Keyword/Tag: Mike Pomeroy

Brighter Bites Launches First Program Season at 12th Location in Las Cruces, New Mexico

Posted on April 23, 2024 by -

LAS CRUCES, NM – We announced in November 2023 that Brighter Bites was introducing its 11th location in Phoenix, Arizona. Now, the organization is announcing its 12th location in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with the kickoff of its first program season in the community. Brighter Bites is serving six public schools within Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS), which is directly impacting close to 600 families and providing approximately 20 lbs of fresh produce to participants every other week.

“We aim to improve health outcomes starting with the children and families in under-resourced communities by providing fresh produce and nutrition education,” said Mike Pomeroy, Vice President of Operations at Brighter Bites. “Our ultimate goal is to create behavior change that improves children’s health, especially among populations who are disproportionately vulnerable to developing obesity and diet-related diseases. When successful, we can eliminate health disparities and address health equity.”

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Thank you Halliburton!

Posted on November 9, 2018 by -

Brighter Bites is honored to be one of the beneficiaries of the 24th annual Halliburton Charity Golf Tournament, which raised over $3.3 million for 26 nonprofit organizations across Houston and the U.S. this past October. Thanks to the generosity of the Halliburton Charitable Foundation, Brighter Bites was able to enter Aldine ISD in Houston, TX, for the first time and serve 150 new families. Learn more here!

Staff Spotlight: Meet Mike!

Posted on October 9, 2018 by -

In this edition of Staff Spotlight, meet Mike!

Mike Pomeroy, Senior Program Director (right) pictured with Stefanie Cousins, Director of Marketing & Communications (left)

Mike Pomeroy is Brighter Bites’ senior program director and member of our Houston-based executive team. Mike has been with Brighter Bites since its inception in 2012 and worked with Dr. Shreela Sharma at UT Health School of Public Health on the evaluation of our program for its first few years. Mike joined our staff in his current role in the summer of 2015.

When asked what interested him in joining the Brighter Bites team, Mike said the following:

“In my studies at UT School of Public Health about food policy in the United States and the environmental determinants of health, I knew I wanted to help underserved families in this country have a sustainable way to learn how to eat healthier. When Dr. Sharma first told me in the summer of 2012 about Lisa’s idea to send families home with free fresh fruits and vegetables on a regular basis, I was immediately drawn to the potential impact. As the program has grown, the original commitment to actually empowering families to make positive change in their lives has remained the core purpose of the organization. This is what draws me in and inspires me to be a part of Brighter Bites every day!”

Mike (right), pictured with Brighter Bites volunteers and Program Manager Lani Alcazar (second from left)

Mike loves visiting our program sites to join our amazing crew of volunteers to bag produce for our families. He’s inspired by the volunteers who come out to break a sweat for their fellow community members and also enjoys seeing all the beautiful, nourishing produce that we send home with our families each week.

Mike spent his early childhood in Las Cruces, New Mexico, before moving to Baytown, Texas, outside of Houston. He was both a self-described band nerd and theater geek during his high school days.

Today Mike enjoys living in Houston’s diverse city limits, full of people with big ideas from all over the world. When he’s not on the job, you’ll likely find Mike attending progressive political events or spending time with his husband Kris and their two rowdy pit-bull/boxer mix pups (April and Guinness).

We’re so lucky to have Mike as a leader for Brighter Bites. Be sure to say hi next time you see Mike at a bagging!

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far?

Posted on June 3, 2015 by -

Mike Pomeroy has been an integral part of the Brighter Bites roll out and development over the past three years in his work at the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living at the UT School of Public Health, where he worked closely with Brighter Bites Co-Founder Shreela Sharma, PhD. Mike has had an interest in improving food access and reducing food insecurity since beginning his time as a Master’s student at the UT School of Public Health in Houston. He lobbied for improved national school lunch standards in 2010 as an intern with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, and worked with Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign in 2012. He has also served on Houston ISD’s School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) for the past 3 years. Mike obtained his Masters of Public Health in 2010 with an emphasis in health policy, and worked with the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living from 2008-2015 on multiple health promotion research projects, including the pilot project that launched Brighter Bites. Mike is excited to join the Brighter Bites team full time in this capacity, and looks forward to overseeing the expansion and strengthening of the program.