Welcome Letter
Hello Food Bank of the Rockies Partners!
Spring is almost here! With spring comes welcome change and the opportunity for growth. As the Government Programs Director, I have the opportunity to work closely with multiple programs, including the EverGreen Box™ Program.
Formerly known as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), this federally funded program provides nourishing food to adults ages 60+ who meet the income requirements. Last summer, the program underwent another name change, as the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) collaborated with a marketing firm to ideate new methods of reaching the older adult community in Colorado. One such method was a statewide name change to Everyday Eats; for Food Bank of the Rockies, we now refer to the program as EverGreen Boxes™, a program of Everyday Eats.
While the program has a new name, it is still the same great initiative designed to meet the needs of the older adult community across our state. We appreciate the partnership with CDHS and look forward to growing and improving this important program!
In partnership,
Gloria Vasquez
Director of Government Programs
Program Updates
On April 1, Food Bank of the Rockies will introduce a new online training platform for food safety and civil rights training called LEARN. LEARN will replace FirstNet Learning, be available on Partner Portal, and require a new log-in and password. Each Partner contact and shopper will receive an email on April 1 to activate your account. This must be done within 5 days of receipt.
Training for our partners will be available on March 21. A recording of the training will be available if you are unable to join us or need a refresher. We will also have a step-by-step guide to navigating the new system on the Partner Portal.
To sign up for a training webinar, register below:
- March 21 @ 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- To register for this LEARN tutorial webinar, click here.
If you have any questions, please contact Partner Support: partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org
Apply for our Inclusive Capacity Building Program starting April 1! If you are looking for training and support to better serve clients of different cultures, wanting to diversify the types of foods you offer at your organization, or wanting to ensure your clients feel welcome and can access the range of services you offer, our Inclusive Capacity Building Program is for you.
The Inclusive Capacity Building Program aims to help Food Bank of the Rockies and Food Bank of Wyoming partners increase equity in their food distributions by addressing community cultural differences, diverse food preferences, language barriers, and uncertainty about program eligibility. This cohort of the program will be open to 20 Hunger Relief Partners and runs May–December, with a two-month collaborative preparation and planning period followed by six-month grant implementation period.
Program Benefits:
- In-depth best practices training addressing how to be a culturally responsive food-assistance organization
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training for up to two organizational staff and/or volunteers
- Up to $5,000 food credits to be used over a 6-month period to increase your organization’s ability to order culturally responsive foods
- Up to $1,000 in capacity funding for services that address barriers of access
Full information will be published in April. If you have questions in the meantime contact Ashley Newell, Culturally Responsive Manager at anewell@foodbankrockies.org
Important Dates
- Tuesday, April 5: Virtual partner orientation 10:00 a.m.
- Saturday, April 9: Open 9:00 – 11:30 a.m.
- Wednesday, April 13: Link2Feed Training 9:00 a.m.
- Thursday, April 21: Virtual partner orientation 1:00 p.m.
- Thursday, April 28: Link2Feed Training 12:00 p.m.
- Thursday, April 29: Closed at 12:00 p.m.
Please visit the April calendar for the full schedule. For our full calendar of important dates, please refer to the 2022 calendar.
If you have any questions, please contact our Partner Support Team: partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org
Partner Support
Thank you to everyone who attended our Health & Wellness Programs Town Hall that took place February 24! For those who were unable to make it or wish to watch it again, you can do so here (passcode: 5W#t+1gs). Questions or comments about any of the topics that were discussed? Contact:
- Jonelle Addabbo, jaddabbo@foodbankrockies.org – Food Bank of the Rockies’ nutrition policy
- Jason Torrez, jason@DICP.org – Veggie RX/Greens-N-Grains
- Elizabeth Alden, ealden@strength.org – Cooking Matters
Topic requests for future Town Halls? Please contact Maria Esparza: mesparza@foodbankrockies.org.
Covid-19 At-Home Test Kits Available
Food Bank of the Rockies has partnered with the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE) to distribute at-home Covid-19 test kits throughout Colorado. These will be available under Item #22655 in Partner Express.
The state’s goal is to make one test kit (each kit contains two tests) available to every member of every household served. These tests expire in July 2022. We hope to distribute the right amount to each household so that no partner is overburdened with tests before they expire. In order to accomplish this, we recommend each Hunger Relief Partner orders enough for the average number of households you serve.
If you would like to be listed as a location with tests available on the CDPHE Testing Map, please contact Daniel Aschkinasi at daniel.aschkinasi@state.co.us. You will need to provide your address, hours of operation, and a website or phone number.
For any other questions about these tests and their availability, please contact partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org.
Easy Steps to Switch to Link2Feed Today!
- Learn more about Link2Feed:
- Visit our Partner Portal
- Watch a Link2Feed introductory video
- Email L2F@foodbankrockies.org with any questions or to schedule a demo
- Sign up for and attend a Link2Feed Training:
- Main Link2Feed users must attend a full, 90-minute training session; these are held virtually 2x/month
- Submit a Technical Capacity Building Grant:
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until May 1, 2022
- Create a Go-Live plan:
- Complete Partner Checklist (provided at training)
- Determine implementation plan
- CNCT
- Paper forms
- Import from existing system
- Real-time data collection
- Set up technology
- Schedule an in-person site visit – we are here to support your roll-out!
- Go Live with Link2Feed and collect information to tell your story!
Client Resources
Celebrate National Reading Month by providing FREE books to kids! Food-insecure families often face challenges to learning, including limited access to books at home. Studies show that reading can widen a child’s vocabulary and help them develop empathy, build confidence, and expand their imagination.
A group of volunteers is available to bring books to you to distribute. The books will be pre-sorted by grade for easy distribution, are available all year long with no limit, and may be distributed with or without food.
For more information, please contact Reagan Giffels at reagans@gmail.com or Jim White at white4jim@yahoo.com.
Open Position Spotlights: SNAP Outreach Representative and Partner Support Representative
Join Food Bank of the Rockies as a staff member and help us ignite the power of community to nourish people facing hunger! Current position spotlights include a SNAP Outreach Representative and a Partner Support Representative. If working to alleviate hunger in your community sounds like the way you would like to spend your day, check out these exciting career opportunities.
The SNAP Outreach Representative will be responsible to promote and educate eligible populations on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as The Food Stamp Program) to increase participation in the rural counties within Food Bank of the Rockies’ service area. This role will screen clients for eligibility and help them with the application process using the state’s online application tool, PEAK.
The Partner Support Representative (Order Window) is responsible for the processing of warehouse orders and invoices for our partner agencies. This role assists with product marketing and communications, order-related questions, and other Partner Support projects.
Food Bank of the Rockies is an equal opportunity employer and offers paid time off, health, dental, and 401(k) benefits.
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Programs Department | Contact Information
