One in every eight people around you is living with food insecurity while being forced to make impossible choices. A recent report shows that hunger rates are at a more than 10-year high; headlines have labeled this a “public health crisis.” Rather than be intimidated by this fact, Food Bank of the Rockies is taking action with a new purpose-built, sustainable, and efficient facility that will help meet the needs of our neighbors facing hunger for years to come. Read on to learn more!
As the cost of living climbs, federal support programs are reduced, and more families face difficult choices between purchasing food and other essentials, Food Bank of the Rockies is stepping up with a transformative new building and bold vision for the future. This winter, we will open a new 270,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution center intentionally designed to meet the urgent and growing needs of our neighbors across Colorado and Wyoming — and we are calling on you, our community, to help get the capital campaign to the finish line.
“After 19 years in a space we outgrew long ago, we’re thrilled to open a new hub designed to support our mission of nourishing people facing hunger with better food, stronger partnerships, and greater efficiency,” said Erin Pulling, President and CEO. “This isn’t just a building — it’s a foundation for reaching more neighbors with fresh, nutritious, familiar food, and for building a future where no one has to wonder where their next meal will come from.”
Since we moved into our current Denver distribution center in 2006, we have quintupled the amount of food we distribute to accommodate the needs of the growing number of neighbors experiencing food insecurity. Last year, we distributed 94 million pounds of food — enough for 76 million meals. But that wasn’t enough, and it isn’t enough moving forward.
Here are just a few of the ways our new building will help us meet the current and future needs of our community:
- Reduce operating costs by more than $500,000 annually by consolidating operations and investing in sustainability measures, allowing us to redistribute those funds to better support our Hunger Relief Partners and neighbors
- Double our cold storage capacity, allowing us to receive and safely distribute up to 50% more fresh produce and accept significantly more rescued food
- Triple the volunteer capacity means triple the impact on how much food we can process
- Quadruple the kitchen space will allow us to scale up to making and distributing 10,000 meals for children every single day
- An expanded workforce development program will give more people a chance to build skills and credentials to enhance future career opportunities
Thanks to several passionate hunger-relief supporters, we have already raised 85% of the funding we need to make this new home a reality. Now, we’re asking you to join them and help us complete the final stretch of our goal to make a critical and lasting impact on food insecurity in our region.
This is about more than a new building: it’s about people — each other — and ensuring all our neighbors have the food they need to thrive. Hunger isn’t going away, but with this new distribution center, we can put into place the cornerstone for a brighter future, ensuring every neighbor has the nourishment they need to thrive.
Learn more about Fulfilled and our vision for building a hunger-free future.
