Dear Hunger Relief Partners,

While many of us will be glad to leave behind the difficulties we have faced in 2020, we acknowledge that the new year brings additional uncertainty. Along with the USDA Farmers to Families food box program, many CARES ACT and COVID-relief program funds expire at the end of 2020.

We want to assure you that Food Bank of the Rockies will continue our COVID support measures into 2021. All Agency Support Fees for donated product will continue to be waived through at least mid-2021, and some funds will still be available to help partners with the cost of purchased foods. The COVID crisis is not over. We are proud to partner with you to provide ongoing support in serving our communities.

Thank you for your persistence, courage, and creativity during this unprecedented crisis. It is an honor to work alongside each of you.

Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season,

Steve Kullberg,
Chief Operating Officer, Food Bank of the Rockies

Cindy Mitchell,
Vice President of Programs, Food Bank of the Rockies

Food Pantry Assistance Grant

Governor Polis signed HB208B-1003, the Food Pantry Assistance Grant program! This year, the program will allocate $5 million to food access organizations so they can meet the needs of community members experiencing hunger. Erin Pulling, CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies, testified in the House and Senate in support of the bill. Food Bank of the Rockies is proud to have supported this initiative that has now resulted in additional funds to help our neighbors in need.

“This direct support to food pantries builds on the work we did earlier in the year to bring us closer to a hunger-free Colorado,” said sponsor Rep. Lisa Cutter, a Jefferson County Democrat, in a statement. “While we know there is a great deal of work left to be done, I’m proud that we are taking bold action to help hardworking families keep food on the table.”

Rather than applying directly for a grant, Food Bank of the Rockies will support awardees with collaborative group purchases by leveraging purchasing power to increase the amount of food available and providing storage and delivery to get the food to partners in a timely manner and when needed most. We hope you will apply for this funding.

To be considered, applications must be submitted by December 20 at 5 p.m. Apply here. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! (Awards will be a minimum of $2,500 and have no determined maximum. All grant dollars must be spent by July 31, 2021.)

Food Bank of the Rockies Closure: December 24 & 25

All Food Bank of the Rockies distribution centers and offices will be closed on Thursday, December 24 and Friday, December 25. We are thankful for your partnership, hard work, and dedication to the communities we serve. Please refer to the December calendar for changes to the partner order timeline. No mobile pantries are scheduled for these dates. All partner deliveries will be rescheduled.

Partner Agreement

It is almost time for Partner Agreement renewals, which are reviewed and updated every two years. Each partner is required to sign the new document in January. Please look for an email at the start of the new year and an announcement in the January Partner Newsletter. If you have any questions about the Partner Agreement, please email partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org.

Life after the Farmers to Families Food Boxes

Since the USDA Farmers to Families food box program launched in mid-May, Food Bank of the Rockies has received and distributed over 700,000 boxes of healthy food with families in our communities. As this program ends, we still want to provide high quality fresh produce in a sustainable manner. Starting January 6, we will launch a new fresh produce program. This new program will supply four or five different types of produce each week in 30- to 40-pound boxes on a mixed pallet. These will be available for special delivery, direct delivery with your other orders, or pick up at the Fresh Food Center. Larger partners will be able to request full pallets of each item.

Delivery Expansion

Food Bank of the Rockies plans to increase deliveries to partners by 20% in 2021. Efforts will be focused on larger orders (> four pallets) and combining TEFAP, CSFP, produce, and traditional partner orders into single deliveries. Tote deliveries may also be available for larger partners. We are working with several community groups to create regional hubs for smaller partners to receive orders closer to home. While pick up options and access to our Fresh Food Center will remain unchanged, this new approach will provide substantial savings in cost and time.

Capacity Building

Since the pandemic hit, we have been fortifying the amazing efforts of partners like you to ensure we all have the necessary resources to meet the increased need for food assistance. We leveraged our fundraising to share more than $4 million in credits toward purchased food costs with partners and waived partnership fees. We also secured/distributed capacity building funds to many of our partners. Since March, it has been our privilege to assist over 50 partners with 91 new freezer and refrigerator units, as well as shelving, and warehouse equipment. These partners now have more capacity to take fresh and nutritious products like dairy, meat, and produce, and we are able to reduce our waste. This is a win-win for the communities we serve!

9Cares Virtual Food Drive

As many of you are aware, 9CARES has shifted to a virtual food drive this year in lieu of collecting food. For those partners who have historically received food from the drive, the funds received from 9CARES will be directly passed on as purchased food credits to your Food Bank of the Rockies’ account. We anticipate the funds being released in January 2021.

Culturally Responsive Food Initiative

Food Bank of the Rockies is piloting a new program in seven counties to develop ways to better serve our culturally diverse communities. We recognize that some clients in our communities may experience additional barriers to utilizing food pantries, such as language access, concerns over eligibility, or unfamiliarity with typical food pantry offerings.

The Culturally Responsive Food Initiative will examine internal policies and work flows, strengthen our partnerships, and create toolkits to empower clients and partners. The counties in the pilot program include Denver, Morgan, Pitkin, Eagle, Garfield, Sweetwater, and the two counties encompassed by the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. After a successful pilot of the program, the goal is to roll out these new tools to the rest of our counties.

We look forward to sharing progress in the coming months. If you have questions, please contact Amanda McGimpsey at amcgimpsey@foodbankrockies.org.

Fall Partner Survey

We would like to take a moment to thank those who completed the fall Partner Survey. We received over 300 insightful responses. We are now analyzing the results, reading through your specific feedback, and developing a plan to better serve all partners. We appreciate your time and input.

Share Your Stories

Food Bank of the Rockies’ Programs Team is seeking projects or events to feature in upcoming newsletters. We would like to continue highlighting the great work that you, our partners, are doing. Please send any information and pictures to Mackenzie Derrick at mderrick@foodbankrockies.org.

Link2Feed Training

We would like to welcome many of our Totes of Hope Partners, Colorado Mobile Pantries, and Wyoming TEFAP partners to the Link2Feed Network. We are excited to expand our knowledge of the communities we serve using this valuable tool. If you would like to join the growing number of partners exchanging paper forms for digital tracking, you can sign up for a Link2Feed training here.

For more information on Link2Feed, please visit the Link2Feed YouTube page or emaill2f@foodbankrockies.org.

Zipwhip: Business Text Messaging Software

Food Bank of the Rockies’ Partner Support Team uses Zipwhip to send Hunger Relief Partners text messages about additional products available including bulk produce, extra CFAP boxes, Grocery Rescue product, and more.

We recently ran a promotion with our participating Zipwhip partners, and Congregation Roeh Israel won a GrubHub gift card to share with their team. Congratulations!

To sign up, please text your first and last name and the name of your hunger-relief organization to (303) 371-9250. Stay tuned for additional promotions, and reach out to partnersupport@foodbankrockies.org if you have any questions.

Pronoun Workshop

In November, all Food Bank of the Rockies’ staff attended the “Understanding and Respecting Gender Pronouns” webinar hosted by Colorado-Springs-based therapist, educator, author, and transgender rights advocate, Dara Hoffman-Fox.

Here are a few key takeaways:

• Encourage sharing gender pronouns when meeting new individuals, at the beginning of conference calls, and in the signature portion of your email.
• When addressing a group, use nonbinary terms such as “team” or “y’all” instead of “ladies” or “guys.”
• Try to remember and correctly utilize an individual’s chosen pronouns.
• Actively challenge your initial instinct to categorize an individual into a gender binary. Allow individuals to identify themselves out of respect for their preference.
• To practice using correct pronouns, please visit pronouns.minus18.org.au/.
• To learn more about pronouns, please watch What Are Pronouns.

Thanksgiving Meal Distribution

This Thanksgiving holiday, Food Bank of the Rockies’ kitchen staff and volunteers prepared and packaged 1200 Thanksgiving meals for distribution by three of our Hunger Relief Partners. Meals included turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, and a slice of pie. The meals were created with the hope that more of our neighbors could enjoy a holiday meal.

Meal Distributions at Vaughn Elementary School

The Food for Kids Program, in partnership with the Cigna Foundation, is providing demographically-focused meal bags to Vaughn Elementary School in Aurora, CO. Each bag contains fresh produce, grains, and a protein corresponding to a recipe included in each bag. A pamphlet with nutritional education information is included as well. Offerings have included Rainbow Quesadillas, Colorful Stir-Fry, and Chickpea Curry. Please check the Agency Portal for recipes. Distributions at Vaughn take place twice a month through the school year.

The Impact of Coronavirus on Food Security

Every year, Feeding America releases the overall Food Insecurity Rate for each county in America. This year, due to the coronavirus, they have released their projections for the percentage of individuals and children facing food insecurity. You can explore the map of the country, or individual counties, here: The Impact of Coronavirus on Food Insecurity