Table of Contents
This Month’s Top Updates
- An update on how Food Bank of the Rockies is sourcing items for the upcoming winter holidays, including information about Turkeys.
Feeding Colorado Advocacy/Policy Update
Feeding Colorado is the state association of the five Feeding America food banks serving all of Colorado and Wyoming.
Colorado Farm Bureau
Feeding Colorado welcomed the Colorado Farm Bureau to Food Bank of the Rockies for a tour of the facility and a productive conversation about opportunities to both strengthen nutrition programs and support farmers and agricultural producers. Our five Colorado food banks partner with more than 150 farms across Colorado, allowing us to source fresh, locally grown foods for our neighbors. We look forward to future collaboration with the Colorado Farm Bureau to grow Colorado’s local and regional food economies, improve food distribution systems, develop new markets for producers, and increase access to fresh, healthy, and affordable foods for all Coloradans.
Farm Bill Update & Action Alert
We need your help today to urge our Senators to reject Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman’s Farm Bill proposal, which could force Colorado to pay tens of millions more for SNAP benefits. Our statewide network of food banks is already stretched thin and struggling to feed an increasing number of neighbors who have lost access to important federal programs like SNAP and Medicaid. If you haven’t already, please complete the Senate Farm Bill advocacy alert. The package failed in the Agriculture Committee last month on a 10-11 vote, but Senator Boozman plans to bring the Committee to a vote again.
August Recess
Food Bank of the Rockies in Aurora has had several visits from members of Congress and staff during the August recess, including Congresswoman Brittany Pettersen, Congressman Gabe Evans, and staff from Senator Michael Bennet and Senator John Hickenlooper’s offices. We spoke about ongoing increases in need on the ground, Farm Bill priorities, and other opportunities to improve food security!
Program Updates
Community Connections – Best Practice of the Month
Food Bank of the Rockies Logo
We ask that Hunger Relief Partners display the Food Bank of the Rockies logo on their website to help elevate our shared missions. This is outlined in the Partner Agreement and is something we cover during Site Reviews.
To access our Hunger Relief Partner Logo Usage and Language Guide, please click here. This resource outlines information on how we ask partners to display our logo and refer to our partnership. This can also be found on our website, in the Partner Portal, in the Partner Resources section.
To access the Food Bank of the Rockies Partner Logos, click here.
Regional Quarterly Town Halls
Thank you to all Hunger Relief Partners who joined a regional town hall in August. We discussed the recently released Map the Meal Gap and SNAP Trend Data, Food Rescue delivery opportunities, future in-person town halls, sourcing non-food items, and a new flyer outlining the ordering window timeline.
If you weren’t able to join, town hall recordings can be found on our website, in the Partner Portal under Partner Resources. Just click Meeting Recordings under the Partner Town Halls header!
As always, if you have any thoughts on what would make future town halls most meaningful for you, please email partnersolutions@foodbankrockies.org.
Food Sourcing Update
Holiday Items Available
Even though they may feel far away now, winter holidays are right around the corner! Many of you do special holiday distributions around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other holidays, and our Sourcing team makes sure to stock items that make the holidays feel special for our neighbors.
Thanksgiving items we will have this year include: corn muffin mix, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, instant mashed potatoes, canned green beans, cream of mushroom soup, canned sweet potatoes. Many of these items will be available soon on Agency Express and can be found by searching “Holiday.” Plan early to make the holidays special for your neighbors!
Turkeys
Due to several large poultry processors no longer processing whole turkeys this year, whole turkey supplies are tight nationwide, and prices are elevated. Due to these constraints, we will have only a limited supply of whole turkeys available this year. In order to best serve our partners and neighbors, we will be stocking turkey breasts to supplement the whole turkeys. Breasts are fully cooked and are 5-7 pounds each, making this a great option for smaller households. Please reach out to Becky Richardson at brichardson@foodbankrockies.org with any questions regarding turkeys or holiday items!
Nutrition Update
Did you know? You can find nutrition information for items on Agency Express in the Nutritional Information column in the shopping list. This section helps partners understand the nutritional content of items and guides which items best support health. Items can be sorted by nutritional information if a certain label is desired. The labels include: Choose Often, Choose Sometimes, Choose Rarely, or Unranked. The goal of these labels is to empower neighbors to make informed dietary choices to support their health and foster nutrition security. Using this stoplight system is part of the Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) program and takes the guesswork out of reading nutrition labels. This column applies to food items only. To learn more about this program and to further bring nutrition education into your pantry, please contact Jennie Kim, Nutrition Manager, at jkim@foodbankrockies.org or (303) 879-0236.
Hunger Relief Partner Highlight
We are very excited to highlight Fresh Foundation, a Norwood-based nonprofit working to strengthen food security across rural San Miguel County and the East End of Montrose County, where residents face limited grocery options and long distances to full-service stores.
Originally founded as a cooperative grocery store, FRESH has evolved alongside the needs of its community. After becoming a nonprofit in 2020, the organization expanded its work connecting regional farmers and food producers with the people who need their food. In 2023, FRESH took on operation of the Norwood Food Pantry and Senior Lunch when other community organizations no longer had the capacity to continue these essential programs.
Today, FRESH operates eight interconnected food access and local food programs, including farmers markets, subsidized and retail CSA shares, WIC and Family Wellness shares, Senior Lunch, Kids Hot Lunch, the Norwood Food Pantry, a kids Totes for Hope
program, and wholesale distribution to schools, nonprofits, restaurants, and retailers.
Food Bank of the Rockies is an essential partner in this work. Each week, the Norwood Food Pantry receives a pallet of fresh produce, helping FRESH provide nutritious food alongside pantry staples. FRESH supplements this food whenever possible with locally purchased eggs, meat, produce, and other products, while farmers donate additional produce during the summer growing season.
This year alone, FRESH has purchased more than $150,000 in food from regional farmers and producers, circulating those dollars back into the local economy while increasing access to nutritious food.
At the heart of FRESH’s work is a simple belief: everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy food, regardless of income. By connecting food assistance with local agriculture, FRESH is building a stronger regional food system—one that nourishes families, supports farmers, and strengthens rural communities.
For more information visit: freshfoodhub.net or contact Stephanie Griebe, Executive Director at freshfoundationdirector@gmail.com
Welcome to the Team!
Please join us in giving a warm welcome to our newest team member, Jon Hatch, a lifelong Grand Junction local!
After spending the last 11 years with FedEx Ground and nearly a decade before that at City Market working in both the Produce and Dairy departments, Jon brings a strong work ethic and years of customer service and operations experience to our team.
When not at work, you’ll likely find him enjoying a good concert, spending time with his two dogs, Cato, a Chihuahua/Dachshund mix, and Hornet, a miniature Dachshund (named after The Green Hornet TV show/movie), or indulging in his favorite foods: BBQ and mac and cheese. In his younger years, Jon even raced stock cars!
One of the biggest reasons that Jon chose Food Bank of the Rockies was the opportunity to move away from overnight work and spend more time with his family. He was also drawn to the positive impact that Food Bank of the Rockies has on the community and the supportive, collaborative culture that he has observed among the team.
We’re excited to have Jon on board and look forward to the experience, perspective, and enthusiasm that he brings!