There has never been such a thing as a “normal year” in the world of food banking, but the challenges presented to us recently have been nothing short of extraordinary. Remember when the price of eggs spiked to $5, $6, even $7 a dozen from their usual average of a little over $1? Keep in mind what that did to your grocery bills, then think about the thousands of dozens of eggs Food Bank of the Rockies purchases to provide to our clients. Eggs, produce, milk, protein, grains, canned vegetables: All of these increased in price, causing our monthly food-purchasing costs to soar.

Another huge factor in this budget bump was the increase in need we are seeing. Year over year, the number of people seeking food from our mobile pantries has increased by an average of 50%. Many of our Hunger Relief Partners are seeing a 100-200% increase (or more!) in the number of people seeking food assistance.

To meet this historic need, we have innovated, grown, and adapted. We opened the Western Slope Etkin Family Distribution Center in Grand Junction last winter, tremendously increasing our capacity to serve the Western Slope. We continue to diversify the foods we offer thanks to our Culturally Responsive Team’s efforts. And we are constantly asking our partners about areas in which we can improve, then doing the work to make those improvements.

We marked our 45th anniversary in 2023 — a milestone that is both significant as well as telling. Food insecurity is not a new problem, nor is it a problem that will be resolved anytime soon. But as we continue to adapt to meet the needs of our neighbors and bolster the work being done to address the root causes of hunger, we take steps toward a more equitable future. Thank you for joining us on this journey.