Fresh Program
Providing nutritious food at no cost to Hunger Relief Partners
Need doesn’t have an expiration. When the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box Program expired in May 2021, Food Bank of the Rockies’ FRESH Program picked up where the government emergency program left off.
The FRESH Program sources quality produce from in-state and out-of-state producers for distribution to our Hunger Relief Partners at no cost. In fiscal year 2024, Food Bank of the Rockies distributed an average of 1 million pounds of fruit and vegetables a month throughout our service area so every individual in our community can access fresh, nutritious produce items.
In fiscal year 2024, we partnered with 29 Colorado growers directly, plus two food hubs based in Carbondale and Hotchkiss that source produce from several dozen small growers across the Western Slope and Front Range.
Community members in need of food are invited to visit our partners for hunger-relief commodities. Use our Find Food locator to locate a Hunger Relief Partner near you.
FRESH Program by the Numbers in Fiscal Year 2024
With the FRESH Program, nutritious produce is available free of cost for distribution by our Hunger Relief Partners
Local growers like Gwen Cameron, co-owner of Rancho Durazno in Palisade, Colorado, help nourish their neighbors with fresh produce that can otherwise be difficult to afford or access.
“Food Bank of the Rockies has helped me several times over the years when all my peaches ripened at once. When peaches get ripe, they need to move quickly or they’ll go bad.”
Gwen Cameron, Rancho Durazno in Palisade, Colorado
FAQs
Seasonal and assorted types and varieties of produce are available through the FRESH Program. Food Bank of the Rockies works to locate, procure, and distribute a variety of fresh, nutritious food items throughout the year.
Partners can order produce using Partner Express for either pick up or inclusion in their regular delivery.
A number of Hunger Relief Partners receive full pallets or mixed pallets of three to four different produce items in each delivery.
Partner agencies interested in receiving FRESH deliveries should contact partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org.
Learn More
Bringing Food from Local Farms to Local Families
To ensure our communities get the nourishment they need, Food Bank of the Rockies partners with 800+ hunger-relief organizations and sources as much food from local producers as possible.
One of those producers is Austin Family Farm in Paonia, Colorado, a four-generation, family-owned-and-operated farm.
“I was born to farm,” shared Glenn Austin, co-founder and patriarch of the farm. “It’s an addiction. It’s in my blood.”
Added co-founder and matriarch Tony Austin, “When we grow our food, we have other people in mind. We have been so incredibly blessed; I’ve never had to go hungry in my life, but I know other people do. To be able to help feed those people is very rewarding.”
