A mutual friend recently introduced me to a woman named Lisa Helfman and, given our very similar backgrounds (Houston moms/lawyers with an interest in kids and food), it wasn’t surprising that we hit it off right away.
At that first meeting, Lisa told me how years ago she’d joined an organic produce co-op and was surprised by the dramatic improvement she saw in her family’s eating habits. She and her husband wondered if they could bring the same experience to Houston’s underprivileged kids, and eventually Lisa formed an innovative program called “Brighter Bites.” By partnering with the Houston Food Bank, Brighter Bites delivers on a weekly basis fresh fruits and vegetables, along with nutrition education, to local families in need. The program is being monitored by the University of Texas School of Public Health and has shown so much promise that our state legislature is funding a roll-out of the program elsewhere in Texas.
I’ve been bugging Lisa to write a guest post here to share the details, but now Salud America has produced a terrific five-minute video about Lisa and the program. Take a look and be inspired.
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Hanna Saltzman says
This is so inspiring! I love the part about how by learning to choose and prepare all sorts of veggies, kids aren’t just getting fed healthy food (which in itself is a big accomplishment) – they’re also forming habits for life. So true, and I commend Lisa for her creative and successful approach!
(Also, you probably know, but I just saw that Salud America launched a new website: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/blog/2014/02/salud-america-launches-website-to-combat-latino.html)