Dear Hunger Relief Partners,
As the summer sun shines brightly upon us, we are filled with gratitude and enthusiasm here at Food Bank of the Rockies. This season is a time for growth, both in our gardens and in our communities, and we are excited to share the latest updates, resources, and success stories that underscore our collective impact in this newsletter.
This time of year sees our Summer Food Service Program, now known nationally as SUN Meals, providing meals for children ages 18 and younger. We have 49 summer meal sites distributing 2,890 breakfasts, lunches, and suppers every day. You can refer neighbors needing prepared meals for their children to enter their ZIP code here, or encourage them to text “FOOD” or “COMIDA” to 304-304 to get information on sites near them.
The demand for food assistance has seen a significant rise over this past year, highlighting the critical role our network of Hunger Relief Partners plays in providing sustenance and hope. Your dedication to serving community members in need, whether through food distributions, nutritional education programs, or community outreach initiatives, is the backbone of our mission. We are immensely grateful for your partnership and the compassionate service you provide.
Here’s to a summer filled with hope, generosity, and togetherness.
With heartfelt thanks,
Ashley Newell
Director of Programs
anewell@foodbankrockies.org
Important Dates
August Dates to Remember
- August 6 – Orientation at 10:00 a.m.
- August 10 – Partner Support: Open Saturday 9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
- August 22 – Orientation at 1:00 p.m.
- August 29 – Orders accepted by 3:00 p.m. for pickup on 9/3
- August 30 – Food Bank of the Rockies is closing early – pick-ups & Fresh Food Center until 11:00 a.m.; orders accepted for pick-up 9/4 until 3:00 p.m.
To sign up for orientation or for questions about any of the dates above, contact partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org. For our full, detailed calendars, please click here.
Advocacy/Policy Update
Get Involved!
You can make a difference by speaking up and speaking out against hunger and its root causes. Are you interested in getting more involved in advocacy? Fill out this form to learn more and take action! https://forms.office.com/r/2sauRbHR0n
NEW: Feeding Colorado Mission and Vision Statements
Feeding Colorado is pleased to announce our new mission and vision statements, which will guide our work moving forward.
The mission of Feeding Colorado, which represents the five Feeding America food banks in the state, is to improve food security in Colorado through policy, advocacy, partnership, and education.
Our vision is a future where everyone in Colorado has equitable access to the food they need to thrive.
Farm Bill
Feeding Colorado continues to engage with our congressional delegation to promote the network’s priorities in the farm bill. As committee chairs in the House and Senate release their farm bill frameworks, Feeding Colorado is working closely with national partners to flag concerns and opportunities for the Colorado delegation.
Click this link for more information from Feeding America.
Click here to see our press statements about recent versions of the farm bill from the House and Senate Agriculture Committees.
Map the Meal Gap
Feeding America’s recently released Map the Meal Gap Study is the only national study to provide county-level estimates of food insecurity and food costs. This powerful tool shows that 670,000 Coloradans do not have access to enough food. Learn more and see the tool here.
Feeding Colorado Presentations
Would you like to have Feeding Colorado staff present to your agency or local coalition on our role, state priorities and how to get involved? If so, please reach out to Mandy Nuku at mnuku@feedingcolorado.org to schedule.
Colorado Emergency Funds – that’s a wrap!
In May 2023, Food Bank of the Rockies received $5.4 million and another $1.1 million in January 2024 in Colorado Emergency Funds (CEF). These funds were used to purchase food products for our Hunger Relief Partners to order and make available to neighbors in need. The items we ordered were based on input from our partners: what you wanted most, how much you would need, and at what frequency.
June 30 was our deadline to spend these funds. WOW — what a year it’s been! We heard from so many of you that these items made available to you at no cost really helped stretch your budget.
In summary, 486 partners ordered and distributed 9.7 million pounds made up of 161 unique items purchased with the Colorado Emergency Funds. Overall, 23% of all CEF product was distributed in rural areas and 77% in metro areas.
It was mentioned in the June newsletter that the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) recently allocated $3 million per year in funding for food assistance for the next five years through House Bill 2024-1407, which creates the Community Food Assistance Provider Grant Program. This means that the Food Pantry Assistance Grant and Food Bank Assistance Grant programs will merge to support all qualifying emergency food assistance providers with funding for the procurement and distribution of nutritious foods in Colorado communities while also supporting local growers. We are grateful for this decision and support to so many hunger-relief groups over the next five years.
At the time this month’s newsletter was being put together, we had not received updates on the new funding. We will update you as soon as we can. Thank you for your ongoing partnership, understanding, and support.
Program Updates
Upcoming Webinar: Promoting Choice at Food Banks and Pantries
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. MST
Register
Shifting (back) to choice models post-COVID is an ongoing process for many food pantries across the country. Food banks play an important role in normalizing, encouraging, and sometimes requiring choice models at their partner agencies. In this webinar, More Than Food Consulting will share lessons learned over the last two years, showcase the upstream roles food banks can play in promoting choice in their networks, and highlight the downstream impact that promoting choice has at food pantries.
Remember, neighbor choice doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Pantries of any size can incorporate elements of choice. Check out some examples through the Feeding America Choice Visual Library (CVL) for a collection of over 150 videos featuring pantry tours, staff and volunteer interviews, and helpful tips from food pantries of all shapes and sizes. Visit the library here and enter password “Choice” to access. You might be surprised at the creative ways pantries are empowering neighbors to choose foods that meet their unique needs.
We’d Love to Volunteer with YOU, Our Partners!
On May 21, 2024, seven Food Bank of the Rockies staff members volunteered with Tin Shed, one of our Hunger Relief Partners. This was such a great experience and team building opportunity for us to see our mission in action and observe the support given to neighbors. We would love to set up another volunteer opportunity with a partner in September or October. Reach out to Partner Support at partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org and let us know if you are interested in hosting Food Bank of the Rockies staff for our next volunteer opportunity.
Shout out to Tin Shed Food Pantry for hosting Food Bank of the Rockies staff.
Partner Support
Saturday Fresh Food Center Pick-up Update
After Saturday, August 10, the Fresh Food Center will no longer be open every second Saturday for partner food pick-ups. Attendance has been low, and it’s been challenging to find people to work those shifts. We apologize for any inconvenience. The Fresh Food Center will continue to operate it’s regular hours from Monday through Friday.
Electronic Statements Coming Soon!
Beginning with July Account Statements (dated mid-August), Food Bank of the Rockies will begin sending statements electronically by email. This new capability is due to a recent upgrade to CERES, our partner billing and inventory system. E-statements will be sent to the email address we have on your partner account, typically the primary contact with your organization. If an update to this email address is needed, please contact Partner Support at partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org. E-statements will be sent from customerservice@foodbankrockies.org. Please add this email address to your contacts to ensure successful delivery. Thank you for supporting this new process and our continuing efforts to be more sustainable. We believe it will have a positive impact on our operations and the environment.
NeoGov Food Safety and Civil Rights Trainings
Every year, we require at least one person per Hunger Relief Partner to take two online training courses: Food Safety Training and Civil Rights Training. Both of these courses are also available in Spanish. You should have recently received communication from the Partner Support team about taking these two courses for this year. If you need assistance logging into your NeoGov account to take the training courses, please reach out to partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org. The deadline to complete both courses is August 31. Please keep your account with us active and take these courses by the deadline. Failure to do so may result in your account being placed on hold.
While you’re there, take a look at some of the new training courses we have available: Building Belonging and De-Escalation and Conflict Management.
Government Programs
Everyday Eats Learning Sessions
Thank you to our Everyday Eats partners who joined us for our waitlist learning sessions in May and June. We are grateful for your engagement as we learn best practices. After hearing your feedback, we will be hosting additional learning sessions to create space for questions, comments, and concerns. We welcome any specific topics or questions prior to those sessions. Please email Britni Stupin, Everyday Eats Manager, at bstupin@foodbankrockies.org to share.
Friday, July 19, 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88365123417?pwd=W3Ea4abrcuD3x23RXYHJre17obXmWx.1
Meeting ID: 883 6512 3417 Passcode: 882713
Monday, July 22, 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89963140932?pwd=XnAQ345uORh4q5bjwTZQtrI7UrBEXv.1
Meeting ID: 899 6314 0932 Passcode: 684917
Food for Kids Update
CACFP Applications Now Open!
Summer is already halfway through and we’re looking ahead to the school year! The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) offers nutritious meals for your afterschool program in areas where 50% or more of the children are eligible for free/reduced meals. This program is offered at no cost to our partners, and we provide all training and supplies needed for meal service. To better set our CACFP partnership up for success, we’ve made a few changes to the application process:
- Please turn in your application by July 24 to ensure a timely start at the beginning of the school year.
- Any applications received after July 24 may not be able to begin until after school has started.
- Food Bank of the Rockies’ kitchen will be CLOSED August 12-16 and meals will be unavailable during that time. Shelf-stable meals may be requested to cover those dates if needed.
- Required training must be completed at least two weeks prior to your desired start date. Delay in this may also cause a delay in your start date.
You can find the CACFP application here
If you are interested in applying for CACFP or have any other questions, please email FFK@foodbankrockies.org and someone on the Food for Kids team will be in touch with you!
CRFI Update
Culturally Responsive Holiday Reminders
- Ukrainian Independence Day (8/24/24):
Aside from state-sanctioned festivities, Ukrainians attend outdoor concerts, parties with lots of food, and reenactments of Kyivan Rus Traditions to commemorate the Declaration of Independence from Russia in 1991. Grilled meat and vegetables, fresh ripe berries (or frozen cherries for pie making), and fruits (such as watermelon) are widely consumed during the celebration. BBC provided a great piece entailing the top five comfort foods of Ukraine concerning the current situation:
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230224-five-comfort-foods-to-celebrate-ukraine
- Ethiopian New Year (9/11/24)
- Mawlid (9/15-9/16/24)
- Mid-Autumn Festival (9/17/24)
- Ethiopian Meskel (9/27/24)
- National Hispanic Heritage Month – September
Heads up: September is packed with festivities! We will provide more details next month, but if you want to get a head start:
For Ethiopian neighbors, stock up on teff flour, meat (beef, chicken, or goat), and green coffee beans.
For Asian neighbors, stock up on pomelo, sticky rice flour, and tea leaves.
It is never too early to mark the dates and begin planning now. And once again, don’t hesitate to give us your feedback or share your special moments! Email us at CRFI@foodbankrockies.org.
Partner Highlight
Partner Highlight – Tin Shed Food Pantry
Tin Shed Pantry was born out of the nonprofit coffee house A Cup of Faith, where good friends gathered to share their life experiences, including those of childhood memories of an old tin shed in a small Kansas town that provided food to community members in need. Over the last 10 years, this idea has developed into Tin Shed Food Pantry. Food is much more than nourishment. At Tin Shed Food Pantry, they recognize food as family, friendship, celebrations, and security. They strive to create a warm and welcoming community where Wheat Ridge neighbors come together and everyone can shop for free, quality food. Tin Shed provides fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, and proteins through their partnership with Food Bank of The Rockies.
Every Tuesday, Tin Shed provides food for over 350 families through the generous donation of time from volunteers. Over 40 volunteers push, pull, unpack, and set into place every box of food. The volunteers help show love to the Wheat Ridge community by generously donating their hearts, time, and skills — neighbors helping neighbors. To learn more, visit tinshedpantry.org.
