate Lisa Helfman for her vision, her work, and her heart.”
We are so proud of our founder and all of the work that has been accomplished because of her passion to serve others.
Lisa will be honored at the 2019 Celebration of Service on April 9, which features the accomplishments of the Schweitzer Fellows’ year-long projects and honors the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Humanitarian of the Year. Learn more about the event and how you can attend here.
As Thanksgiving brings us near the end of another Brighter Bites season, we find ourselves reflecting on how thankful we are for our many wonderful volunteers and partners who help us in our effort to create communities of health through fresh food everywhere we go. Learn about our partners here.
Don’t forget to pick up the latest issue of Southern Living magazine! Brighter Bites Co-Founders Lisa Helfman and Shreela Sharma are featured in the November issue, available at newsstands now.
Brighter Bites Founder Lisa Helfman was recently featured in a brand new podcast by The Produce Moms Founder and CEO Lori Taylor. The two like-minded produce entrepreneurs had a fantastic discussion about the origins of Brighter Bites, how fresh produce empowers people to take control of their health, and how demystifying produce is key to behavioral change.
During their talk, Lisa explained the goal of Brighter Bites, saying “we want to make impact on two levels — we want to impact each family that we touch individually and change their behavior, and then we also want to change the whole conversation on [produce] equalling health, so people really understand that it matters what they put in their mouths, and that they can live healthier lives just by doing those simple things like eating apples or kale.”
The Produce Moms is a community of passionate fresh produce advocates with a mission to inspire everyone, especially children, to eat more fruits and vegetables. The Produce Moms educates consumers about fresh produce, introduces them to produce brands, engages the produce industry with consumers in inspiring conversations, and promotes public policy to protect and increase the availability of fresh produce at American schools.
During May, The Produce Moms partnered with #GiveHealthy to host a produce drive benefiting Brighter Bites.
Listen to the fruitful discussion here!
Lisa Helfman, founder of Brighter Bites, has been named one of the 2018 “Women in Produce” by The Packer, the fresh fruit and vegetables industry’s leading source for news, information, and analysis. Read all about Lisa’s journey and vision for Brighter Bites in The Packer’s fantastic write up.
