News Type: Program Highlights

Cheers for Champions: Principal De La Rosa

Posted on June 14, 2018 by -

In “Cheers for Champions,” a new special feature of The Brighter Byte newsletter, Brighter Bites turns the spotlight to teachers, administrators, parents, volunteers, and other shining stars who have made outstanding contributions to our program.

Today we celebrate Principal Diana De La Rosa of Northline Elementary School in Houston, TX. We are so lucky to call Principal De La Rosa a great friend to our program, and now… a champion!

Principal De La Rosa (second from right), surrounded by Brighter Bites staff and parent volunteers

Since Brighter Bites began programming at Northline last fall, Principal De La Rosa has been extremely enthused about making health a fully integrated feature of her school. In addition to coordinating with Physical Education coaches, counselors, and parent volunteers to make sure all three pillars of Brighter Bites were executed to perfection, Principal De La Rosa arranged to put weekly CATCH “MVP” bulletin boards up around the school to highlight how different teachers stay healthy and inspire her young students to follow suit.

Principal De La Rosa also implemented a school garden and empowered parents to take ownership by developing a watering schedule. Her vision for the garden is to provide half of the harvest to the parents paying into the garden co-op and the other half to the school’s cafeteria staff to make healthy sides for students’ lunch trays. The garden ensures Northline will have continued access to fresh produce.

At the end of the school day you may find Principal De La Rosa teaching cooking classes out of the demo kitchen in her office area that Brighter Bites recipes. On Brighter Bites days, you will always find her engaging with families at distribution, trying the recipe sample, and encouraging all parents and students to do the same!

One week when Brighter Bites was short on volunteers, Principal De La Rosa rolled up her sleeves and jumped in to help bag produce for our families. She then came to distribution that same day, where she asked each parent to try the sample and encouraged them to volunteer.

Thanks to Principal De La Rosa’s passion and continuous support of Brighter Bites, her teachers taught all of the CATCH lessons at Northline that are recommended in the CATCH program. We are so excited to return to Northline Elementary School next year to continue building communities of health through fresh food with Principal De La Rosa and her loyal army of parent volunteers!

Cheers to Principal De La Rosa, and cheers to ALL Brighter Bites champions!

Summer is Coming!

Posted on May 30, 2018 by -

As summer approaches, students may be leaving the classroom, but that doesn’t mean nutrition education has to end!

This summer, Brighter Bites will be bringing our signature formula of produce distribution, nutrition education, and a fun food experience to camps nationwide. For six to eight produce-packed weeks, families can look forward to a wide variety of summer produce in their Brighter Bites bags and yummy samples of summer-inspired recipes! Some of our favorites to look forward to are our Tomato and Watermelon Basil Salsa and Mango Tango Salsa!

Throughout the summer, Brighter Bites will be working at 31 sites to serve approximately 2700 families. Wishing everyone a brilliant Brighter Bites summer!

Staff Spotlight: Maggie Whittington

Posted on May 30, 2018 by -

Meet Maggie!

Maggie Whittington is the Program Director of Brighter Bites Austin, where she works alongside several members of the programming staff who implement the Brighter Bites program at schools and camps across the city. Maggie joined Brighter Bites in January 2016, inspired by the organization’s focus on using fresh produce as a tool for teaching families about nutrition. Maggie loves so many things about her job, especially seeing kids in the Brighter Bites program get excited about fresh fruits and veggies!

Maggie grew up in San Antonio, TX, where she enjoyed playing soccer, riding horses, and making art. Before moving to Austin to work with Brighter Bites, Maggie lived in more cities than some people ever live in a lifetime! Washington, D.C., New York City, San Francisco, Rome, Madrid, Killarney, and New Orleans have all been home to her at some point, and her favorite places to travel to include Peru, Italy, California, Texas, and Louisiana. We definitely know who to call when we’re going on vacation!

When Maggie’s not on the job, you’ll most likely find her walking her dogs, cooking, or exploring Austin with her fiancé. Maggie enjoys Austin’s access to the outdoors as well as its close proximity to her family in San Antonio! If you’re ever in town and looking for a tasty bite, Maggie recommends trying Dai Due for a delicious farm-to-table meal and Pool Burger where the food is made in an Airstream trailer!

We hope you’ve enjoyed meeting Maggie as much as we love her leadership in Austin!

Staff Spotlight: Jennifer Boone

Posted on May 10, 2018 by -

Meet Jennifer!

Jennifer Boone joined the Brighter Bites corporate staff in April 2018 as a sourcing manager. She is responsible for securing the right quantity and best variety of fruits and vegetables for the families we serve in each of our Brighter Bites cities.

Jennifer is a huge produce-lover and is so excited that working with Brighter Bites means talking about produce all day! Jennifer always keeps her backyard garden full of fresh fruits and vegetables and enjoys incorporating her homegrown produce into her own recipes. Jennifer’s husband Mark loves taste-testing Jennifer’s veggie-inspired meals and will proudly admit that he eats more produce since meeting Jennifer than ever before! Jennifer also likes cooking recipes by Michelle Tam of Nom Nom Paleo, especially this veggie-packed pot sticker stir fry.

Jennifer grew up in Dallas and attended Texas A&M University, where she studied ecosystem science. As a student, she could name over 300 types of grasses and is now excited to learn to name a similar number of produce items!

Jennifer will be based in Dallas, working in the Brighter Bites Dallas offices. If you’re ever in the area, she recommends eating at Mudhen Meat and Greens, which was recently named Dallas’ best farm-to-table restaurant. Jennifer also enjoys dining at Kirin Court, known for its traditional dim sum, where you should arrive early and come hungry!

We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know Jennifer as much as we have!

Kids Taste Test Brighter Bites Recipes

Posted on May 10, 2018 by -

Brighter Bites had a fantastic spring programming season, and we’re so excited to soon begin summer programming in community centers nationwide! Before school let out for summer, however we headed back to campus one last time to invite Brighter Bites kiddos to taste our recipes.

We work hard to create produce-filled recipes that everyone in the family will love. Since kids tend to be our pickiest eaters, their feedback is essential! Our staff served participating students a variety of prepared Brighter Bites recipes and they left us with their comments and ratings.

Our Houston team did a taste testing at KIPP Dream Elementary School in south Houston, where students tried our Sweet Potato Harvest Salad recipe and gave us feedback via comment cards.

 

Students at Norman and Odom Elementary Schools in Austin tried recipes such as Turkey Veggie Chili, Razzle Dazzle Rainbow Salsa, and Avocado Cilantro Yogurt Dip.

We had a blast gathering insights from students and incorporating their thoughts and ideas into the recipes we prepare in the future!

Staff Spotlight: Tara McNerney

Posted on May 3, 2018 by -

Meet Tara!

Tara McNerney is the Program Director for Brighter Bites Washington, D.C. Tara joined Brighter Bites in November 2017, inspired by the mission of Brighter Bites, its evidence-based and proven model, and the passion of all the Brighter Bites staff members she spoke to prior to joining the team!

Tara’s favorite part of the job is getting to work with so many different actors in the Brighter Bites system, including the Capital Area Food Bank, school administrators, families, and students. She also loves collaborating with other cities’ Brighter Bites program directors to learn from their experiences in other parts of the county.

Tara grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she enjoyed competing in volleyball and track and field, and reading as many books as she could. After college, Tara moved to Sweden to complete her master’s degree in strategic leadership toward sustainability. She loved observing the Swedish culture and enjoying both Sweden’s beautiful countryside and sustainable cities.

Having lived in DC for a few years, Tara loves being surrounded by so many passionate and mission-driven people. She notes that DC is an ideal place to work if you want to change the world!

When she’s not on the job, you’ll most likely find Tara going for a run, playing volleyball, or working in her garden. If you’re in the area, she recommends checking out The Red Hen to try their fresh pasta or Busboys and Poets, a bookstore and cafe that supports and reflects the wonderful diversity of the DC community!

We are so excited to have Tara on our team and hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know her as much as we have!

Staff Spotlight: Southwest Florida Program Director

Posted on April 26, 2018 by -

For our inaugural Staff Spotlight, please meet Marcela Romero, Program Director for Brighter Bites Southwest Florida, our newest program!

Marcela is leading Brighter Bites’ effort to create communities of health through fresh food in Southwest Florida schools and summer camps. Marcela joined Brighter Bites in January of 2018, inspired by our sustainable approach to changing nutrition habits. One of her favorite things about her job is involving members of the community in the program. Marcela is a big fan of pineapples and loves our Black Bean Dip!

Marcela grew up in Bogota, Colombia playing guitar and piano, singing, and playing soccer. Her favorite place she’s ever visited is Budapest, Hungary. Back in Florida, when she’s not on the job, you’ll likely find Marcela doing crossfit or visiting the beach. In fact, one of Marcela’s favorite things about living in Florida is how close the beach is! If you’re ever in the area, she recommends visiting El Gaucho Inca in Fort Myers for a great meal.

We are so grateful to have Marcela on the Brighter Bites staff, leading our Florida program! We hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know a bit about her!

The Staff Spotlight is a new series of The Brighter Byte. Enter your email below to subscribe!

Houston’s Diverse Food Culture

Posted on February 5, 2018 by -

By Isabel Herrick

Cummings Elementary School sits alongside South Kirkwood Boulevard in the Alief School District of Houston. On any given day, you might see a sign out front with messages for the kids and parents. My favorite phrase was “Thank you Tortilleria San Luis.” This phrase points to the strong Mexican and Central American influence on Houston and its food culture. But the languages spoken in this area of Houston are not limited to English and Spanish. If you look at the Cummings Elementary School webpage, you will see translations for a number of other languages, including Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic, Burmese, Urdu, and Yoruba.

In fact, the International District of Houston is only a few minutes’ drive from Cummings Elementary. Perhaps you might have driven through this area before without realizing it. One obvious indicator is the abundance of street names printed in Mandarin Chinese instead of English. And if you are looking for a bite to eat, you will find food from regions all over the world.

The presence of such an ethnically diverse population brings with it a diverse food culture: a culture with different cooking traditions, histories, and agricultural practices. My experience working as Brighter Bites intern with the enthusiastic and eager Cummings Elementary students for several weeks was amazing and enriching. In a city of over 2 million residents, our collective gastronomical history is vastly diverse; food has always been a way to embrace our different backgrounds and, at the same time, it can be a powerful tool to bring people together.

After talking to some of the elementary school teachers during lunchtime, I learned that, for most of the kids, their favorite aspect of the Brighter Bites experience is bringing a recipe card home each Tuesday to share with their family. For the students, the ability to share this new healthful information is empowering.

It can sometimes take a leap of faith to try a food that is unfamiliar and or prepared by a stranger. A huge shout out goes to the Cummings elementary school students for being super brave and for their overwhelming willingness to try the Brighter Bites samples. Some of the favorites were the Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice Smoothie and the Popping Pomegranate Salsa.

Isabel Herrick is pursuing a degree in environmental studies. She completed a Brighter Bites internship in Houston, TX in the fall of 2017.

Back to School in HOU

Posted on January 9, 2018 by -

A week before Brighter Bites was scheduled to begin Fall 2017 programming in Houston, TX, Hurricane Harvey made landfall, devastating the Houston community and much of the Texas coast. Everyday life became a surreal experience as the city came together to rescue each other, rebuild the city, and keep moving forward. Brighter Bites put our regular programming on hold to better support our families by delivering pre-assembled bags of produce to elementary schools.

As recovery continues across the city, we are excited to be back in our  schools for regular programming. Catch a few snaps from our first day back at Jefferson Elementary School!

 

Holiday Cheer for a Fruitful Year

Posted on December 19, 2017 by -

During the fall 2017 season, school faculty across the country implemented produce activities and CATCH Nutrition Education lessons in their classrooms to make learning about produce fun for students at Brighter Bites schools. We’re so grateful for the partnership of these amazing educators, whose engagement and belief in our program drove its success.

We were thrilled to receive a variety of positive testimonials from faculty at our schools as the season came to a close and are happy to share some of the feedback from educators in Austin, TX:

I teach Special Education, so most of my students are autistic and really do not like to try new foods. They get pretty particular about what they will eat, so I try to find recipes that they would be willing to try. If we can get them to at least try a taste of the new fruit or veggie, we are getting over a very big hurdle. We are making a book of the different fruits and veggies that we try. Since we’ve started doing Brighter Bites this year, my kids have grown more flexible and are willing to try more new fruits and veggies! – Teacher, Langford Elementary

It’s nice to know that the students are open to trying new foods, especially after they are encouraged from their peers.  – Teacher, Odom Elementary

Parents later reported that their children were requesting [mangoes] be purchased for consumption at home. – Teacher, Metz Elementary

I was amazed at how open-minded they were this week, willing to try the lettuces and tomatoes! – Teacher, Langford Elementary

The students love to interact with the produce by touching it, smelling it and tasting it. A large number of our students already knew that frying food made it unhealthy. – Teacher, Langford Elementary

One boy commented, “I didn’t know I liked vegetables until we tried them this year. I just didn’t know I liked them.” – Teacher, Langford Elementary