A food bank, like Food Bank of the Rockies, is a large, centralized resource that acquires and distributes food and necessities to smaller, direct service-only Hunger Relief Partners, which are food pantries. Many food banks, again, like Food Bank of the Rockies, also have programs that directly distribute to those in need. If it’s helpful, you can think of food banks as distribution centers and food pantries as corner stores. The former offers large-scale efficiencies and impact, and partners with the latter to deliver much-needed food and necessities at a hyperlocal level.

We procure food and necessities from a variety of sources, including a robust Food Rescue Program, which repurposes surplus food as nourishing options for our neighbors. We also receive direct contributions from partners throughout the food industry, from farmers to restaurants. A smaller but still sizeable portion of our food is purchased using donated funds and other means of foundational support. And because we can purchase food in bulk quantities at wholesale prices, we can make that funding go further, providing about the equivalent of three meals for every dollar.

We use this metric as a general way to explain how donated dollars have major purchasing power through Food Bank of the Rockies. 

$1 helps provide three meals thanks to Food Bank of the Rockies’ robust purchasing power, grocery rescue program, federal government allotments, donations, and lower bulk pricing from agricultural and retail partners. 

Ultimately, $1 helps provide 3 meals because of the way we are able to leverage the power of donated food. More than half of our food is donated by retailers, manufacturers, and agricultural partners or funded through government programs. Although there are costs associated even with donated food (i.e. the freight to pick up the food, the cost of running our distribution center, the cost of labor and freight to distribute the food), it’s still an incredibly efficient model. 

While Food Bank of the Rockies currently spends over $1 million/month on purchased food, that food represents a fraction of the food we’re distributing thanks to donated and government-funded food. Additionally, we are purchasing food for much less than what the average person would spend at the grocery store, which helps us stretch donors’ dollars further.

Our two processes for food distribution are through direct services and Hunger Relief Partners.

Direct services are programs run wholly by Food Bank of the Rockies and our associated teams. These include our fleet of more than 70 mobile pantries that bring food to where it’s needed most, our Food for Kids programs that provide after-school and summer nutrition support for families, home delivery of food boxes for older adults, and much more.

Hunger Relief Partners are locally based relief organizations located throughout the regions we serve who receive resources through Food Bank of the Rockies. Our partners are the lifeline between Food Bank of the Rockies and communities throughout Colorado and Wyoming, and we are so proud to currently be partnering with more than 800 organizations.

We’re proud of the fact that 96 cents of every dollar donated to us goes directly into our Hunger Relief Programs. And we have been given a 4-Star rating on Charity Navigator for 13+ years running.

We are strident stewards of the funding and support that is so generously provided by our community and partner organizations, and we strive for maximum transparency by offering our financial statements for all to see. 

That’s a question almost as big as the problem of hunger itself. 

The most recent data available shows that 1 in 11 people in Colorado, including 1 in 9 kids, experience food insecurity. In Wyoming, 1 in 9 people, including 1 in 8 kids, experience food insecurity.

The most recent USDA Economic Research Service study, Household Food Security in the United States in 2022, revealed that food insecurity in the U.S. increased sharply in 2022, with increases observed for nearly every subgroup and household type described in the report.

• In 2022, an estimated 44 million people (13.5% or 1 in 7) were living in food insecure households 
• In 2022, 13 million children (18.5% or 1 in 5) were living in food insecure households 

This is an increase of nearly 31% and 44% respectively from the previous year, the highest rate and number since 2014, and the largest one-year increase since 2008.  

In calendar year 2023, we distributed more than 88.5 million pounds of food to individuals, children, older adults, and other neighbors in need across Colorado and Wyoming. That’s enough food for 195,890 meals every day.

Our clients’ backgrounds and needs are as varied as you can imagine, encompassing heads of households who have lost their jobs (or even just hours), college graduates, and caretakers working multiple jobs. So often, we hear from our clients that they never thought they’d need the kinds of services we provide.

Which is why we will remain diligent and ready to answer the challenge of hunger wherever and whenever it rises. 

All of our clients receive our food and support either through direct programs or one of our more than 800 Hunger Relief Partners.