A joyful woman in a pink blouse and young girl in a blue shirt share a tender moment, smiling with noses touching, as the girl holds a yellow apple.

2X Matching
Gift Challenge

We are seeing worrying signs of increasing hardship all across our region.

To help meet this moment, your gift today will be matched to make 2X the impact for our neighbors.

We are seeing worrying signs of increasing hardship all across our region. Please, make a matched gift now.

×

Food for Kids

Food for Kids

In fiscal year 2025, Food Bank of the Rockies served 103,766 kids across our Colorado and Wyoming service areas. Food Bank of the Rockies’ Food for Kids programs, Totes of Hope® and summer and after-school meals provided through the USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), are specifically dedicated to ensuring every kid has enough to eat at all times, giving them a chance to embrace their childhood without worrying about food. 

38 Totes of Hope® sites in Colorado
67 after-school meal sites
53 summer meal sites
97,000+ meals distributed monthly on average in Colorado
5,188 Totes of Hope® distributed weekly on average in Colorado

Food for Kids by the Numbers in Fiscal Year 2025

Yonas (L)

To ensure kids stay nourished during the summer months, Food Bank of the Rockies partners with initiatives like the Thornton Portable Playground program to provide fresh and familiar meals directly where children live.

FoodForKids-Small-2

During the school year, Food Bank of the Rockies supports after-school programs with nutritious, wholesome snacks and meals to help children get the nourishment they need to develop and focus on just being kids.

FAQs

Items included in Totes may vary and aim to include a mix of fruit, vegetable, protein, grain, children’s breakfast items, children’s snack items, individual-size juices, and individual-size milks.

Summer and after-school meals include nutritious, single-servings of grains, vegetables, fruit, and protein that are prepared and safely sealed in Food Bank of the Rockies’ commercial kitchen. Food Bank of the Rockies follows USDA nutrition guidelines for summer and after-school meals.

The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) is a federally funded, state-administered program that reimburses program operators who serve free healthy meals and snacks to children and teens in low-income areas. 

The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) is a federally funded, state-administered program that provides reimbursements for nutritious meals and snacks purchased to serve to eligible children and adults who are enrolled for care at participating child care centers, home day care centers, and adult day-care centers; participating in after-school care programs; children residing in emergency shelters; and income-qualifying adults over the age of 60. 

Totes of Hope® is a Food Bank of the Rockies signature program funded directly through donations.

Sites for Totes of Hope®, summer (SFSP), and after-school (CACFP) meals are largely chosen through two avenues: One is via recruitment, outreach, and community input; another is via direct applications by schools, rec centers, after-school clubs, libraries, church groups, etc. who have children in need of nutritious meals. 

Preferably, sites for all programs will serve a community where at least 50% of students qualify for free and reduced meals. Please contact FFK@foodbankrockies.org with any questions.

We are always looking for new sites! If you are interested in becoming a CACFP partner, apply here. If you are interested in becoming a Totes of Hope® partner, apply here. If you’re interested in becoming a SFSP partner, apply here. (Please note that SFSP applications are only accepted between March and June.) 

After-school meals (CACFP) are provided to sites hosting after-school programs with enrichment activities in a neighborhood with at least a 50% free and reduced meal rate among area students. They are distributed to kids who partake in these programs and are eaten on site.

Summer meals (SFSP) can be served at sites that are open to the public or via programs requiring enrollment in a neighborhood with at least a 50% free and reduced meal rate among area students. Site examples include community centers, libraries, day camps, apartment complexes, religious organizations, etc.

Totes of Hope® sites can be any space in the community where kids are in need of food, preferably in areas with at least a 50% free and reduced meal rate among area students. Each site should request and distribute a minimum of 20 totes per site. Sites are responsible for providing their own bags in which to pack food at their site.

All food provided by CACFP, SFSP, and Totes of Hope® must be served at no cost to participants.

All programs are aimed at school age children between the ages of 5 and 18.

1 in 9 children in Colorado and 1 in 8 children in Wyoming are at risk of food insecurity. Food for Kids programs provide much-needed stable, nutritious meals and snacks to kids experiencing hunger, freeing them to focus on growth and learning rather than worrying about where their next meal will come from.

  • Totes of Hope®: Any child between the ages of 5 and 18 years old at a participating Totes of Hope® partner site.
  • After-school meals (CACFP): Any child between the ages of 5 and 18 years old attending an after-school program partnering with Food Bank of the Rockies for the program.
  • Summer Meals (SFSP): Site dependent. If the site is open to public, any child between the ages of 5 and 18 years old qualifies. If the site requires enrollment for its programs, children must be enrolled to receive meals.

Please contact FFK@foodbankrockies.org with any questions.

Currently there are no income qualifications for any of these programs.  

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact FFK@foodbankrockies.org

Learn More

One of Food Bank of the Rockies many partners is Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver. We provide meals year-round for kids at Boys and Girls Clubs, and this past Thanksgiving week, we provided turkey and stuffing.

We can’t do any of this without your support.

Help us keep helping.