MAY 2013 


Make a gift to help end
hunger in Colorado.


 

 

DID YOU KNOW...?

 

More than 25% of working families go without enough food to meet their basic needs. Read more facts about hunger in Colorado.

 

 

BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION

You can get involved in many ways! Join the Hunger P.O.D. Squad and  engage in the issue and solutions surrounding hunger throughout the year. Complete an online application today.

 

 

OTHER NEWS & EVENTS 

  

Grants Awarded to Make Colorado Hunger-Free 

  

During the first quarter of 2013, we received the following grants:

 

The Colorado Health Foundation
General operations

 

ConAgra Food Foundation
Hunger Through My Lens

 

Schlessman Family Fund
General operations

Safeway Foundation
General operations

 

Thanks to their generous support, we can further our efforts in ensuring that all Coloradans have access to adequate, nutritious food. 

 

 

Welcome New Staff

 

Ruby Gonzalez 
Food Assistance Navigator,
Hunger Free Hotline


In the News

 

Read about how Adams County School District 14 fuels success with breakfast after the bell on 9NEWS.com.

 

Colorado Public Radio re-aired the segment about Colorado's hunger program and A Place at the Table.

 

USDA calls for 5 million more summer meals to be served, as detailed on ThePacker.com.

 

 



Do you or someone you know need help? Our multilingual, statewide resource assists people in locating both public and private food assistance programs in Colorado. All information is kept confidential.   

    


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Introducing Your Neighborhood Food Truck: On the road to connect families to food resources 

  

To help connect families to available food and nutrition resources, Hunger Free Colorado launched a new kind of food truck last week that will visit local neighborhoods throughout the Denver metro area. But this truck won't serve cupcakes, gourmet PB&J sandwiches or street tacos. It's serving up access to computers and personal support to help local residents apply for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as well as offer information on nearby food pantries and other child and senior nutrition programs.    

 

"SNAP is the first line of defense against hunger, a safety-net for those struggling to get by, yet only 51% of eligible Coloradans participate in this vital public health program," said Kathy Underhill, executive director of Hunger Free Colorado. "Your Neighborhood Food Truck is a proactive way to reach families and individuals throughout our community who are experiencing hunger and unaware of local assistance options or unable to access services due to limited transportation or mobility."    

 

Your Neighborhood Food Truck will visit a variety of sites throughout the city and county of Denver, including grocery stores, health clinics, recreation centers and community events in targeted areas. Hunger Free Colorado, in partnership with other agencies and organizations, will provide additional educational, screening and interactive opportunities under the truck's awning.  


Thanks to Share Our Strength and the Denver Office of Economic Development for their funding support, as well as the many partners who assisted in launching this new program.     

 

Learn more about Your Neighborhood Food Truck and how your organization or government agency can partner with the new mobile program. View photos from the May 7 launch event.

 

To find out if Your Neighborhood Food Truck is scheduled to make a stop in your area, view the online calendar or call the Hunger Free Hotline at (855) 855-4626.

 

 



Gov. Hickenlooper signs 'Breakfast After the Bell'


Gov. John Hickenlooper joined elementary students, school officials and other supporters on May 15 to sign the Breakfast After the Bell Nutrition Program. The new law will require more than 360 Colorado schools to offer breakfast after the bell to all students, giving more than 80,000 additional students access to a daily breakfast.

"Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day," said Rep. Dominick Moreno, a lead bill sponsor. "By enacting this legislation, we can ensure that more Colorado kids will have access to a healthy breakfast so they can start the school day ready to learn." 

 

In Colorado, one in five children struggle with hunger and, for some, meals served in school may be the only food they regularly eat. The Breakfast After the Bell Nutrition Program addresses child hunger by requiring schools to serve a nutritious breakfast after the first bell, beginning in school year 2014-15, if 80% or more of the student body is eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. In the 2015-16 school year, schools with 70% or more qualifying students will have to follow suit.  

 

The legislation, sponsored by Reps. Dominick Moreno of Commerce City and Tony Exum of Colorado Springs and Sen. Angela Giron, D-Pueblo, is a cost-effective way to address child hunger in Colorado. Because the federal government will reimburse schools for the cost of the program, Breakfast After the Bell could bring an estimated $22.9 million in additional revenue into the state. The program also allows schools to choose how they serve breakfast -- whether in the classroom, via grab-and-go breakfast carts or through another serving model.

 

Read more about Breakfast After the Bell and view photos from the bill signing ceremony at Rose Hill Elementary in Commerce City.

 

 

 
Hunger Free Colorado is the state's leading anti-hunger organization leveraging the power
of collaboration, system change, policy change and social change to end hunger in Colorado.