Press Releases

MONTEREY, Calif. - FEBRUARY 14, 2006 - Healthy Eating Lifestyle Principles, Inc. (HELP), founded in 2004 by Basil Mills, president of Mills Family Farms, has recently incorporated as an independent 501c (3) organization and named its first board of directors.

HELP is a nonprofit organization working to combat the obesity epidemic and encourage increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Under the leadership of executive director Mike Pippi, the company promotes healthy eating and physical activity in our schools and in our community, offering free nutrition education classes and wellness programs and tools to schools and businesses throughout Monterey County.

The HELP Board of Directors includes leaders from agriculture, healthcare, education, government departments and community service agencies. "HELP is a conduit organization bringing community leaders together to work actively in partnership to grow a healthier community," said Pippi. Board members include:

Leslie Sunny, Executive Director, Food Bank for Monterey County
Tricia Vincent, Chief Clinical Dietitian, C.H.O.M.P.
Alan Mello, Mello Media
Beverly Ranzenberger. Senior VP/COO, Salinas Valley Memorial Health Care System
Cynthia Poole, Chief Clinical Dietician, Salinas Valley Memorial Health Care System
Nancy Kotowski, Associate Superintendent Educational Services Division, Monterey County Office of Education
Basil Mills, President, Mills Family Farms
Donna Ferraro, Executive Director, Boys and Girls Clubs of Monterey County
Jim Bogart, Executive Director, Grower Shipper Association 
John R. Baillie, Jack T. Baillie Co., Inc.
Gina Marie Nucci, Director of Food Service Marketing, Mann Packing Company, Inc.
Jim Nakashima, Executive Director, Housing Authority of Monterey County
Cindy Weigelt, Executive Director, American Heart Association
Rhonda Williams, Realtor
Mike Pippi, President/Executive Director, Healthy Eating Lifestyle Principles, Inc.

HELP began as an agricultural initiative and existed in its first year as part of the Grower-Shipper Association. An Agriculture Advisory Council now assists HELP in working to increase access to and consumption of fresh produce, particularly in our schools. The Agriculture Advisory Council members include:

Rod Braga, Managing Partner, Braga Ranch
Jerry Esquivel, President, Chieftain Harvesting, Inc.
Butch Massa, Vice President, Comgro
Martin Orradre, CEO, Cream of the Crop
John R. Baillie, Jack T. Baillie Co., Inc.
Sig V. Christierson, President, Major Farms
Kay Filice, Owner, Filice Farms
Basil Mills, President, Mills Family Farms
Joe Pezzini, Vice President Operations, Ocean Mist Farms
Tom Church, President, Church Brothers, LLC
John D'Arrigo, President, D'Arrigo Bros. of California
John Manfre, Member, Capurro Marketing, LLC
Gina Nucci, Director of Food Service, Mann Packing Company, Inc.
Johnny A. Silva, General Manager, Silva Farms

Current HELP programs include the Wellness Policy Parity Program for 22 regional school districts, helping schools meet a federal mandate to enact wellness policies and provide programs to support the policies; the "Choose Your Life" Workplace Wellness Program, bringing nutrition education to workplaces; and "Simply Fresh" television broadcasts, which demonstrate produce-based healthy cooking.

HELP was originally established under the Monterey County Office of Economic Development and Monterey County Business Council's C2 Competitive Clusters Initiative. For more information, please contact Mike Pippi at 831-372-3616 or visit www.helpunited.org.