Even in this "land of plenty" there are many people who don't have enough to eat. Food Bank of the Rockies (FBR) strives to create a place for everyone at the table.

In the area served by FBR nearly 400,000 people live in poverty and struggle to meet their basic food needs; almost half of them are children. Hunger is especially hard on children, who make up 42% of our clients and must have proper nutrition to grow and learn. In today's uncertain economy, the need for food assistance continues to increase. Current programs include Fighting Hunger Feeding Hope, FBR's Nutrition Network, and Denver's Table Food Rescue.

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Fighting Hunger Feeding Hope
This is the central distribution program of FBR, serving more than 1100 hunger-relief programs in metropolitan Denver, northern Colorado, and Wyoming. These programs are the frontline between health and happiness versus hunger and despair. Last year, FBR distributed over 26 million pounds of food, enough for our agencies to provide more than 56,000 meals each day to children, seniors and families in need.

FBR's Nutrition Network
This network of programs addresses the specific problem of hunger which impacts people's physical, mental, and social growth. Children are especially at risk. Even moderate nutritional vulnerability can hinder cognitive development and impair a child's abilities for a lifetime. Many seniors in our community also struggle to pay for food.

Kids Cafe - This program serves balanced meals to children in some of our most impoverished areas. During the school year, children receive dinner five nights per week, and in the summer months, lunches are provided.

After School Snacks for Tutoring - The demand for Kids Cafe sites was greater than the funding. To provide nutrition to more children, FBR developed this program which serves healthy snacks to children after school.

Totes of Hope™-Children - Totes filled with 8 - 9 pounds of nutritious kid-friendly food are distributed to children on Fridays to take home over the weekend. For many of these children, the totes are their main source of food on Saturday and Sunday.

Totes of Hope™- Seniors - Living on a fixed income leaves many of our seniors choosing between buying food or filling a prescription; between buying food or paying for heat; between buying food or paying the rent.  In 2007, we started our first Totes of Hope™- Seniors program.  Today, totes are distributed to seniors at several of VOA's low income senior high rises.  The food gets them through the month, and according to their staff, they no longer come to the office asking for a can of soup or some bread.

Denver's Table Food Rescue Program
FBR’s Food Rescue Program - Denver's Table, collects donations from dining establishments and retailers throughout the city. Our refrigerated trucks pick up surplus prepared foods from hotels, restaurants and caterers, as well as frozen and perishable foods, dairy products and assorted items from supermarkets. Last year, Denver's Table safely delivered 1.4 million pounds of nutritious food to local hunger-relief programs serving people in need; food that otherwise would have been discarded.

Government-Subsidized Food Programs
Since October 2004, the states of Colorado and Wyoming have contracted with FBR to distribute government food subsidies to those in need several counties through two government programs: The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) and the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). This partnership has been extremely successful and has allowed FBR to provide needed hunger relief to thousands of new clients while increasing the nutritional value of these supplemental food programs.

The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)
TEFAP provides food assistance to people in need through the distribution of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) commodities. The foods are distributed free of charge on a monthly basis to recipients who must only declare their need and reside in certain counties.

TEFAP food is distributed through various neighborhood food pantries (most of which are existing FBR member agencies) so recipients don't have to travel great distances to get it. In addition, FBR is often able to supplement the government food with fresh produce and other items to increase the nutritional value of the government food.

Last year, FBR’s TEFAP program distributed over 3.5 million pounds of food, providing hunger relief to thousands of people in Colorado and Wyoming. FBR manages the TEFAP program in Adams, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Delta, Denver, Douglas, Eagle, Elbert, Garfield, Jefferson, Grand, Logan, Mesa, Moffat, Montrose, Morgan, and Park, Phillips, Routt, Sedgewick, Summit, and Yuma counties.

Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
The Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a U.S.D.A. supplemental food program targeting low-income pregnant and postpartum women, their infants and children under the age of six, and senior citizens age 60 and over. 

Eligible participants receive a monthly food package that is intended to supplement the diets of these vulnerable groups. The package includes canned fruits and vegetables, canned meats, pasta or rice, dry beans or peanut butter, fruit juices, dry cereals, cheese, powdered and canned milk, and infant formula or cereal. We also try to augment the nutritional value of these packages by adding fresh produce and dairy products whenever possible. 

Unlike other FBR programs, the CSFP foods are distributed directly to recipients instead of through member agencies. There are currently eight distribution sites in Denver reaching more than 12,000 individuals in need. 

In addition, FBR delivers CSFP boxes to 340 homebound individuals and to 75 senior high-rise buildings. To qualify for CSFP benefits, applicants must meet several income and residency requirements, and provide a photo identification and proof of address. Women, infants and children must be from Denver County and seniors can be from all counties. In the last fiscal year, more than 2.6 million pounds of food were distributed by FBR through the CSFP program.

PDF Fact Sheets
Food Bank of the Rockies Fact Sheets are available for download in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat installed, you can download it now.

Who We Are and How We Help
FAQs
Nutrition Network Brochure - programs for children and seniors
By the Numbers - 2009 Fiscal Year End Fact Sheet
Denver's Table Donors
Volunteer Fact Sheet
Feeding America

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