Quick Bites:
- Food Bank of the Rockies’ new distribution center triples cold storage capacity, allowing more fresh produce, protein, and rescued food to reach neighbors while reducing wasted donations previously turned away due to limited refrigeration.
- Expanded freezer, refrigerator, dock, kitchen, and volunteer space strengthens the Food Rescue Program, which already provides over half of all food distributed, and deepens partnerships with local farmers, retailers, and manufacturers across Colorado.
- A $2.5 million matching gift from The Broe Family established The Broe Family Cold Food Center, accelerating the capital campaign and expanding long-term hunger-relief impact by ensuring safe, temperature-controlled storage for fresh, nutritious food.
There are a lot of things to be excited about when it comes to our new distribution center. Increased volunteer space means more folks can donate their time and help feed thousands of more people. More dock doors will allow our truck drivers and Hunger Relief Partners to safely and efficiently move more food. A kitchen four-times larger than our old one will allow more from-scratch cooking, culinary training opportunities, and give us space to support our most at-risk neighbors, including individuals experiencing homelessness.
So then, you might ask: Why is increased cold storage space the thing we’re focusing on right now? Because without ample refrigerated and freezer storage, we can’t do what we do best — feed people fresh, nutritious food!
Our new distribution center has triple the amount of cold storage space than our old building, providing much-needed room for us to accept larger quantities of donated and rescued food and desirable items like fresh produce and protein. Did you know that annually we turned away thousands of pounds of donated food because we didn’t have enough cold storage? Last fiscal year, 57% of the more than 85 million pounds of high-quality, nutrient-dense items Food Bank of the Rockies provided to neighbors came from our Food Rescue Program. With our new distribution center, we aim to increase that amount thanks to expanded freezer, refrigerator, and dock space. It’s an exciting opportunity to accept more food from more donors and further enhance our region’s charitable food network. We’ll have everything from locally grown produce like Palisade peaches and Rocky Ford melons to locally raised and processed beef.
“It’s this beautiful ecosystem of everyone working together to capture surplus food and put it to good use,” said Mark Weslar, Food Sourcing Director at the Food Bank. “By collaborating with partners on the manufacturing, retail, and agricultural levels of the food system, we are able to capture food in our community and keep it in our community. We couldn’t feed folks like we do without the Food Rescue Program.”
Helping make both our new building and, specifically, our expanded cold storage a reality is an incredible $2.5 million matching gift from The Broe Family to establish The Broe Family Cold Food Center. The Broe Family recognizes the importance of providing fresh food that families prefer, and the opportunity for Food Bank of the Rockies to amplify relationships with local producers to share fresh food. They are passionate about the impact that the new safe, temperature-controlled storage spaces will have on hunger-relief efforts across Colorado. Generations of Broe family members have supported Food Bank of the Rockies and witnessed the impact that the distribution center has on the region. Recognizing the need for expanded facility capacity and the long-term benefits of greater cold storage, The Broe Family stepped forward to fund the new Cold Food Center.
The Broe Family shared, “For nearly five decades, Food Bank of the Rockies has worked tirelessly to be a critical food source for families in need. Their mission to fight hunger has never been more important. As a Colorado family, we are inspired by the work that the Food Bank does each day. We have seen the incredible impact Food Bank of the Rockies has on our community, and we are proud to help make the new distribution center a reality. We ask our fellow neighbors to join us! We will match every dollar donated to Food Bank of the Rockies’ capital campaign, up to $2.5 million, from now through December 31. Together, we can help Food Bank of the Rockies provide critically needed hunger relief. Please help us feed families in need throughout the Rockies.”
This matching gift opportunity will tremendously help us nourish our community and strengthen Colorado’s charitable food ecosystem for decades to come. We hope The Broe Family’s support will inspire you to share the news and make a gift today to the Fulfilled Campaign! We can’t wait to welcome you to our new home knowing that together, we made this impactful investment in the communities we serve a reality.