Dear Hunger Relief Partners,
Food represents culture. For families living and traveling abroad, finding familiar and culturally significant food items can prove challenging. From sourcing and availability, to language or linguistic barriers, locating the right ingredients to cook a traditional meal can feel impossible.
At food pantries and mobile markets in our communities, this is not an uncommon scenario for families that seek to eat culturally traditional foods.
This is why the work we do with our Culturally Responsive Food Initiative (CRFI) is so important. Our team collects feedback from clients to create suggested food lists and to provide educational resources on important cultural holidays. These resources help our partners make informed choices to customize the food items they offer to the community. You can find our food lists and cultural holiday calendars here under “Cultural Resources.”
Thank you for partnering with us.
Sincerely,
Amanda McGimpsey, Culturally Responsive Food Initiative Manager
IMPORTANT DATES
- Wednesday, October 13: Link2Feed Training 9:00 a.m. (see below for sign up)
- Saturday, October 16: Free EverGreen Boxes™, 45th Avenue Distribution Center 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
- Thursday, October 28: Partner Town Hall Meeting 11:00 a.m. (details below)
- Thursday, October 28: Link2Feed Training 12:00 p.m. (sign up below)
For important dates that will affect orders and warehouse access, please refer to our annual calendar.
If you have any questions, please contact our Partner Support Team: partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org
ADVOCACY & PUBLIC POLICY UPDATES FROM FEEDING COLORADO
Food Bank of the Rockies coordinates all public policy and advocacy work through Feeding Colorado, the state association of the five Feeding America food banks serving all of Colorado and Wyoming. Visit the Feeding Colorado website to view our 2021 policy agenda and learn who represents you in the Colorado General Assembly and in Congress.
Check out the new graphic which shows how our network of food banks and food pantries works. Feel free to share this graphic on social media and with your networks.
CEOs from the five food banks recently met with staff from Governor Polis’ office, Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg, and other state and legislative leaders. If you are interested in attending these types of meetings to help us make the case for state investments in the charitable food assistance network, please contact Effie Rorke, Senior Director of Public Policy and Communications for Feeding Colorado at erorke@feedingcolorado.org.
DONATED FOOD VALUE FOR 2020
Feeding America has completed the annual valuation of donated product for the 2020 calendar year. This last year, the overall valuation of donated goods is $1.79 per pound, increasing from the CY2019 valuation of $1.74. Purchased and government foods are not included in this valuation.
PROGRAMS TOWN HALL HOSTED OCTOBER 28TH
When: October 28th at 11:00 a.m.
Attend to learn about Food Bank of the Rockies’ Government Programs Department. Learn how we are actively working to serve children and adults aged 60+ in our community.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81003141918?pwd=MzBkOTRXaGM3NkR6NXlkOFQ0Rlo4dz09
Meeting ID: 810 0314 1918
Passcode: 088869
Or Toll Free: (877) 853-5257 or (888) 475-4499
SEASONAL & HOLIDAY FOOD ITEMS AVAILABLE
Food Bank of the Rockies is pleased to offer holiday food items in Partner Express. Beginning in October, we will have a number of seasonal and fall holiday food items available. In addition to these items, fresh potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, and fruit (apples or oranges) will be available weekly starting in November. If you have any questions, please reach out to Partner Support: partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org.
SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT OUR EVERGREEN BOXES™
Each month, Food Bank of the Rockies distributes upwards of 6,900 EverGreen Boxes™ to income-qualifying Colorado and Wyoming residents aged 60 or older. EverGreen Boxes™, also known as the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), provide nutritious food each month at no cost to clients. Boxes can be picked up at 140+ community-based locations throughout Colorado and Wyoming. Home delivery is offered in select counties. Please help us to increase awareness of this program in the community by sharing the below flyer. To learn more about the program, visit our website.
HELP FEED KIDS: APPLY FOR THE AFTERSCHOOL MEAL PROGRAM (CACFP)
Does your organization provide activities to kids after school is out for the day? As a sponsor with the State of Colorado, Food Bank of the Rockies provides fresh meals to partnering sites who have after-school programs for children 18 and younger. There is no cost for this program and delivery options are expanding in our service area.
Applications are being accepted now for the 2021-2022 Afterschool Meal Program (CACFP), which offers an assortment of nourishing food items for qualified programs. Partners can choose between fresh grab-n-go and shelf-stable meals, and can distribute multiple meals at once. Interested partners must complete an application. Training will be provided by Food Bank of the Rockies.
For questions, contact Eva Knezic: (303) 375-5862 or eknezic@foodbankrockies.org
Download the CACFP Application here: 2021-2022-CACFP-Application-with-agreement.pdf
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
JOIN FOOD BANK OF THE ROCKIES’ PROGRAMS ADVISORY COMMITTEE
The Programs Advisory Committee is seeking new members who can share their expertise and advice as Food Bank of the Rockies works to support our partners. We recognize the immense value of listening to and learning from the perspectives and lived experiences our partners share. We welcome and encourage diverse voices in hunger relief to positively influence and impact our important work, including strategic direction and decisions affecting our service area and community partners. Together we can explore the best ways to serve our urban and rural communities.
What Does the Programs Advisory Committee Do?
Our Programs Advisory Committee (PAC) convenes on a quarterly basis. The diverse committee consists of partner representatives from all of our different food programs within our service area (metro counties, Eastern Plains, Western Slope).
Roles & Responsibilities:
- Improving communication between Food Bank of the Rockies and our partners
- Informing Food Bank of the Rockies of current hunger relief trends
- Sharing what resources are needed as support
- Increasing transparency between Food Bank of the Rockies and our partners
- Assisting in supporting Food Bank of the Rockies’ strategic plan
- Advising on proposed document revisions and procedural changes
- Committing to attend and participate in quarterly Zoom meetings
- Join subcommittees to support Food Bank of the Rockies’ projects
- Mentoring and supporting new partner peers
- Implementing learning opportunities to enhance best practices and highlight the diverse communities within our service area
Meetings:
- Meetings are held quarterly
- The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 9th at 10:00 a.m.
Interested in becoming a Programs Advisory Committee member? Please email Maria Esparza mesparza@foodbankrockies.org.
FOOD BANK OF THE ROCKIES: JOIN OUR TEAM
Want to do good with good people? Working at Food Bank of the Rockies is more than just a job. We work daily to ignite the power of community to nourish people facing hunger. If working to alleviate hunger sounds like the way you would like to spend your day, apply for one of our open opportunities.
Food Bank of the Rockies is an equal opportunity employer and offers paid time off, health, dental, and 401(k) benefits.
OPEN POSITION SPOTLIGHT: PARTNER SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVE
The Partner Support Representative is a primary point of contact for our Hunger Relief Partners. This position on our programs team is responsible for supporting our Hunger Relief Partners through daily operations including training, placing orders, conducting partner reviews, and overseeing general program compliance. This role actively engages with all existing partner agencies to review, update, and maintain program files and documentation. For more information or to apply, visit our website: apply for one of our open opportunities.
LINK2FEED CAN HELP MOVE DATA HISTORY
Making the switch over to Link2Feed from your existing client check-in system may seem daunting. Yet, the process of moving client history is simple with Link2Feed’s import feature. The one-time import process allows your organization to easily and safely move data from one system over to Link2Feed. If you are a medium- or large-sized pantry, Food Bank of the Rockies will cover the cost of the import for your organization. To learn more about the import feature, email L2F@foodbankrockies.org.
Ready to sign up for a Link2Feed training? Sign up here: http://bit.ly/L2FRSVP
PARTNER HIGHLIGHT: CLAYTON EARLY LEARNING
Clayton Early Learning is nourishing bodies and minds through their Head Start and Early Head Start program in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood. Kristen Wilford, the Health and Wellness Specialist for Clayton Early Learning, explains that Clayton uses a whole-child, whole-family approach and emphasizes health and nutrition education.
With the onset of the pandemic, Clayton Early Learning identified an accelerating need for food assistance among their families. As a Totes of Hope™ partner of Food Bank of the Rockies, Clayton Early Learning worked to ensure that students were still receiving nutritious meals while learning at home. Now that children are back to school, Clayton Early Learning is developing the Clayton Cares Market to ensure that families have convenient, accessible, and nourishing food available at no cost.
To ensure accessibility, the market’s hours will be centered around school drop-off and pick-up. This will enable children and their families to visit the market together to pick out nutritious options for their family. In addition to food items and fresh produce from Food Bank of the Rockies and local farms, the Clayton Cares Market will offer items such as clothing, diapers, baby items, and other essentials.
Wilford and her team at Clayton are designing the market with a focus on accessing high-quality, nutritious food where children and their families can come and shop with dignity and pride. Food Bank of the Rockies is proud to work with partners such as Clayton Early Learning.
INCLUSIVE BEST PRACTICES TRAINING
Through feedback from clients, partners, and community organizations, Food Bank of the Rockies has developed a training program on inclusive best practices that will teach our partners how to identify and address common barriers of food access experienced by immigrants, refugees, communities of color, and Native American communities.
This six-month, supportive program provides 90-minute group training sessions, funding for food credits and language access, and additional resources.
The first training cohort consisted of 20 partners selected through a competitive application process. After completing the training in August, participating partners developed implementation plans for implementing strategies they learned from the training. Some examples of implementation strategies include committing to completing additional diversity, equity, and inclusion training; translating important information to support broader access; and making inclusive adjustments to intake processes.
CLIENT RESOURCES
INCREASE IN SNAP BENEFITS STARTING OCTOBER 1
Starting October 1, 2021, more than 250,000 households and 499,000 individuals in Colorado saw an increase in SNAP monthly benefits by an average of $36.24 per person per month. This is a historic increase that will drastically improve people’s ability to buy food. Through SNAP, eligible individuals are given money every month via an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card that can be spent at grocery stores. This benefit liberates a portion of income to be redirected toward rent, medicine, or other costs of living.
If you or someone you know are interested in applying for SNAP or have any questions about this benefit, please feel free to contact our SNAP Outreach Team at FBRSNAP@foodbankrockies.org or call (303) 375-5851. We are able to complete applications over the phone. Se habla Español. Nós falamos Português.
Did you know we have SNAP Outreach Representatives available to attend your food distributions and speak directly with your clients about SNAP?
If you are interested in this, please reach out to:
