Keyword/Tag: volunteer

Brighter Bites Partners with GoodPop for 2024 Summer Programming

Posted on June 4, 2024 by -

HOUSTON (June 4, 2024) – Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, announces partnership with GoodPop®, makers of better-for-you frozen pops and bubbly beverages.

Through this partnership, GoodPop will contribute to the nonprofit’s mission by making a financial donation, including a $40,000 matching of Brighter Bites’ summer Core Campaign. Additionally, GoodPop will participate in a volunteer day at one of the Austin summer program sites, contribute fresh watermelon from their own supply chain to diversify the nonprofit’s distribution bags, and execute a GoodPop product cause marketing strategy to raise awareness of Brighter Bites’ back-to-school campaign

“We are honored to have a partner like GoodPop to support our mission, especially during our summer programming months,” said Rich Dachman, CEO of Brighter Bites. “Summer programming is crucial for the communities we serve in providing access to fresh produce when school is out. To have partner support during this time of the year is always welcomed and appreciated.”

Furthermore, Brighter Bites is also giving back to GoodPop’s cause by participating in Good Deeds Day, a global movement of people dedicated to doing good. Since 2007, millions of people and thousands of organizations from 110 countries have come together annually to volunteer and #DoGood. This Brighter Bites and GoodPop partnership is just the beginning of many connections with organizations across the country to provide people with an opportunity to do good and volunteer.

“At GoodPop, it is our mission to provide families with more wholesome, delicious treats made with real and simple ingredients while also doing good in the communities we serve, ” says Clara Tomlin, Director of Brand Impact at GoodPop.  “GoodPop is proud to partner with Brighter Bites, uplifting two of our giving pillars: Supporting Equity and Inclusion and Ending Hunger in America. This partnership feels especially important to us as we always strive to bring joy to families during the summer through our products and mission.”

Brighter Bites in Dallas, TX

Posted on July 3, 2019 by -

In the summer of 2015, Brighter Bites began serving families in Dallas, TX — the program’s first expansion outside of its home in Houston. This past school year, the Dallas team served families at 20 programming sites across the city in Dallas ISD, Garland ISD, and Mesquite ISD.

Map of Brighter Bites sites in Dallas, TX, during the 2018-2019 school year

The Brighter Bites Dallas program would not be possible without the incredible support of partners like North Texas Food Bank, Brother’s Produce, Taylor Farms, Hardie’s Fresh Foods,  Village Farms, and Mann Packing. Each of these partners supports Brighter Bites by providing us with produce donations, warehouse resources, and/or logistics support, all of which are crucial to making our program a success. By collaborating with Brighter Bites, these companies demonstrate both their commitment to helping communities in the Dallas area that don’t have reliable access to fresh food and their confidence in our program to help families change the way they are eating. We could not be more grateful for their partnership.

The tight-knit Dallas programming team will soon be led by incoming Program Director Julie MacPherson, who joins Brighter Bites after spending several years in Washington, D.C., Portland, and Dallas working in a variety of areas in the nonprofit space. The Dallas program director role was previously held by Alicia Farhat, who established the Dallas program nearly five years ago and helped it grow to a footprint of 20 schools in the Dallas area, serving thousands of Dallas families each year. Brighter Bites misses Alicia, and we wish her the very best! The rest of the team includes Program Manager Magaly Solis and Program Coordinators Maryann Aguinaga, Jenna Babbitt, Josh Meyer, and Dallas Riley. The team is supported by four incredible Program Associates, Suzan Mackay, Jocelyn Hunt, Yesenia Mejia, and Yolanda Johnson, as well as a high school fieldwork intern, Su Min Yoon, and a graduate school dietetic intern, Allie Kleppe.

The Dallas team has a dedicated workspace at GoodWork, a Dallas coworking office, where they enjoy working in a naturally-lit environment conducive to team building, especially through GoodWork’s periodic yoga and fitness classes! The programming team is also joined at the GoodWork office by three members of the Brighter Bites national team including Director of Strategic Parntnerships Meredith Spence, Sourcing Manager Jennifer Boone, and Nutrition Education Program Manager Jacqueline Noyola.

This summer, the Brighter Bites Dallas programming team is serving over 500 families at eight different summer sites. Join the team by signing up to volunteer at a Dallas site or in a Brighter Bites city near you!

Thanks to the Dallas team for all they do to create communities of health in Dallas!

Volunteer Superstars in Houston, TX

Posted on June 1, 2019 by -

One of the wonderful parts of carrying out the Brighter Bites mission of creating communities of health through fresh food is getting to see those communities come together and grow around a common love for fruits and veggies. This is something the Brighter Bites team regularly experiences with families, teachers, and school staff members who participate in the program. In this article, we’re sharing some of the Houston team’s favorite anecdotes about superstar school staff or volunteers who participate in Brighter Bites and contribute to the healthy communities we’re creating in Houston.

Seguin Elementary 

I’d love to shout out to the volunteers and Staff at Seguin Elementary.  All of them are always ready to drop everything and help out in any way they can.  Everyone always has their Brighter Bites shirts on for distribution day and are always glowing with excitement when they see the produce. – Tanya Reyes, Program Coordinator

Halpin Early Childhood Center

My Halpin contacts and teachers are amazing! They are always eager to help with bagging, delivering the teachers bags, and at distribution. The teachers love seeing what’s in the bag, and they do a fabulous job with nutrition education. – Katie Degen, Program Coordinator

Boone Elementary 

One of my favorite stories from Boone is Zoha, one of our young volunteers, being so excited to show me her strawberry purse! She came to almost every bagging and would help bag fruits and veggies with her mom. – Samantha Rodriguez, Program Coordinator

Kennedy Elementary

A standout school staff member would be Ms. Manson, the Parent Liaison at Kennedy Elementary. The first time I met her I showed her our video from our website, and it brought tears to her eyes. She knew that the first day of Brighter Bites bagging was October 16, so she wrote that date across her dry erase board and made sure to mention it EVERY time we met so that she knew exactly when we would be on campus. On the first day of bagging, she had recruited over 20 parents to help! She would go out of her way to make bagging a pleasant experience by bringing coffee and breakfast bars for the volunteers. She brought toys and play mats for the volunteers’ children to keep them occupied. She called teachers individually to ensure they came to get their bags. She would speak with teachers who were struggling to log their CATCH lessons or produce activities and offer to log their lessons for them! Our first year at Kennedy was wonderful, and I can’t thank Ms. Manson enough for the love and support she brought to Brighter Bites on her campus. – Samantha Rodriguez, Program Coordinator

Matthys Elementary

The nurse Ms. Lloyd at Matthys Elementary…I love her. I always tell her how much I appreciate her hard work on the ground at the school when we are not there. Her hard work is so apparent in the Matthys nutrition education report and the amount of volunteers Matthys provides every week. She is on it, and it truly helps to have that “special somebody'”who supports the program and the work that I do at the school as the program coordinator. – Thelma Green, Program Coordinator

Fisher Elementary

Genesis is one of our faithful distribution volunteers at Fisher Elementary in Pasadena ISD. She hands out the how-to as a “ticket” to families to get their bags every week. One day we were talking about life, and I asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be a Brighter Bites worker. And I asked her if she knew what Brighter Bites workers do, and she told me that they talk to families about fruits and vegetables so they can be healthier. Needless to say, she’s ready. I also told her to keep doing well in school, and go to college so she can be the best Brighter Bites worker! – Jacqueline Castro, Program Coordinator

Robinson Elementary

So a line of 40+ children were leaving P.E. when I got to the gym at Robinson this morning, and the first student said, “I’m eating an orange today, that’s a go food!” And then without prompting, every single kiddo told me a “go” food example as they passed me! – Rachel Perlmutter, Program Associate

Rucker Elementary

At Rucker a mom said to me, “Thank you for having Brighter Bites come here. I see a big change in my girls. They choose to snack on vegetables rather than junk food. They already know that when Monday comes around I come home with bags of produce, and they’re excited to see what’s in the bags for the week. Thank you so so much for all that you do.” 

I find it so rewarding to hear these kinds of testimonies from families out in the field. – Tibisay Guzman, Program Associate

Seguin Elementary

The teachers at Seguin Elementary have a text message group where they share their Brighter Bites recipes! – Tanya Reyes, Program Coordinator

Boone Elementary

It is truly amazing to hear that parents are making the snacks at home. At Boone, I was about to leave, and a student approached me and said, “Do you remember the smoothie that Brighter Bite made last week?” I said, “Yes, the Hulk Smoothie.” She said with a smile on her face that she liked it so much that her mom made it for her. – Mary Ifebuzor, Program Associate

Ogg Elementary

Everyday of Brighter Bites at Ogg, I work in the teachers lounge and eat lunch with the teachers. One day, I was inspired by the grapefruit salad we had prepared, and I packed grapefruit with cut up mandarins. After seeing what I packed, teachers have been sitting with me sharing ideas of fruit snacks they enjoy. I love trying to be an example for teachers, and hopefully inspiring them to be examples for their students. – Samantha Rodriguez, Program Coordinator

Kennedy Elementary

Enjoying spending time with our volunteers at Kennedy Elementary in Houston. One of the volunteers made a delicious chicken caldo using her Brighter Bites produce. 🙂 She was very proud of it and made sure that I tried some. – Samantha Rodriguez, Program Coordinator

Enjoy some extra snaps of Brighter Bites in action in Houston!

Texas First Lady and Families of Texas Legislature Volunteer with Brighter Bites

Posted on March 14, 2019 by -

On March 12, family members of current Texas legislators joined Brighter Bites at Cook Elementary School in Austin, TX to volunteer at a produce bagging. We couldn’t be more humbled by the turnout of 19 adults and 34 children (ages three month to 17 years)! Special guests included First Lady of Texas Cecilia Abbott, Kim Bonnen, and many others, who worked together to build 190 sets of bags for Cook Elementary School families and teachers to take home and enjoy. Check out photos of our amazing helpers below!

 

Back to School!

Posted on September 12, 2018 by -

It’s time for students to head back to school which means it’s time for Brighter Bites to do the same! Learn where we’re headed this school year to create communities of health through fresh food.

Volunteer Opportunities Abound with Brighter Bites

Posted on September 11, 2018 by -

If you’ve been looking for a way to volunteer in your community, consider joining Brighter Bites for a great volunteer experience! Volunteers play a huge role in contributing to our program through produce bagging, produce distribution, and snack prep. The Brighter Bites staff works hard to make each of our three volunteer experiences truly unBEETable! Keep reading to learn about each opportunity and how you can sign up.

As a produce bagging volunteer, you’ll get the opportunity to get your hands dirty and pack bags full of fresh produce for our families. There’s a great sense of community during the bagging process as all volunteers work together to prepare the weekly produce bags, making sure each family receives an equal amount of produce. Brighter Bites staff and volunteers create great friendships through this experience, and staff provide a healthy topic and ideas for the volunteers to try at home on a weekly basis.

As a volunteer during snack prep, you’ll be putting on your apron and working in the kitchen, where you’ll slice, cut, chop, dice, blend, mix and/or stir your way to great kitchen and knife skills. Brighter Bites has a huge library of healthy recipes that volunteers and Brighter Bites staff prepare based on the healthy snack selected each week. Volunteers then pack and label the appropriate servings of the snack for each Brighter Bites school or site. Families have a chance to taste the prepared snack at program distribution and receive the corresponding recipe card in their Brighter Bites bags. Volunteers have the opportunity to learn about new foods, recipes, and healthy eating while also experiencing the great community of working together to prepare delicious and nutritious food.

Finally, as a volunteer at program distribution you’ll be engaging directly with the community and Brighter Bites families. You’ll work side by side with Brighter Bites staff to talk with kids and parents about healthy eating. You’ll help distribute bags full of fresh produce and promote the week’s colorful, bright, and nutritious snack. Seeing the excitement on our families’ faces after trying the snack or seeing the produce in the bag each week is such a rewarding feeling!

All Brighter Bites volunteers help the program provide nutritious recipes, fresh produce, and healthy eating habits to families throughout our communities, ensuring that ‘The Better We Nourish, The Brighter We Flourish’.

Ready to sign up? Click here to view the volunteer opportunities for a Brighter Bites program near you.

Article written by Lauren Jiles
2018 Summer Intern
Houston, Texas

We Love Our Volunteers!

Posted on May 30, 2018 by -

Brighter Bites is powered by the support of thousands of volunteers across the country who help us fulfill the three pillars of our program! At the end of the school year, we enjoy recognizing all those people who have given their time and hard work to the Brighter Bites program at their local school.

Volunteers regularly join Brighter Bites in several capacities, including produce bagging, produce distribution, and healthy recipe preparation. Every volunteer plays a huge role in supporting Brighter Bites, and we are so grateful!

To show our volunteers just how much we appreciate them, we threw them several parties across our Brighter Bites cities!

Check out some snaps from “Brighter Bites Corn-ival” in honor of our amazing Houston volunteers!

WFAA News Features Brighter Bites Dallas Team

Posted on August 3, 2017 by -

Brighter Bites families and volunteers from Park South YMCA were featured on WFFA8, the ABC affiliate station in Dallas, this Thursday moring. Participants excitedly reflected on their recent experiences cooking and tasting new fruits and vegetables they would otherwise never have tried without Brighter Bites.

“People aren’t adventurous like that when you don’t have the money. They don’t want to take a chance on buying edamame, and you don’t like it, and now the money is gone and you’re still hungry,” said Rodrigua Ross, executive director of Park South YMCA. This is where Brighter Bites comes in to offer a risk free way to explore fresh foods.

To hear more from Ross and other Brighter Bites participants watch the full video HERE

Humans of Brighter Bites (July 2017, 2 of 3)

Posted on July 20, 2017 by -

july-part-2-of-3

“At sixteen, I started to work at the Brackenridge hospital. I was able to eat lunch there. That’s when I first started to actually think, you know, broccoli is good. You could put cheese on it or dip it into Ranch dressing. The vegetables were probably there even before I really realized, but that’s when I started to say, I’m going to need to try them all the time. I never tried them because I always felt it wasn’t good if it didn’t come out of a can. I would go through the cafeteria line and I’d see the broccoli and the cauliflower mixed with different things. I remember going home and telling my mom, you know, when I go through the line at the hospital, they have these vegetables. I say, you know what, mom? Maybe that’s something that you could try with us and see if we can get my younger brothers and sisters to start eating that.”

Humans of Brighter Bites is a series that captures how Brighter Bites volunteers, participants, teachers, and supporters connect with food. Check back here for each installment of the current story and each month for a new story.