Keyword/Tag: Dallas

Dallas Superstars

Posted on July 3, 2019 by -

Brighter Bites is hard at work nationwide creating communities of health through fresh food to help our families make brighter food choices for brighter health outcomes. We learned early on that none of this would be possible without the support of the communities we serve, especially those of the families and school staff.

Read on to learn about three Dallas superstars who go above-and-beyond to make sure Brighter Bites shines in their schools.

Happy, Healthy Helpers

Maria is a standout parent volunteer at Anderson Elementary School. A Brighter Bites program associate shared the following about Maria: “Maria is a mother to six children and cares greatly about their nutritional needs. Maria and I have regular discussions and share recipe ideas. She always takes any extra [produce bag] sets she gets to the crossing guard and to the ice cream man in her neighborhood. Maria lives across the street from the school, so when the truck pulls up to deliver the Brighter Bites produce, she and her daughter Emma come on over ready to help.” Little Emma was recently given a Brighter Bites t-shirt so she could also shine in Brighter Bites red as she and her mom lend a helping hand.

Leading by Example

At Kleberg Elementary School, a special teaching assistant has shown her students the power of produce through her own life. She has changed her whole lifestyle since Kleberg began partnering with Brighter Bites. One daily example she sets for the kids — she now snacks on raw veggies and has come to really enjoy them, a true take-home lesson for Brighter Bites students!

Mayoral Motivation

Ma de is a parent volunteer at Hawthorne Elementary School who has earned the title ‘Mayor of Hawthorne.’ A Brighter Bites program coordinator explained why: “This is Ma de with her kiddos, Katherine and Nathalie. Ma de comes to every single bagging and doesn’t leave until the end of distribution each week. I call her the Mayor of Hawthorne because she knows and loves everyone at this school. She makes a friend out of everyone she meets and keeps us laughing each week.”

Thanks to all our Brighter Bites superstars! We couldn’t do what we do without you!

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!

Seabourn Elementary Promotes Healthy Eating

Posted on April 25, 2019 by -

The Mesquite News ran an article about Seabourn Elementary’s Brighter Bites program in the Dallas, TX area this week. Read the article here or below.

 

Seabourn Elementary has partnered with Brighter Bites, a Houston-based nonprofit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly to families, to encourage students and their families to eat more produce and make healthier choices.

For eight weeks in the fall and eight weeks in the spring, Brighter Bites provides 5,000 pounds of fresh produce to Seabourn every week.

Seabourn Principal Renea Kern said the school has “Wellness Wednesdays” in which food trucks arrive at about 8:30 a.m. bringing fresh fruits and vegetables. From there the volunteer parents organize individual bags, and each family that has signed up to be part the program takes home about 25 pounds of fresh produce every week. Teachers also get a bag of produce delivered to their classrooms to use in a weekly educational activity to teach students about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables.

“After hearing about this program from another district I did some further research and thought it would be a great opportunity for our families,” Kern said. “We see so many of our students with chips, candy and soda that we wanted to try and make a positive influence towards healthier choices.”

Kern said after filling out an online application a Brighter Bites representative reached out to discuss how to bring this program to Seabourn.

“We are all about building communities of health through fresh food. We do that through fresh produce and nutrition education,” said Jenna Babbitt of Brighter Bites.

All Seabourn families are eligible to sign up for this program. Not only does each family receive fresh produce weekly, they also get recipes they can try at home with the produce provided that week.

“Brighter Bites provides samples of the recipe included with the produce when the parents pick up their bags. Additionally, our students get to experience the new produce each week with their teachers during the required produce activity,” Kern said. “Our students and families are learning how to make healthier food choices and try new things without the cost this would otherwise bring. Through the Brighter Bites program and the CATCH program that is already available in our district, we are supporting a healthier lifestyle.

“Our students and families are opting to choose healthier foods, and physical activity is encouraged and celebrated. We are on our way to making lifelong changes with the support of Brighter Bites,” she added.

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.

Staff Spotlight: Alicia Farhat

Posted on September 11, 2018 by -

Meet Alicia!

Alicia Farhat is the Program Director of Brighter Bites in Dallas, Texas. Alicia was inspired to join Brighter Bites in May 2014 when she decided she wanted to change her career focus from treating childhood obesity as a clinical registered dietitian to preventing childhood obesity and the diseases that stem from it by working in the public health nutrition field. When asked about her favorite thing about working for Brighter Bites, Alicia describes “building a Brighter Bites team that is passionate for the work we do in the community and that is ready to make sure we move the needle on all the wellness issues faced by the families we serve.” Alicia is so excited to know that she spends the majority of her time working towards something bigger than herself that impacts thousands of families in her community.

Dallas Program Director Alicia Farhat receives the Walmart Community Playmaker Award for her impact on her community through Brighter Bites

Alicia was born and raised in Venezuela, where she grew up playing piano and perfecting her ballet technique. She loves the contrast of the Caribbean with Venezuela’s mountains, desert, and forests. Alicia hopes to one day share Venezuela’s beauty with her husband and young son. Alicia has been with her husband since high school, and the duo recently welcomed home their first child, Lucas. They’re completely in love and in awe of how receptive, social, and quick-to-learn Lucas is…and amazed at how much she and her husband can accomplish on so little sleep!

Alicia considers beets her favorite produce item, as they’re the perfect blend of sweet and earthy. She loves serving (and eating) the Brighter Bites Can’t Be Beet Salad atop a bed of spinach with some added protein. She also recommends our Sweet Potato Harvest Salad.

When she’s not on the job, you’ll likely find Alicia dancing merengue, ballet, or anything in between. Alicia recommends checking out Second Thursdays with a Twist at the Dallas Museum of Art, where you’ll find live music, food, and great themed activities and exhibitions.

Check out how you can volunteer to support Alicia’s team in Dallas here.

Thank You Summer Interns!

Posted on July 22, 2018 by -

Brighter Bites thrives on the engagement of our communities, including families, teachers, staff, volunteers, and local high school and university students who support Brighter Bites as interns. Today we say a special thank you to the Mayor’s Intern Fellows Program of the Dallas Foundation and Dallas Independent School District, who both made it possible for the Brighter Bites Dallas team to host an amazing summer intern, Sanjuana Gonzalez.

Sanjuana is a junior at I.D.E.A. High School and is spending her summer experiencing all aspects of Brighter Bites, from managing the community volunteers during produce bagging to delivering the healthy messages of the week and engaging with parents and kids during our distributions. Sanjuana said that working with Brighter Bites has helped her impact and improve her community by providing them with healthier food choices.

The Dallas team is also fortunate to have Riley Uhl as a summer intern. Riley is a graduate student at the University of Oklahoma and is working on her masters in health promotion. Riley has been busy teaching nutrition education lessons to kiddos across Dallas, as well as preparing and sampling Brighter Bites recipes with our summer families.

“I love seeing how excited the kids get when they see the healthy foods we have,” Riley said. “Seeing their reaction when they try a new fruit or vegetable and really like it makes this experience so worthwhile.”

Thanks Sanjuana and Riley for spending your summer with us and for being such positive role models for the Brighter Bites kids with whom you interact!

Check out our career page for regular updates on how you can become a part of Brighter Bites in your community!

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!