Dear Hunger Relief Partners,
As Food Bank of the Rockies’ new Chief Programs Officer, I am honored to join the Food Bank of the Rockies team and walk along side of each of you as we strive to nourish our neighbors, amplify our collective voices, and shorten the lines in our communities.
It is inspiring to know there are over 600 of you throughout Colorado contributing your time, talent, treasure, and community ties to bring people together to support our neighbors who are struggling to make ends meet and facing tough choices between having sufficient food on the table and paying for other basic needs, such as health and housing.
Our team provides the following resources to you as our Hunger Relief Partners: The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), Everyday Eats (Commodity Supplemental Food Program), Totes of Hope™, Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), Food Rescue, and FRESH. Additionally, we offer the Culturally Responsive Food Initiative, SNAP enrollment assistance, and mobile pantries bring food directly where it’s needed the most. Each of you leverages different combinations of these programs to best serve your neighbors.
Our team is here to connect with you to learn how to best meet the needs of the people you serve. We have information to share with you, lessons to learn from you, and opportunities to connect with additional community partners to nourish our communities. I look forward to visiting your pantry and learning more about the important work you do!
Please contact partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org or the appropriate team member at any time so that we can continue to work together wherever you are in our Colorado service.
With respect and gratitude,
Monica Buhlig
Chief Programs Officer
Important Dates
Please note that due to the Thanksgiving holiday, ordering schedules have been updated.
- November 5 – New Partner and Shopper Orientation at 10:00 a.m.
- November 21 – New Partner and Shopper Orientation at 1:00 p.m.
- November 26 – Orders due for pick-ups on December 2
- November 27 – Orders due for pick-ups on December 3
- November 28 and 29 – Food Bank of the Rockies will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday – no pick-ups or Fresh Food Center
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.
Program Updates
Save the Date – Upcoming Regional Partner Town Hall Schedule
Each quarter, we host virtual opportunities to bring our partners together to listen to your updates and share out any program and process updates that may affect how you nourish neighbors. Meetings include partners by each region in our service area. Please note the dates below; emails will be sent out with Zoom links.
- Eastern Region Partners – October 15, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
- Metro Denver Region Partners – October 24, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
- Mountain Region Partners – November 13, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
- Western Region Partners – November 20, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.
If you have any questions or do not receive the invites via email, please contact Chris Taylor at 303-375-5830 or christaylor@foodbankrockies.org.
Important Food Safety Reminders
To ensure foods are fresh, nutritious, and safe to consume for neighbors, food safety must be a top priority for everyone. Here are a few key points to keep in mind for storage and during distribution:
1. Temperature Control: It’s essential to maintain proper temperature control to ensure food safety:
- Refrigerators should be between 32-40° Fahrenheit.
- Freezers need to be at 0° Fahrenheit or below.
- Dry storage should be between 50-70° Fahrenheit.
- Each food storage unit must be equipped with a thermometer to maintain consistent temperatures.
2. Distributing outdoors:
- Food should never be placed directly on the ground; it should be on pallets or tables.
- If distributing outdoors, please use insulated blankets and check and record the product temperatures every 30 minutes to ensure they’re within safe limits. Insulated blankets can be purchased on Agency Express or through Amazon.
- Perishable products cannot be left outside for more than an hour, especially as the weather gets warmer.
- Be mindful that the danger zone for bacterial growth is above 41° Fahrenheit.
- Use the GR Partner Temp Log to track temperatures.
Please contact partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org if you have any questions.
Volunteer Opportunity – Let Us Help Your Mission!
Do you need help giving out food or serving a meal? We are interested in arranging another volunteer opportunity with our partners in the next 12 months. Please contact Partner Support at partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org and inform us if you would like to host Food Bank of the Rockies staff for our next volunteer opportunity.
Everyday Eats Supplemental Items
With funding appropriated by the state of Colorado, Food Bank of the Rockies is working to increase and distribute supplemental food items, like mixed bags of fresh produce, along with Everyday Eats food boxes. These funds will also allow us to purchase equipment to reduce participation barriers you may have. To help us distribute these funds, we ask you to complete the survey linked below.
The goal of this survey is to gain deeper insights into current participation in our FRESH program (mixed produce bags) and storage capacity or other barriers to participation. We are eager to understand your programmatic needs and gauge your interest in FRESH.
The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.
All responses will be kept confidential and used exclusively for the purpose of improving our offerings. Your personal information and responses will not be shared with any third parties.
https://feedingamerica.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cMWFGd3RUThsUvQ
Everyday Eats Written Notice of Beneficiary Rights
All organizations participating in Everyday Eats must provide beneficiaries with written notice of their rights at the time of application. We are also being asked to provide existing beneficiaries with individual written notice as soon as possible.
To ease this new requirement, Food Bank of the Rockies has created a QR code that neighbors can scan with their mobile devices to read the document in English and Spanish. In addition, this QR code will contain information about other public assistance programs like Social Security and medical assistance. This QR code will be available on the monthly Everyday Eats Edition newsletter printed and packed in each food box beginning in October.
Please inform neighbors that this information is available to them. The written notices are also here should a neighbor prefer a printed copy.
Upcoming Everyday Eats Office Hours
Join us during scheduled office hours to ask your questions about Everyday Eats and hear updates from our Government Programs Team.
Tuesday, October 15, 2:30pm
- By Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83702645081?pwd=kF2bvaRJBaqlHNjXdFrUOlewjt322v.1
- Meeting ID: 837 0264 5081 Passcode: 825132
Thursday, November 7, 9:00 a.m.
- By Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84661488681?pwd=qUfLa7aISw8tYiJJFbnGzsjZZcSDbb.1
- Meeting ID: 846 6148 8681 Passcode: 355070
Tuesday, November 12, 3:00 p.m.
- By Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81188167577?pwd=JR9ylyC4XD3uWQkcUvXHtsOt9woqvH.1
- Meeting ID: 811 8816 7577 Passcode: 705682
Friday, November 15, 11:00 a.m.
- By Zoom https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89101180542?pwd=TpKzLHinC6bmnkj4jjPFPT3RY4jh2j.1
- Meeting ID: 891 0118 0542 Passcode: 132308
Culturally Responsive Food Initiative Update
For application and more info, click here: 2024 Justice Language Application
Emergency Relief Bag Program
For the past year, we have been running a pilot program in which we compiled emergency relief food bags for neighbors in need of urgent hunger relief while awaiting a pantry appointment, and for people with limited cooking or storage facilities. The bags consist of 7-10 shelf-stable items providing approximately 1,000 calories (half a day’s recommended calories) per individual.
Emergency relief bags are now available to all Hunger Relief Partners to order at-cost on Partner Express. They are available in cases of five bags each. The case costs fluctuate slightly with each bagging cycle due to the different components that may be used. Our latest relief bag case currently costs $27.10, which equates to $5.42 a bag and includes a Filo Walking Tamale Bean Salsa Habanero Corn Bar and a Southwest-style bean and grain meal.
If you have questions or feedback, please reach out to CRFI@foodbankrockies.org.
Welcoming New Programs Team Members
Paul Swanegan – Production Cook Lead
Paul is an Air Force veteran and father of three. He joined our kitchen team originally as an extern from Escoffier School of Culinary Arts where he was a leader in his class and a dedicated learner. Showing growth and dedication to both the food industry and Food Bank of the Rockies, Paul was offered the position of production cook lead, where he can focus on his cooking style inspired by his Kansas City upbringing. If you are ever in the kitchen, you can find Paul smiling and working with volunteers making meals for children.
Elise Taylor – Food for Kids Representative
Elise is the Food Bank of the Rockies’ newest Food for Kids Representative. Deeply passionate about ensuring children in need receive nutritious meals, Elise firmly believes that youth are our future. She is excited to contribute fresh ideas and strategies to help the Food Bank’s kids’ programs grow and become even more efficient to continue making a difference in the lives of the kids we serve.
Food Sourcing Update
Potential Supplemental Produce Purchasing Program
Exciting news! During our recent discussions with many of you, you shared a preference to purchase additional produce through us at a low price since we buy in bulk. We’ve heard you, and we are working through what a supplemental produce program would look like. Our hope is to roll this out in November, so please stay tuned! This will in no way impact the produce you receive at no cost through our FRESH and Food Rescue programs. This is optional, and the produce will regularly be available to purchase via Agency Express.
We know fresh produce is a priority, and we will continue providing as much as possible at no cost within the parameters of our budget. Through our neighbor preference surveys, we know that produce like avocados, apples, tomatoes, broccoli, and so on are the most highly desired items. When this supplemental produce program launches, we will prioritize making highly preferred items available for purchase. Please note that we will provide more details in the next Partner Newsletter. If you have questions, please contact Mark Weslar at mweslar@foodbankrockies.org.
Holiday Turkeys Available
In other great news, we will have turkeys available on Agency Express this year! In a previous newsletter, we shared that we wouldn’t have turkeys, but we took your feedback to heart. In addition to our standard holiday items, we were able to procure a small number of turkeys. These, like the other holiday items, will be available on Agency Express for purchase.
Partner Highlight
Beef Sticks for Backpacks
Beef Sticks for Backpacks is a Colorado-based public 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces and donates beef sticks to backpack programs for children experiencing food insecurity in Colorado. Right now, 1 in 7 children in Colorado are unsure about where they will get their next meal and, on the weekends, many of these children do not have access to food when they are away from school. Since 2019, Beef Sticks for Backpacks has donated over 2.5 million beef sticks and currently is distributing 20,000 beef sticks each week across the state of Colorado.
Food Bank of the Rockies’ Totes of Hope™ program is including beef sticks as part of the backpack program each week during the school year to send home with kids who are experiencing food insecurity. Backpack programs are faced with rising food costs and the challenge of finding shelf-stable food that is not only nutritious, but also something that kids will eat. Our goal is to put one beef stick in each Totes of Hope™ bag. Not only are these beef sticks nutritious, but kids love them!
These beef sticks are produced by Colorado State University students at their USDA facility within the College of Animal Sciences. This strategic partnership allows the acceptance of in-kind donations from industry partners which allows Beef Sticks for Backpacks to give away three beef sticks for every dollar that they raise!
This institution is an equal opportunity provider. Click here for full USDA non-discrimination statement.
