We honor our Presidents this month because they’ve been charged with leading our country and regardless of your political persuasion; we can all agree this is no easy task. As President and CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies, I have the task of leading our organization to mission accomplished. Our mission states, “We will end hunger by efficiently procuring and distributing food and essentials to the hungry, through our programs and partner agencies.” And we know this also is no easy task.
When we look back over the years, Food Bank of the Rockies can proudly say we’ve grown to distribute more pounds and feed more people today than ever before, more than doubling what we distributed just six years ago. We know this is due to the generous contributions of funds, food and time from our community and the mission driven work of our team at the food bank. For everyone’s efforts, we are truly grateful!
But we also know this is still not enough to accomplish our mission. 1 in 7 Coloradans are struggling to put food on the table. Nearly 1 in 4 kids live in homes where they don’t have enough to eat. And during these cold winter months, almost half the clients receiving food through our programs and partner agencies are deciding whether to heat their homes or eat a meal. These heartbreaking statistics mean our work is not done. And with more cuts coming to SNAP, we anticipate even more clients turning to food pantries in their time of need. We’ll continue to fight hunger we need you to stay in the battle with us.
How can you make a difference? I like to bring up the visual of a three-legged stool. If any legs are missing or shorter than another, the stool can’t stand. Our stool’s legs are funds, food and time. We need all three to keep standing strong. Funds come from individuals, corporations, foundations, grants and estates. Every dollar we receive becomes 4 meals or 5 pounds of food. Food comes from our retailers, farmers, ranchers, wholesalers and community. And time can come in the form of volunteering at the warehouse, making a call to your congressperson, participating in our events, “liking” our Facebook page, following us on Twitter and LinkedIn, signing up for our emails and even reading our blog posts.
With continued contributions of funds, food and time, we’ll keep on fighting and we thank you for being one of our soldiers! Every effort means kids like Jeff will have a warm dinner at a Kids Cafe. Seniors like Marjorie won’t have to choose between taking medicine and having enough to eat. And pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other programs will continue to feed those who walk humbly through their doors, asking for something to eat.
We’re glad you’re thinking about us and reading this message. We appreciate you!
Warm regards and Happy Presidents’ Day,
