Quick Bites:
- Longtime donor Betsy Poell and her family transformed personal loss into lasting impact, honoring their son Gus through increased giving and a major foundation gift to support Food Bank of the Rockies’ mission.
- The Fulfilled Capital Campaign is powered by donors, corporations, volunteers, and community leaders, all committed to expanding hunger relief capacity.
- A new purpose-built distribution center will significantly increase food access across the region, fueled by financial gifts, in-kind contributions, and volunteer-led fundraising that reflect decades of shared commitment to ending hunger.
Betsy Poell made her first gift to Food Bank of the Rockies as a monthly donor in 2005 as soon as she secured her first post-college job. The more she learned about the Food Bank over the next two decades, the more she felt compelled to support its mission.
“Food is a basic need, but nourishment is different,” Betsy shared. “And that’s something the Food Bank is doing so well: providing people with nourishment.”
Betsy and her husband, William, continued to increase their monthly gifts, especially when COVID hit. A few years later, their 7-year-old son, Gus, tragically passed away from a sudden illness.
“When Gus died, we realized we were fortunate in that we have everything we need financially. We also knew that our friends and family would want to do something to support us during that time. We didn’t want to collect money, but knew our community would want to help,” Betsy shared. “That’s when we decided to channel that support to Food Bank of the Rockies in Gus’ honor.”
That act alone made a significant impact on the Food Bank’s mission to nourish people facing hunger, but Betsy wasn’t done yet. She invested time and energy into getting to know more about Food Bank of the Rockies and participated in a focus group for the Fulfilled Capital Campaign in support of the Food Bank constructing a new distribution center. It was then that Betsy, William, and their family decided to make the largest single gift they’d ever made through the JJP Family Foundation.
“Our money is being used well and we can afford to bless other people,” said Betsy of the gift. “I really benefitted from my connections with the Food Bank as a donor and from having a place to channel support after Gus died. It’s been a real partnership. I’ve always felt an affinity for the mission and hunger relief.”
Throughout the various phases of the Fulfilled campaign, so many incredible individuals and foundations like Betsy and the JJP Family Foundation, as well as corporations and even our own volunteers and staff, have stepped up to support Food Bank of the Rockies’ work and dream of reaching more people with more food. The first corporate gift to Fulfilled came from CoBank.
“CoBank has invested more than $2 million over 20 years in Food Bank of the Rockies; our missions align,” said Ashly Ligouri, Senior Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at CoBank. “CoBank’s mission is rooted in supporting rural America, agriculture, and fresh food, and we believe that strong communities start with healthy people. Food Bank of the Rockies helps make that a reality.”
CoBank’s gift of $250,000 was just part of the company’s commitment to hunger relief. Their employees have also been loyal volunteers and donors to the Food Bank for several years.
Long-time Food Bank of the Rockies supporters Randy and Gwenn Hertel also took a special interest in the new building. As executive vice president of Majestic Realty, Randy was pivotal in the acquisition, entitlement, and construction of the Food Bank’s future home at 20600 E. 38th Avenue in Aurora, Colorado. Thanks to Randy’s passionate support, Majestic Realty’s subsidiary, Commerce Construction, was instrumental in helping create a purpose-built facility to fuel our region’s charitable food ecosystem for decades to come, and have contributed nearly $1.6 million in in-kind support for the project
Randy and Gwenn have centered their lives around service to their community by addressing critical issues like food insecurity, and the new building was the perfect opportunity for Randy to combine his professional expertise with his commitment to hunger relief. In addition to providing in-kind support, Randy and Gwenn also contributed a leadership gift of $1 million to help make this project a reality.
“Gwenn and I have been blessed in so many ways. We try to live by the belief that with great need comes great responsibility, and we have the responsibility to help people in need,” shared Randy.
Cal Fulenwider, Chair of the Fulfilled Capital Campaign, was similarly inspired by the potential a new distribution center could have on food insecurity across our region.
“My family and I have been volunteers and supporters of Food Bank of the Rockies for more than 18 years,” Cal said. “When I was asked to join the Fulfilled campaign project to support the construction of the new distribution center, I jumped at the chance. I know this new distribution facility will increase our capacity to make a remarkable impact throughout the communities we serve.”
Cal is especially passionate about hunger-relief programs directed at children; his family has even “adopted” two elementary schools where over 50% of the student population is made up of kids living in poverty. Partnering with Food Bank of the Rockies’ Totes of Hope® Program, now, every Friday, kids and their families receive enough food to carry them through the weekend and arrive back at school Monday morning fully nourished.
Showing just how passionate about hunger relief Food Bank of the Rockies’ supporters are, a group of volunteers at the Denver Distribution Center spearheaded a fundraising challenge and raised over $100,000. The majority of volunteers who chose to contribute to the Fulfilled campaign already donate incredible amounts of time to the Food Bank’s mission, spending multiple days a week sorting, packing, and assisting Hunger Relief Partners in getting the food they need to nourish their community members.
One of the volunteers, Mike Kenyon, experienced food insecurity as a child. He recalled how he and the other neighborhood kids would walk to a government center to collect canned goods, powdered milk, and cheese. Eight years ago, Mike began volunteering with Food Bank of the Rockies as a way to give back. He joined dozens of other volunteers in financially supporting the Fulfilled Capital Campaign.
“I see families suffering today like we did in the 1950s,” he shared. “Some donate [to the Food Bank] because they suffered from food insecurity when they were younger — that’s my own story. Volunteering is critical for me. Now, I can make people’s lives better.”
