Food insecurity is a ‘public health crisis’ that Food Bank of the Rockies is helping to solve

The Denver Post Season To Share is the annual holiday fundraising campaign for The Denver Post and The Denver Post Locality Foundation a c nonprofit organization Grants are awarded to local nonprofit agencies that provide life-changing programs to help low-income children families and individuals move out of poverty toward stabilization and self-sufficiency Visit seasontoshare com to learn more or to donate now When CEO Erin Pulling thinks about the new Food Bank of the Rockies distribution center at this moment under construction in Aurora what excites her largest part is the lobby This will be no mere entryway Instead Pulling calls a welcoming center where hundreds of daily participants will come to get their assignments It will have meeting rooms where donors can congregate and glass windows so that visitors can peer into the warehouse and see the food bank s mission in action It really just is the epicenter Pulling stated It s a vision of what s realizable and what s happening Food Bank of the Rockies CEO Erin Pulling at the organization s warehouse in Denver on Monday Oct Photo By Patrick Traylor The Denver Post The Food Bank of the Rockies broke ground on its new million distribution center more than a year ago and the project is almost to the finish line Pulling stated the organization has raised of the funds needed to complete the build out and is at the moment running a campaign to raise the remaining million Operations are expected to relocate there this winter That may seem like a hefty price tag but the new facility will straightaway be a cost saver Pulling explained The Food Bank of the Rockies now rents a secondary warehouse for food distribution as well as an off-site parking lot for its delivery trucks both of which it will be able to give up and bring in-house at the new facility Of unit Pulling s excitement isn t just about the efficiencies this facility will allow At square feet the new operations hub will also enable the organization to expand its ceiling to meet the growing necessities of residents it serves in Colorado counties and throughout the state of Wyoming The onsite kitchen for one will be four times larger with the ability to prepare up to meals per day Pulling reported More dock space and refrigeration will also allow the food bank to accept more produce and perishable items for those in need Right now we re really just out of space and sometimes having to turn away donated food because we don t have enough dock space or refrigeration space she noted We can engage participants a day in the new building whereas right now we re capped at a day The food bank s upgrade couldn t come at a better time she noted The number of food-insecure individuals across the U S is soaring alongside the cost of living In about one in eight Coloradans were food insecure according to an annual document by nonprofit Feeding America The rate of local children facing insecurity was even higher that year at Food Bank of the Rockies Address E th Ave Denver In operation since Number of employees Number of participants annually Annual budget million Number of clients served in fiscal year But Pulling explained demand has continued to rise Since June the nonprofit has seen a increase in the number of people seeking its mobile food distributions In various areas like Aurora attendance has climbed more than she explained With up-to-date cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Activity SNAP and changes to its eligibility criteria Pulling expects future requirements to be greater than at any time in the Food Bank of the Rockies -year history At the same time the organization has lost access to a portion of its food supply due to reductions in federal nutritional programs Food insecurity is becoming more of a residents vitality problem than ever before and this is really the perfect storm she declared To meet demand the Food Bank of the Rockies has grown from its humble roots rescuing food like bread headed for grocery store dumpsters to offer numerous programs that help get nutritious items to Coloradans who need them the majority Majority of of the food it receives through rescues or donations helps stock pantries at more than hunger relief organizations serving both urban and rural communities Additionally the food bank prepares meals for kids in summer and after-school programs deploys mobile food pantries to targeted communities and offers home grocery delivery for older adults Its Totes for Hope effort sends children home with food to cover their weekend necessities and individuals with certain physical condition conditions can also enroll in the Food for Wellbeing Project which ensures they get curated boxes of food to keep their manifestations and vitals in check The big shift over the last plenty of years is more focus on nutritional quality of food and the cultural relevance of the food we are providing to make sure the food we are providing is familiar to the neighbors we are serving Pulling explained Cook lead Aleyna Jenkins left and participants Karen Wimberly second from left and Troy Quintana right help assemble ready-to-eat meals at Food Bank of the Rockies in Denver on Monday Oct Photo By Patrick Traylor The Denver Post Part of that work involves sustainably sourcing produce which often has a short shelf life and can be tough to rescue Food Bank of the Rockies now purchases much of its fresh produce from Colorado-based farmers helping boost local economies while simultaneously making these items more accessible all in hopes of nourishing locals so they can reach their full anticipated People experiencing food insecurity if they re turning in general to less expensive foods we know that other factors of their life are likely suffering such as their healthcare status and then clinical costs and then ability to perhaps maintain strength take care of kids don t have missed work things like that Pulling disclosed It s such a cycle and the right nutritious food is such an critical element of that cycle for people to be fruitful citizens and decrease their eventual dependence on food banks and food pantries Related Articles Coloradans to lose SNAP benefits Nov if shutdown continues Polis warns Colorado food banks sound alarm over rising need amid federal cuts to nutrition assistance King Soopers to open new Marketplace store in Louisville Coloradans soon won t be able to use SNAP benefits to purchase soda People who donate money to the Food Bank of the Rockies can make their dollar go farther Because of its massive purchasing power just translates to the equivalent of three meals Pulling commented Don t have any spare change Every day the organization s distribution centers in Denver and Grand Junction depend on more than participants to package food and cook meals Find more information about the opportunities at foodbankrockies org Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter