September 2024 Partner Newsletter

I love summer in Colorado. Having lived in other states like Florida and Georgia that were hot and muggy in the summer, I appreciate our milder climate and cooler nights. I also am very thankful for the mountains where one can find respite from the hotter temperatures. Summers also are a time for gatherings that bring us together with friends and family. Many of these events center on food, which brings to mind the importance of our collective work to help people facing food insecurity. In the past week, I have been able to spend quality time with a newly arrived family that is currently underemployed, and an older couple that is facing major health challenges and the associated high costs. Both families were very thankful for the assistance that they received from Food Bank of the Rockies and our partners. Together we make a significant difference for our neighbors in need, and your hard work to care for others is appreciated.

It takes passion and fortitude to keep going in this work, and I hope you can find time to refresh yourself so that you are ready to continue with this important work as school starts and we enter the fall season.

Steve Kullberg
Chief Operating Officer

Important Dates

October Dates to Remember

October 1 – Orientation at 10:00 a.m.
October 17 – Orientation at 1:00 p.m.
October 29 – Food Bank of the Rockies is closing early – pick-ups & Fresh Food Center until 11:00 a.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 get involved! https://forms.office.com/r/2sauRbHR0n

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.

Fall Site Visits

We’re thrilled to host several legislators at food banks across the state this fall. If you’re interested in hosting your local legislator at your food distribution, contact Sarah at sgregory@feedingcolorado.org.

Candidate Forums
Feeding Colorado is partnering with the Blueprint to End Hunger Colorado to host forums for candidates in key congressional districts. Stay tuned for invites to those webinars and recordings.

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.

Program Updates

Welcome Monica Buhlig – New Chief Programs Officer

On August 26, Food Bank of the Rockies welcomed Monica Buhlig as our new Chief Programs Officer.

Monica Buhlig, MPH, has more than 20 years of experience focused on creating communities in which people face no barriers to health and thriving. She has worked in healthcare, public health, local government, and philanthropy. Monica has consistently forged partnerships to advance the social determinants of health, including leading the integration of the first food security screening within a health system in Colorado. Monica holds a Master of Public Health from San Diego State University and is both a Bighorn and RIHEL Fellow. Monica is a proud mother of two children and enjoys being active outdoors, loves gardening and the produce it yields, and explores new communities as often as possible.

Partner Support

Find Food Page Update

Is your organization correctly listed on the Find Food page, our pantry locator tool? This resource allows neighbors seeking food assistance to locate and visit Hunger Relief Partners.

However, this tool only works when the information listed is current! Please take 30 seconds to review your listing on the Find Food page. Doing this may save people seeking food assistance the frustration of visiting a site at the wrong time or even at an outdated address.

To submit updates for your listing (or to add your site to the page), please fill out this form and email it to partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org.

Hunger Relief Partner Waiting Room Update

As a reminder, the Hunger Relief Partner waiting room is now locked until 8:00 a.m. each morning. Thank you for your understanding!

Government Programs

Perfect Score

We just had our Government Programs Inventory Audit, which investigates all TEFAP and Everyday Eats item movement, including digital records of item movement and physical inventory. We are proud to report that both TEFAP and Everyday Eats audits were passed at 100% compliance!

TEFAP Update

An updated version of the Written Notice of Beneficiary Rights was distributed via email on August 7. This document is now required to be posted by every TEFAP agency in a client-facing area in both English and Spanish, regardless of the organization’s religious affiliation. Please ensure this is done.

Shoutout to Arapahoe County DHS Aurora and Project Angel Heart, who both had perfect scores on their state TEFAP management evaluations!

If you ever have questions regarding TEFAP, please email Vic Derington at vderington@foodbankrockies.org

Food for Kids Update

National Hispanic Heritage Month

September 15 through October 15 is National Hispanic Heritage Month, dedicated to celebrating the culture and heritage of the many Latine cultures who helped make the U.S. what it is today. Below is a list of some of the free and kid-friendly events around the Denver metro area!

Friday, September 6 – First Friday at the Museo de las Americas (one of our SFSP partners!)
- The museum is open for free to explore, and you can even create your own collage while supplies last. More details here.
Thursday, September 19 – Make your own pan dulce magnets at Woodbury Branch Library.
- Pan dulce is a traditional Mexican sweet bread. With an instructor, you’ll learn clay modeling and painting techniques to make your magnet! More details here.
Saturday, September 21 – Community event at the Girl Scout DreamLab
- Learn dances, make crafts, and eat paletas! More details here.
Wednesday, September 25 – Kids book celebration at Green Valley Ranch Branch Library.
- Learn about new library books and do activities in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, including learning and making your own rain sticks — an item indigenous to Northern Chile. More details here.

Culturally Responsive Food Initiative Update

Emergency Relief Bag Program

For the past year we have been running a pilot program in which we compiled Emergency Relief Bags for walk-ins 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.

The 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 average case cost for all relief bags built is currently $22.18, which equates to $4.46 a bag.

If you have questions or feedback about this offering, please reach out to CRFI@foodbankrockies.org

Training Opportunity

Are you interested in bringing trauma-informed practices to your food distributions? The MANNA Food Bank of Western North Carolina, in partnership with Leah’s Pantry, developed a video series focused on ways to promote and build trust, resilience, and understanding among staff, volunteers, and communities. You can access the video series here.

As a reminder, the Food Bank of the Rockies’ Building Belonging: Best Practices for Inclusive Pantries online course is available on NeoGov. Partners who complete the course receive access to the Partner Resource Library, which includes equipment such as iPads and translation-devices available to rent at no cost. You can find more information here.

Please reach out to CRFI@foodbankrockies.org with any questions!

Sourcing Update

New Kid-Friendly Snack Items for Backpack Programs & Everyday Needs

We are pleased to announce that we have widened our assortment of kid-friendly snack items for everyday needs and backpack programs. Based on input from partners, we have discontinued several less popular items and started to carry a wider array of quality offerings. Our intention is to maintain this wider assortment, rotating items based on opportunity buys and partner feedback. Please be sure to search for snack items when ordering in Partner Express. Below are a few of the new items we are excited to make available.

Chewy Granola bars
Oatmeal bars
Meat snack sticks
Welch’s Fruit Snacks
Animal crackers
Veggie crackers

Neighbor Resources

Colorado’s new SNAP bonus program
The Colorado Department of Human Services, in partnership with Nourish Colorado, launched the SNAP Produce Bonus program earlier this month. Thanks to a USDA grant, Colorado is one of only three states testing a new delivery model where participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can be reimbursed for purchasing eligible fruits and vegetables. It’s currently available at select food retailers and farmers’ markets across the state, with more locations joining soon.

Encourage completion of school benefits form
Even with Colorado’s Healthy School Meals for All program, it’s still important for families to fill out their child’s school benefits form or application. Whether it’s called school, meal, community, or educational benefits, submission of the single-page form supports students and their families, school funding, and local communities.