September was Hunger Action Month!

Our Community Foundation is pleased to announce that our Complete the Fleet! community fundraising campaign to purchase two new food trucks for the Lunch Lizard mobile meals program is now complete. In total, we have raised $275,000 for the specially designed vehicles. The first new truck was introduced to the community in early June and worked its main route this summer. A check to purchase the second truck was presented to Dan Sharp and his D51 Food and Nutrition Services team in mid August.

Several major donors stepped up to fund the fleet. Smaller but important contributions came in from many different people wanting to help. 85 children attending First Presbyterian Church’s Vacation Bible School this summer enjoyed the Food Truck Party theme for the camp. In addition to regular story and craft activities, they learned about the Lunch Lizard food truck and Kids Aid backpack program, and raised $1,200 to donate to the new food truck!

Summer 2022 was the eighth summer of the Lunch Lizard program. Over 19,000 meals were served to children over an 8-week period, ensuring that they returned to school for the new school year ready to learn. Approximately 50% of District 51 students are eligible for free and reduced-price meals at school, and many do not have access to meals in the summer months when schools are closed. 

Jackie Feaster is the heart behind Clifton Christian Church Food Bank and she uses that heart to make people feel “empowered, loved and respected”. The week of September 5^th, a number of reporters and production folks for Colorado Public Radio were in Grand Junction to tape feature stories for Colorado Matters. Ryan Werner, host of the program, spent time talking with Jackie about their growing food bank. Last year, the food bank served over 39,000 duplicated individuals and over 12,000 households and are on track to exceed those numbers this year. Listen to the radio story here.

Students at R-5 High School have established a garden and aquaponics system on their school campus to grow lettuce, eggplant, chilis, cucumbers, basil and many other vegetables. Cultivating crops not only provides hands-on learning about where food comes from, but also many skills and much patience. The garden is run by students, with harvested foods provided to local restaurants, along with District 51’s Food and Nutrition Services. To learn more about the aquaponic program, visit this link. Many foods on students’ plates within District 51 are sourced within Colorado.

Colorado Health Foundation

Provides New Grant to the

Mesa County Hunger Alliance

The Mesa County Hunger Alliance consists of various organizations working to address hunger in community. The Alliance convenes quarterly to share information and collaborate to achieve shared goals, including working towards goals within the Mesa County Blueprint to End Hunger. WCCF is pleased to announce that the Colorado Health Foundation has awarded a two-year grant to support increased food access and engagement of underserved communities in Mesa County. This grant will largely benefit Child and Migrant Services, Community Food Bank and other hunger relief organizations within the Hunger Alliance.

This is the third grant the Colorado Health Foundation has provided to our Community Foundation to support our hunger work, and the biggest grant to date!

Community Food Bank Establishes Endowment Fund

The board of Community Food Bank recently established an agency endowment fund at our Community Foundation to provide donors an option to support this organization with legacy gifts.  Endowments provide a permanent funding source and help diversify a nonprofit organization's revenue streams, leading to long-term sustainability. 

Healthy School Meals for All

On November 8, Colorado voters will weigh in on free meals for all students during the school year. In fall 2020, Universal Free Meals went into effect, providing free meals to all students regardless of income, helping to relieve financial stress and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. Universal Free Meals had bipartisan support and was approved again in 2021. The program ended in summer 2022, but there is a push statewide to bring the program back for the 2023/24 school year, through Healthy School Meals for All.

Dan Sharp, Director of FNS, noted that District 51 saw a 40% increase in the number of students getting meals during Universal Free Meals, going from serving about 9,000 meals a day to nearly 14,000. Offering free meals reduced the stigma associated with getting lunch and also provided a means to introduce students to new foods through the lunch line. To learn more about the impact universal free meals has had within Mesa County, see this Daily Sentinel article.