COVID-19 Emergency Hunger Relief Fund

Grantees

Center for Rural Outreach & Public Services, Inc.

Although the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is on lock down, this program will be set up immediately through the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe's Community Services Director Bernadette Cuthair, Chairman Manuel Heart, and CROPS Director Beverly Santicola. The entire grant (100%) of the funding will be used for food purchases, sanitation supplies, and food distribution.

Plateau Valley Assembly of God Food Pantry & Kid's Time

At Plateau Valley Assembly of God Food Pantry we serve everyone...no strings attached! Our Food Pantry operates each and every Friday from 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM (52 times a year). The funding will support the Food Pantry and after-school program: Kid's Time - serving children home-cooked meals every Monday through Thursday.

West End Family Link Center

The West End Family Link Center serves a frontier area encompassing the west end of Montrose County (Bedrock, Naturita, Nucla, Paradox, Redvale) and of San Miguel County (Norwood), which is approximately 2,064 square miles with a population of around 2,200 people. The unemployment rate for this area was 12.5% before this pandemic. This funding should sustain the food boxes, school lunch delivery, and weekend backpack programs for two months for purchasing additional food, extra staff time, and mileage reimbursement for home deliveries.

Gunnison County

Needs will be addressed by the Gunnison County Food Pantry and Gunnison County Emergency Operations Center. The Food Pantry is currently up and running and experiencing high demand due to COVID 19. Emergency Operations have set up a call center for food pick up and delivery for vulnerable populations are those with COVID 19. These funds will increase capacity for delivery and service and availability of food. Gunnison County Food Pantry and Emergency Operations focuses on the needs of seniors, low-income, immigrants, youth and others in our community that are disproportionately affected, along with those ill with COVID19.

Lift Up of Routt County

LiftUp runs the only public Food Banks in Routt County, and has done so since 1996. They are primarily funded by Thrift Store sales; however, had to close both the Thrift Store and Donation Center in mid-March until at least April 30, 2020. They expect an income loss of at least $24,000 every two weeks due to the closure. This funding will help pay staff and purchase food. They are distributing boxes of food, and also continuing to serve children through our Rocket Pack healthy snacks for children program.

Pueblo Food Project

They will focus on three main activities focused on immediate hunger relief. Activity 1: Source and distribute grocery bags to students and their families participating in free school meal programs. Activity 2: Purchase rice and beans to add to grocery bags assembled and distributed by Los Pobres, an organization that supports recent immigrants, and migrant workers in rural Pueblo County. Activity 3: Purchase food supplies for the Pueblo Rescue Mission and the Pueblo Community Soup Kitchen. This proposal results in about 23,880 instances of immediate hunger relief. Economic benefit to local food producers is about $20,000 (modified due to slightly reduced funding level)

La Puente Home, Inc.

La Puente’s Food Bank Network already exists to increase/strengthen access to fresh produce and healthy foods across the San Luis Valley, through a network of 15 food pantries. With the resources provided, the work of the Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley will be fortified during troubling times for those around us. With the funds requested they will have the ability to leverage our spending to overcome the current challenge we have in locating food.

Sparrow House Ministries

Sparrow House is currently up and running and distributing to-go boxes of food. They generally serve 1000 to 1200 people per month but anticipate an influx up to twice that amount. Any funds received will be applied immediately to expand food purchases and distribution. They will provide foods to sustain a family, based on family size, for 2 to 3 days. Typically Sparrow House operates from donated foods from local grocery stores but due to lack of supply from the stores and increase in demand, they have secured other resources but will be purchasing foods instead of the food being donated.

Family Resource Center

Family Resource Center began serving meals to the homeless, elderly, disabled, and low income families last week on March 17th and have continued to do so to the present. Under the Umbrella normally serves these meals, but because of their volunteers’ advanced ages, they have understandably decided to halt their services. FRC stepped up to fill the gap by coordinating with local restaurants and by cooking meals in our building. FRC also assumed responsibility for Totes for Hope. They have also greatly expanded both their indoor and outdoor food pantries. They plan to continue these services until the need no longer exists.

Saguache Works, Inc.

Saguache Works is positioned to act quickly to address food needs in Saguache and Saguache County during the COVID-19 crisis. Our non-profit organization has a food store that is currently operating and serves a very isolated and impoverished community in Saguache, Colorado. The food store is a critical resource for low-income and older adults. The food store already has some programs in place, including being able to accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and participating in Colorado Double-Up Food Bucks, which allows SNAP recipients to receive free Colorado produce (up to $20) when they spend the same amount on food purchases. To help older adults, Saguache Works offers the Saguache Healthy Elders Discount (SHED) which is a 20% discount on all food purchases to Saguache residents aged 60 and over. Saguache Works also purchases food items from local producers and has many sources for food grown in our area. Saguache Works has launched a delivery program to help people in the community receive food items to their homes if they have transportation difficulties or find themselves in a situation where they cannot travel or are at high risk for the COVID-19.

Mountain Family Center (MFC)

MFC is still operating Monday through Friday in order to serve our communities with 4 food pantry locations and one main location for rent and utility assistance (with applications being distributed at other locations). Their food pantry is seeing record numbers. In March of 2019, MFC spent $2,500 on groceries. In March 2020, they ordered $13,500 of groceries from the Food Bank of the Rockies and spent another $1,000 on groceries at local grocery stores to fill empty shelves and freezers. The Food Bank of the Rockies only delivers to Grand County once a month. MFC immediately serves Grand and Jackson County by addressing basic needs: food, shelter and clothing.

Mountain Resource Center

Mountain Resource Center’s (MRC) long-standing food pantry is a reliable and known source of free, nutritious food within their community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the pantry has become an even more critical food resource for low-income, rural residents along the Highway 285 corridor. On March 16, MRC’s food pantry adopted a drive-through food delivery model and met unprecedented demand. Normally serving 450 residents per year, in the first three days of the drive-through model, the pantry served over 150 residents, depleting the pantry’s food supply. In response, and in an attempt to meet demand, MRC has formed a five-person emergency food distribution crew and has committed to increasing its visits to Food Bank of the Rockies from once per week to 3 – 4 times weekly. As a result, MRC is experiencing triple its usual food and transportation costs. MRC is also a long-time member of the Park County Pantry Collaborative, a rural food pantry cooperative supporting the food access needs of geographically isolated residents. As part of this collaborative, and in response to COVID-19, starting immediately, MRC has committed to delivering bulk food items to various rural pantries. Additionally, MRC is working with Park County Human Services to establish a pop-up satellite food pantry in Park County. This satellite pantry (to be located between Bailey and Fairplay) will serve geographically isolated families as well as act as a food pick-up site for local faith-based organizations. To better assist older, at-risk, and sheltered residents, MRC is partnering with religious organizations, asking them to pick up food from our Conifer and satellite pantries for home deliveries.

Family & Intercultural Resource Center

The Family & Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC) works to meet the basic needs of our community during this crisis. We believe that stable families are the foundation of a strong community. Residents face hunger, economic hardship, anxiety and homelessness - and now more than ever - community and state partners play a key role in ensuring that vulnerable families can stay safe, healthy and stable. FIRC is grateful for our partnership with Blue Print to End Hunger, as they support our Food Pantry Drive Thru in feeding over 1,800 residents - or 460 households - per week."

Safe and Abundant Nutrition Alliance

Continued efforts around food deliveries, purchasing local produce and protein, and maximum operations of drive-thru distributions across the 3 county area. This funding will expand efforts to supplement food bags with local protein and meat; expedite transportation of food; feed low income, Hispanic/LatinX families, service/resort workers and their families who are now out of work, and immigrant families. This will allow them to have ample, nutritional food supplies during drive thru pantry days.

St George's Episcopal Church

St. George’s Episcopal Mission’s Community Meals program has provided Lake County’s residents with free hot meals for 30 years in addition to a food pantry and monthly food bank for area residents. Our monthly food bank last week saw over double the number of families they normally serve and our food pantry has expanded to operating 5 days a week for anyone in need while we continue to serve to-go lunches for our community. As Lake County’s sole free meal provider and largest free food resource we are an integral part of a coordinated effort in the Lake County community among government agencies and local nonprofits to meet the needs arising as a result of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Seniors’ Resource Center, Inc.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Seniors’ Resource Center (SRC) is leveraging its existing transportation and organizational infrastructure to provide grocery shopping and home delivery for older adults throughout the Denver metro region. Through this emergency response, SRC staff and volunteers will provide a grocery concierge service, delivering critical food and nutrition to older adults so they can remain at home. Using grant funds, SRC will coordinate the ordering of essential groceries with each store and provide pickup and delivery services using its existing fleet of vehicles, ensuring older adults receive groceries without having to leave their homes. Initially, SRC will provide emergency groceries, valued between $60 and $75, to each older adult served up to twice per month. Staff will deliver requested groceries directly to the clients’ door.

A Little Help

A Little Help (ALH), a Colorado nonprofit connecting neighbors to help older adults thrive, is a crucial partner in the community response to COVID-19. Over the past 15 years of service, ALH has honed its proven model, which is serving as a vital resource in the emergency response efforts for COVID-19. While ALH’s standard operations equip neighbors of all ages to help older adults with services -- including transportation to grocery stores and other appointments, yard and home chores, companionship, and caregiver respite -- in these unprecedented times, we have streamlined our service provision. In accordance with CDC health and safety guidelines, ALH is already mobilizing healthy neighbors to provide grocery and prescription delivery, care calls for regular wellness check-ins and social connection, and snow shoveling for older adults. Funding will support ALH in expanding its internal capacity to coordinate and provide grocery delivery services to vulnerable older adults sheltering in place, providing them with access to fresh food and ensuring they do not go hungry.

Covenant Cupboard Food Pantry

Because Covenant Cupboard has been serving those in the Denver Metro area facing food insecurity for 25 years, they are well-positioned contribute to this emergency response. Covenant Cupboard quickly responded to new practices and conducted first drive through distribution 3/20/20. We have been active members of Food Pantry Network and Food Bank of Rockies Emergency Support Team since 3/16/20 helping craft emergency response. We have completely redesigned our distribution processes and increased our food and supply purchases to serve this emergency need. Our plans are to sustain this effort as long as possible.

Redistribution Center, Inc.

They currently operate two food banks, with one in Wheat Ridge and one at Fort Carson, however as the virus impact progressed we have limited the Fort Carson facility to emergency needs only. From our facility in Wheat Ridge and via a large network of volunteers, they routinely provided food and other necessities to support those in an assisted living facility in West Denver as well as many ill, injured and elderly veteran families throughout the front range, however with this pandemic we now provide additional support to them, and, we have identified many additional elderly and suffering neighbors of those we assisted who now desperately need assistance due to their inability to obtain food and other necessities on their own. They purchase food at Food Bank of the Rockies and obtain food and other necessities from our other partners and then we sort and box these items with about 25 to 30 volunteers at our facility twice a week who then deliver the boxed items to those identified in need.

Restoration Outreach Programs

ROP provides a weekly food bank for the community we serve along the East Colfax corridor. We have been doing this for 12 years and have served an average of 80 households per week. We estimate the cost to be $1600/wk. In order to maximize safety and minimize risk we have moved our Food Bank outdoors and are making sure to practice safe distancing as best we can. Doing the best we can with hand sanitizer and hand washing for staff and volunteers.

Colorado Springs Food Rescue

The mission of Colorado Springs Food Rescue (hereafter CSFR) is to cultivate a healthy, equitable food system in the greater Colorado Springs community. We accomplish this through integrated programs promoting fresh food access, education and growing opportunities, serving 25,000+ people in El Paso County in 2019. Currently, 9 of our recipient partners have closed indefinitely and cannot receive fresh groceries to redistribute. We have converted our “Hub” Headquarters, located at the Helen Hunt Nonprofit Campus in the Hillside neighborhood, into a 5-day/week community food resource center. Groceries from all closed programs have been re-routed to CSFR's office in the Helen Hunt Campus for distribution Tuesday through Saturday, with 3,965 meals distributed on-site during the week of March 16th alone.

Evergreen Christian Outreach (EChO)

EChO is up and running. Our food pantry is open Monday-Thursday . We are designated as an Emergency Food Distribution Center for our mountain area through Food Bank of the Rockies. We normally provide food to 200 households per week, impacting over 1,000 individuals monthly. We have already seen an increase in requests for food assistance and anticipate this need to continue to grow. Two local nonprofits have greatly reduced their capacity to provide assistance (Seniors Resource Center in Evergreen has closed all operations in Evergreen effective 3/23 and the food pantry at the Mountain Resource Center in Conifer is operating with reduced hours on two days.) Delivery to senior facilities also began last week and our delivery options are expanding daily. With the closing of SRC, we are reaching out to the main SRC office to obtain information on seniors who we, EChO, may not have been serving previously.

Gateway Domestic Violence Services

Funding will support essential food for victims of domestic violence and their dependent children staying in our confidential shelters.

Lyons Emergency & Assistance Fund (LEAF)

LEAF's nutrition programs include Lyons Community Food Pantry and Lyons Meals on Wheels. Our services have been in place for 3+ years and have been sustained through typical development and fundraising efforts. We now face a "perfect storm" of unprecedented need, with Food Pantry demand greatly increasing and food availability decreasing. As more at-risk people shelter in place at home, the requests for Meals on Wheels is growing as well. The first week of Food Pantry operations since the Covid-19 crisis started to affect our community, we served two times the typical number of households (55 households). As the only human services agency serving exclusively in and around the Greater Lyons area, LEAF is known and appreciated among our client population. Many of our clients do not have personal transportation so cannot seek supportive services outside of Lyons, but they are able to get to LEAF to access nutrition and community.

Voces Unidas for Justice

Voces Unidas for Justice is a team of 6 employees (4.6 FTE) and 12 Promotoras (volunteers). We provide advocacy and support for people who have experienced violence from a culturally Latin@ perspective. The majority of the people we serve are laborers, housekeepers, office cleaners, servers and cooks and bus-people, nanny’s and people subjected to poverty because of limited resources or immigration status restrictions, meaning that many people without a social security number or if they were too poor/made too little income to file taxes last year, may expect to receive NO help from the government, neither Federal nor state. We have weekly meetings with our volunteer Promotora base and keep regular contact with the survivors we have served over the past year. In this particular application, we are addressing the need for food. We have been working with Mexican Stores/small businesses in our community to help us purchase food to deliver to our people. We also belong to the Care and Share Food Bank of Southern Colorado, and can make purchases through their services.

Bayaud Enterprises

Funding will support Bayaud Enterprises' mobile pantry, serving homeless families and children all over Denver with food and basic needs (by funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Paying staff).

Bienvenidos Food Bank

Funding will support Bienvenidos Food Bank serve vulnerable households in NW Denver/West Colfax through their storefront pantry, mobile pantry, and neighborhood assistance locations, and many other activities (through funding food purchasing, food delivery/transportation, packing supplies, sanitation and cleaning supplies, and paying staff).

Community Ministry of Southwest Denver

Funding will support the Community Ministry of Southwest Denver's pantry (and potentially smaller ones in the area), which serves a large population of low-income households and families in SW Denver with healthy fresh food (by funding Food purchasing, supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Paying staff).

Denver Metro Emergency Food Network

Funding will support the Denver Metro Emergency Food Network, a highly coordinated coalition of 20+ organizations, to scale up their delivery of free, prepared meals to thousands of low-income families and seniors in and around Denver (by funding the sourcing, storage, and preparation of products).

Focus Points Family Resource Center

Funding will support Focus Points, an anchor institution in GES and part of the Denver Metro Emergency Food Network, to serve healthy meals to low-income and ethnically diverse children, families, individuals and seniors, especially in Globeville, Elyria-Swansea and Montbello (by funding, food purchasing, preparation and delivery, community outreach, volunteer recruitment and coordination, etc.).

Hope Communities

Hope Communities serves approximately 1,100 individuals a year with housing, resource navigation, wrap-around services and customized programs. Funding will support food services, household supplies, emergency resources and an on-site food bank for low-income residents, community members, and their children. Statistics for the neighborhoods the organization serves shows 39% live in poverty vs. a regional average of 11%, and, at Hope, the percentage of households in poverty are event greater. Roughly 43% of residents are refugees and 65% of households have dependents.

Jewish Family Service

Funding will support Jewish Family Services' Weinberg Food Pantry to serve immigrants and refugees, vulnerable workers and families with pre-packed boxes of food and supplies through ing a “drive-thru/walk-up" model to anyone experiencing food insecurity with no documentation or sign up needed. Boxes include fresh produce, dairy, meat, and if needed diapers and wipes. JFS is also delivering boxes of pantry food and supplies to homebound older adults and other vulnerable populations to avoid unnecessary visits outside their homes.

La Raza Services, Inc DBA: Services de La Raza

Funding will support Servicios de La Raza with a new service model of delivery basic emergency services, including food distribution, to very low-income families on the West side of Denver (funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation, Supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Client communications, Technology and Equipment).

Mental Health Center of Denver

Funding will support the Mental Health Center of Denver to feed youth and families that would normally rely on the school/after school system for meals, especially in Northeast Denver, Montbello, and Green Valley Ranch, including those impacted by mental health diagnosis, low-income families and those experiencing homelessness (funding Food purchasing and Food delivery/transportation).

Metro Caring

Funding will support Metro Caring to distribute food through walk-up and drive-through pick up models for low-income families and individuals experiencing homelessness across Denver and a delivery program for older adults in need (funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Paying staff).

Metro Ministries

Funding will support Metro Ministries to deliver boxes of food to all 21 of the Denver Housing Authorities properties, reaching thousands of families and residents, including low income and disabled persons who would normally rely on public transit to obtain food (funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation, Supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies).

Mile High 360

Funding will support Mile High 360 to serve their students and families, mainly Latinx and immigrants previously employed in the restaurant, food, and janitorial industries and some with critical health issues, such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. Funds will be used to purchase and deliver healthy food and necessary cleaning and personal supplies.

Montbello Organizing Committee

Funding will support the Montbello Organizing Committee and their Freshlo partner, Struggle of Love Foundation, to provide drive-through food boxes and food bag delivery of healthy food options for low-income youth, families, seniors, and disabled individuals in Northeast Denver, including Montbello and Green Valley Ranch (funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation, Supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Paying staff, Client communications).

Savio House

Funding will support the Savio House Food Bank and food delivery efforts for low-income families and those with child safety concerns across Denver. Funds will be used for food purchasing, including the capacity to serve fruits and vegetables, food delivery/transportation, sanitation and cleaning supplies, and paying staff for the next two months.

So All May Eat/SAME Cafe

Funding will support SAME Cafe to provide meals to vulnerable populations, including low-income families of color, differently abled, and those from the LGBTQ community, from their East Colfax location. Funds will purchase food and food service items to serve hundreds of meals over the next six weeks.

Street Fraternity

Funding will support Street Fraternity to provide nightly meals and grocery giveaways to low-income and immigrant youth and families in the East Colfax neighborhood (funding Food purchasing, Supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies).

The Gathering Place

Funding will support the Gathering Place to purchase food for their emergency programming, including the Food Services Program with individual pre-packaged items and nutritious food for their Food Pantry, especially serving women, children, and transgender individuals who are experiencing poverty and homelessness.

There With Care

Funding will support There With Care, to continue delivery of food and basic needs goods and services to hundreds of vulnerable underserved families with critically ill and immune-compromised children (funding Food purchasing, Sanitation and cleaning supplies).

Urban Peak

Funding will support Urban Peak's work with youth experiencing homelessness by covering additional food costs, staff time and cleaning supplies. These resources will assist young people who do not have the ability to stock up on essential items, practice social distancing, isolate or quarantine and are therefore at particular risk of the adverse effects of COVID-19.

Victim Offender Reconciliation Program of Denver doing business as Colorado Circles for Change

Funding will support Victim Offender Reconciliation Program of Denver Doing Business As Colorado Circles for Change to serve current low-income, immigrant, and refugee youth participants and families, over half who have been impacted by the criminal justice system or immigration and customs enforcement, with continued food services (funding food purchasing, delivery, supplies for packing food and sanitation supplies).

Volunteers of America Colorado Branch

Funding will support Volunteers of America Colorado Branch's Family Motel to serve three meals a day for individuals experiencing homelessness who are in quarantine. They are also providing emergency food baskets to residents in need, delivering food boxes to seniors and people with disabilities, and ensuring families with young children have food boxes and ready-made food items (funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation, Supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Paying staff).

WESTWOOD UNIDOS

Funding will support Westwood Unidos to supply outdoor food drop off sites within walking distance for residents (mainly low-income Spanish speaking immigrant populations, including mothers and children), in coordination with churches and apartment complexes, as well as delivery for people with disabilities and seniors (funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation, Supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Paying staff, Client communications, on site pick up by appointment).

Denver South High School PTA/Denver South High Food Pantry

Funding will support the Denver South High School PTA/Food Pantry to secure adequate non-perishable food items; a consistent supply of fresh fruits, vegetables and protein, culturally appropriate food such as Halal meat; and occasional dental hygiene and other personal care items on a consistent and weekly basis, to serve its low-income students and families (~45% qualifying for free or reduced lunch) with basic food and nutritional needs throughout the school year, and especially on weekends when meals may not otherwise be available. Funds will also support weekly home delivery for families without transportation, supplies for packing food, sanitation and cleaning supplies.

Food for Thought Denver

Funding will support Food for Thought Denver to continue to provide non-perishable PowerSack (contains enough food to make eight meals) to Title I (family of four annual income less than $29,000) students. FFT has teamed up with Denver Public Schools to distribute PowerSacks in all eight schools where they are serving breakfast and lunch and four other school sites (funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation).

Osage Cafe/ Youth Employment Academy

Funding will support Osage Cafe/Youth Employment Academy to provide to go food and groceries to local residents, families and communities in need. As a cafe and Culinary Academy, they will distribute food and provide food-based education through e-learning with the goal of providing low cost or no cost food for families, seniors, and individuals with disabilities who are residents Denver Housing Authority low income areas.

Re:Vision

Funding will support Re:Vision to meet the emergency food needs of Westwood by shifting the Westwood Food Cooperative to a free food bank model, transforming the commercial kitchen at RISE Westwood to a commercially licensed site to cook and prepare 50 grab-and-go dinners (packaged for families of 5) a day for the next 8 weeks, and equipping their Promatoras to run the Westwood Food Bank, help chefs prepare meals, and teach meal prep, food preservation and gardening classes virtually (funding Food purchasing, Supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Paying staff).

The GrowHaus

Funding would support The GrowHaus to continue to serve residents of the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea (GES) neighborhoods by providing packages of food staples and fresh rescued produce for 400 families for 2 weeks (800 total packages distributed). Their model includes Cosechando Salud (Harvesting Health) Mobile Deliveries & Pick-up (weekly no-cost distribution of high-quality rescued food in partnership with Denver Food Rescue and We Don’t Waste), as well as Rapid Response Food Package Delivery, providing a family of four with enough food to cover lunch and dinner for at least four days, in partnership with Bondadosa. (funding Food purchasing, Food delivery/transportation, Paying staff).

University Park PTA Backpacks for Kids Food Assistance Program

Funding will support the University Park PTA Backpacks for Kids Food Assistance Program to continue to provide two bags of non-perishable foods and hardy produce to their regularly served low-income youth, families and staff members, through either home delivery or a drive-thru style food bag drop in the school parking lot. The entire program is offered to all families, staff, and workers who need it in the University Park Elementary school community and surrounding area (funding Food purchasing, Supplies for packing food, Sanitation and cleaning supplies, Client communications).

Servicios de La Raza

Funding will support added days to serve residents in Zip Code 80204 as well as Denver Metro residents. It will go to increase food supplies , cleaning supplies, and implement food delivery to Older Americans, Undocumented Immigrant/Refugees, Low Moderate Income (LMI) individuals, families.