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.

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Year End MATCH Deadline: 12/31

Now until December 31, every $1 helps provide enough food for SIX meals to our neighbors experiencing hunger.

Year End 2X MATCH Deadline: 12/31

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TODAY ONLY: 5X MATCH

Until midnight, your tax-deductible gift will be 5X matched! That means every $1 helps provide enough food for 15 meals.

Year End 5X MATCH Deadline: 12/31

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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 Match:
Deadline Extended!

Hunger is on the rise across Colorado.

Now through April 30, your donation will be matched to make 2X the impact for our neighbors.

Help address the emergency level of need in our region while your gift makes 2X the impact!

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August 2026 Partner Newsletter

Table of Contents

This Month’s Top Updates

  • We’re hosting virtual Regional Town Halls this month! Click in to learn when your region’s town hall is and the topics we plan to cover.
  • The who, what, when, where, why, and how of the annual required Food Safety & Civil Rights courses, due December 31, 2026.
  • Eligibility requirements, program details, and the newly opened application for the after-school kids meal program (CACFP – Child & Adult Care Food Program)

Important Dates

Closures:

  • Tuesday, September 1, 10:00 a.m.: Hunger Relief Partner Orientation (virtual)
  • Wednesday, September 9, 1:00 p.m.: Hunger Relief Partner Orientation (in-person tour + orientation)
  • Thursday, September 17, 1:00 p.m.: Hunger Relief Partner Orientation (virtual)

Quarterly Regional Town Halls:

  • Tuesday, August 18, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.: Eastern Plains Quarterly Regional Town Hall (virtual)
  • Wednesday, August 19, 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.: Metro Denver Quarterly Regional Town Hall (virtual)
  • Wednesday, August 26, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.: Mountain Quarterly Regional Town Hall (virtual)
  • Wednesday, September 2, 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.: Western Slope Quarterly Regional Town Hall (virtual)

To sign up for orientation or for questions about any of the dates above, contact partnersolutions@foodbankrockies.org. For our full, detailed calendars, please click here.

Feeding Colorado Advocacy/Policy Update

Feeding Colorado is the state association of the five Feeding America food banks serving all of Colorado and Wyoming.

The Metro Mayors Caucus, a collaboration of 38 mayors in the Denver Metro, hosted a volunteer event at Food Bank of the Rockies. They participated in a volunteer activity, toured the new facility, and spoke with staff at Food Bank of the Rockies and Feeding Colorado. Mayors and staff learned about food insecurity across the metro area, the roles of Feeding Colorado, Food Bank of the Rockies, and the Hunger Relief Partner network, and what is happening on the ground.

Congressional Hunger Center Gen Z Hunger Summit

Feeding Colorado Government Relations Manager and Food Bank of the Rockies Director of Food Distribution Strategy Britni Stupin were selected as Ambassadors to attend the 4th annual Gen Z Hunger Summit in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Congressional Hunger Center and Food Systems Collaborative. Gen Z has been particularly afflicted by food insecurity. Purdue University reported in 2024 that 29% experienced food insecurity in the last 30 days and over 36% of Gen Z households had to rely on savings or borrow money to buy food over the past year.

The summit included engaging guest speakers, panels, and a day on Capitol Hill where they both advocated for the passage of the 21st Century WIC Act and Modern WIC Act. This bipartisan and bicameral legislation would update WIC’s physical presence requirements to allow for virtual certifications, recertifications, and electronic benefits. They met with offices including Senator Michael Bennet, Senator John Hickenlooper, and Congressman Jeff Hurd.

A group of people standing together

Program Updates

Community Connections

Food Safety & Civil Rights Annual Compliance Trainings

If your agency hasn’t yet completed the Food Safety & Civil Rights Trainings through NeoGov this calendar year, please complete these 2 trainings by December 31, 2026.

What:

  • There are 2 online courses, “Food Safety Training” and “The Great Divide: Civil Rights Training,” which must be completed annually through the online platform, NeoGov. Each course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete, with a short quiz at the end. Both courses are available in English and Spanish.

Why:

  • These sessions are required to ensure that neighbors receive only safe-to-consume food (Food Safety) and that each food distribution is fair and equitable throughout the network (Civil Rights).

Where:

  • The 2 courses must be completed through the online platform, NeoGov. Please note that NeoGov works best through Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Use of Safari and Firefox is not recommended. Also, please disable your pop-up blocker so you can access the course.

Who:

  • All employees & volunteers who regularly support your food program and/or have regular interactions with neighbors should be trained in Food Safety & Civil Rights. Your agency is responsible for ensuring everyone is trained, which can be accomplished by hosting your own training(s), providing overview document(s), or coordinating with our team to sign up all team members with their own logins to complete the trainings through NeoGov.
    • For non-USDA programs, a minimum of 1 person is required to complete the trainings through NeoGov
    • For USDA programs (TEFAP and/or Everyday Eats/CSFP), a minimum of 2 people are required to complete the trainings through NeoGov

When:

  • Each Hunger Relief Partner must complete both trainings through NeoGov annually. The courses can be completed at any point in the calendar year. As December 31 approaches, we will be in touch to remind you to complete the trainings if you haven’t already done so. If the courses aren’t completed by December 31, your account will be on hold until the courses are completed.
    • In past years, we asked partners to complete the trainings between June and August. Now, the courses instead must be completed at any point in the calendar year.

How:

If you’ve completed NeoGov trainings in the past, log in here using the credentials you previously created. If you can’t remember your credentials, click on “Forgot Your Username or Password?” and follow the steps. If the courses aren’t visible on your Dashboard in NeoGov, click on Course Catalog in the top banner, then click Enroll in “Food Safety Training” and “The Great Divide: Civil Rights Training”. Then, click on My Courses in the top banner, and click Start on the courses.

If you haven’t completed NeoGov trainings before, our Partner Solutions team needs to set up an account for you. Please email partnersolutions@foodbankrockies.org with the name(s) and associated email(s) of new users, and the agency you are with, to request new NeoGov accounts.

For more information on accessing the courses, visit the Partner Training section of the Partner Portal on our website: https://www.foodbankrockies.org/partner-portal/partner-training/

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

Food for Kids Update

Applications for the after-school meal program (CACFP – Child & Adult Care Food Program) are now open! This free program provides meals for children during the school year. Eligibility requirements, program details, and the application can be found here: CACFP Program Application | Food Bank of the Rockies

Email FFK@foodbankrockies.org if you have any questions!

Food Sourcing Update

New Donation Categories on Agency Express

Food Bank of the Rockies has recently received lots of donated non-food product, so please keep your eye out in Agency Express for new donated product opportunities, including:

  • Assorted Non-food – Seasonal: Gaylord may contain holiday decor, wrapping paper, holiday gift bags, easter baskets, seasonal lighting, etc.
  • Assorted Non-food – Clothing: Gaylord may contain adult clothing, shoes, adult diapers, etc.
  • Assorted Non-food – Home Goods: Gaylord may contain kitchen appliances, bedding, garden supplies, tools, storage containers, books, etc.
  • Assorted Non-food – Toys: Gaylord may contain toys, games, water toys, scooters, puzzles, etc.

More Grant-funded, No Cost Food Available on Agency Express through June 2027

We are pleased to report that we have received grant funding from the state of Colorado and USDA to provide more grant-funded Colorado Agriculture items throughout the next fiscal year. We will focus spending on produce, protein, dairy, and eggs.

Please keep an eye out for these items on Agency Express. To find them, search under “free item”.

Agency Express screenshot

Neighbor Resources

Colorado Women, Infants and Children Supplemental Nutrition Program (WIC)

On July 1, 2026, Colorado WIC implemented the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2026-2027 Income Eligibility Guidelines for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). The updated guidelines may allow more families to receive WIC services.

These guidelines determine income eligibility for families applying for WIC services if they do not automatically qualify through enrollment in Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, or FDPIR.

You can review the new guidelines and share with your networks to ensure families in your communities are aware of the expanded eligibility thresholds.

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