Dear Hunger Relief Partners,
Nourishing our communities is more important than ever. In the face of increasing food costs and changes at the federal level, the ability for our neighbors to access nutritious foods has only become more difficult. When living with food insecurity, the risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease increases because less nutritious foods, like processed snacks, are more affordable and do not need to be prepared. Did you know over 50% of households who visit food pantries have a member with high blood pressure, and 33% have a member with type 2 diabetes?
Supporting Wellness at Pantries (SWAP) is a no-cost nutrition program launched with partners one year ago, in February 2025. It is a way to educate our communities about the nutritional content of pantry foods to better inform food choices. Saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars correlate with chronic disease risk. SWAP incorporates national dietary research related to these nutrients to create a color-coded food ranking system. Foods can be ranked green (choose often to maintain/improve health), yellow (choose sometimes), or red (choose rarely as treats) based on levels of saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars. The stoplight analogy educates communities on a well-balanced diet.
Food Bank of the Rockies uses these guidelines to purchase and accept food donations. The rankings are in Agency Express. Partners who join the SWAP program receive technical assistance to implement the program and a kit with posters, a ranking guide, and shelf tags to educate neighbors. SWAP has the potential to transform our food landscape by encouraging the donation and distribution of green and yellow foods, thus making more of these foods available to neighbors.
SWAP pantries further support the health of our neighbors by promoting access to nutrient-dense foods for patients in the Food for Health program. This is a 12-month program that provides medically tailored groceries and nutrition education to neighbors who experience food insecurity and a nutritionally managed chronic illness, referred by partnered healthcare providers. SWAP pantries help fill the nutritional needs of these patients beyond the program. Food is a basic need, and SWAP promotes building toward a future where everyone can access the food they need to thrive.
Thank you for all you do in nourishing people facing hunger.
If you are interested in bringing SWAP to your pantry, please reach out to jkim@foodbankrockies.org or (303) 879-0236.
Warm regards,
Jennie Kim, MPH, RDN
Nutrition Manager
Important Dates
Closures:
- Friday, February 27 – Food Bank of the Rockies is open until 11:00 a.m. for order pick-ups and Fresh Food Center because of the month-end closure
- Tuesday, March 31 – Food Bank of the Rockies is open until 11:00 a.m. for order pick-ups and Fresh Food Center because of the month-end closure
Hunger Relief Partner Orientations:
- Tuesday, March 3, 10:00 a.m. – Hunger Relief Partner Orientation (virtual)
- Wednesday, March 11, 1:00 p.m. – Hunger Relief Partner Orientation (in-person tour + orientation)
- Thursday, March 19, 1:00 p.m. – Hunger Relief Partner Orientation (virtual)
Regional Town Halls:
- Tuesday, February 17, 12:00 p.m. – Eastern Plains Quarterly Regional Town Hall (Join the meeting now)
- Tuesday, February 24, 11:00 a.m. – Metro Denver Quarterly Regional Town Hall (Join the meeting now)
- Wednesday, February 25, 12:00 p.m. – Western Slope Quarterly Town Hall (Join the meeting now)
- Wednesday, March 4, 12:00 p.m. – Mountain Quarterly Regional Town Hall (Join the meeting now)
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.
- Last month, USDA announced $80 million in Section 32 food purchases to be distributed through TEFAP and other nutrition programs. The purchases will include almonds ($20 million), grape juice ($20 million), pistachios ($20 million), and raisins ($20 million).
- The Colorado State Legislature is now in session. Key focus areas for this session will include navigating a significant state budget shortfall and addressing cost-of-living concerns. We will be working with state legislators to emphasize the importance of the Community Food Assistance Provider Grant, which allows our network to purchase food. We received $1.2 million from this grant last year.
Grant Opportunities
The Clif Family Foundation has an open call for grant applications due March 1 (there is a second cycle with a due date of August 1). Their priorities include regenerative and organic farming, food production workers’ health and safety, healthy food access, and climate justice, among others. Please review their eligibility criteria carefully.
Program Updates
Community Connections
Vivery
Have you heard of our new Find Food Map, through Vivery? If so, have you claimed your link and built out your profile? We are asking that all public-facing Hunger Relief Partners claim their profiles. So far, 49% have claimed their page.
This tool supports neighbors seeking food assistance to find options near them. When every Hunger Relief Partner claims and maintains their profile, neighbors can more easily navigate the hunger relief network, finding food and resources when and where they need them. By updating your profile, you’re not only sharing information about your own services, but you’re also strengthening the network as a whole, helping ensure neighbors are served in the most connected and effective manner. Also, completed profiles will help ensure we can respond better to future emergencies, like the SNAP disruption we experienced at the end of 2025. Hunger Relief Partners can fully operate your own listings, which allows you to make updates regularly to share accurate information about your organization, including hours, programs, and more. Another benefit is integrating your map listing with your own website, creating a page about your food pantry that can be embedded in your organization’s website. Ask us how!
This January, over 20,400 Find Food Map searches took place by neighbors seeking food assistance. We continue to see a high need for food assistance services across our service area.
There is now a dedicated page on our Partner Portal for you to find information about claiming your Vivery profile and adding your program information to the map so neighbors can locate food assistance near them. If you have any questions or need your claim link shared with you, please contact our Partner Solutions team at Partnersolutions@foodbankrockies.org
Furniture & Equipment Raffle
As part of our move to our new facility, we found ourselves with a surplus of quality furniture and equipment and wanted to offer them to our partner network. Instead of storing or retiring them, we raffled them off to help strengthen partner operations across our network.
Raffled items included five stand-up forklifts, two sit-down forklifts, three Frigidaire refrigerators, three conference tables (including one with six chairs), eight plastic folding tables, two lateral filing cabinets, a storage cabinet, and two microwaves (Black & Decker and Magic Chef).
We’re grateful for the opportunity to extend the life of these assets while helping strengthen our partners’ warehouse, office, and program spaces. Congratulations to all the raffle recipients and thank you for the incredible work you do every day in our community!
Government Programs
Looking for extra support in managing your TEFAP program? CDHS provides on-demand video trainings covering a variety of topics, including TEFAP management evaluations and nondiscrimination statement requirements. Visit https://cdhs.colorado.gov/TEFAP and open the General Resources dropdown to get started.
Food for Kids Update
The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) application will be coming soon! Please keep an eye out for that towards the end of March. SFSP provides free breakfast, lunch, or supper for eligible children between the ages of 5 to 18. Email FFK@foodbankrockies.org if you have any questions.
Culturally Responsive Food Initiative Update
2026 Language Justice Training & Grant Opportunity – Application Form (apply by Feb 20th)
Join us for a two-day virtual Language Justice Training facilitated by the Community Language Cooperative. This interactive workshop will explore how to build linguistically inclusive, culturally respectful environments for neighbors who speak languages other than English. Participants will learn practical strategies for interpretation, translation, and inclusive communication to strengthen dignity-forward pantry operations.
Training dates:
- Wednesday, March 4, 2026 | 10:00–12:00 PM (MT)
- Thursday, March 5, 2026 | 10:00–12:00 PM (MT)
As part of this opportunity, each participating Hunger Relief Partner will be offered a Pocketalk handheld translation device and may apply for a grant of up to $1,000 to support the implementation of Language Justice practices within their programs.
Food Sourcing Update
More Produce Through End of June
We are excited to announce that we will be increasing our No Fee produce from 4 loads per week to 6 loads per week through the end of the fiscal year (June 30)! This means more no-cost produce available to you and our entire partner network. This produce is available to all to order on Agency Express. The incremental loads per week also mean a wider variety of fresh produce each week for partners and neighbors.
New Items Update
The Sourcing team has been working to bring in many new protein items based on partner feedback and requests and neighbor insights. Several examples include: many new varieties of frozen protein (pork chops, ground turkey, ground pork, fish fillets, multiple cuts of chicken); more ready-to-eat protein options (tuna pouches, luncheon loaf, chicken pouches); and whole grain single-serve snacks (dried roasted chickpeas, sandwich crackers, graham crackers, fava bean crisps). Make sure you browse our full inventory or search the “New Items” Feature Type in Agency Express to find these new items!
