Creating a more equitable food system for all communities.
About Us
The Denver Community Food Access Coalition is creating an equitable, affordable food system that works for all communities. Made up of nine Denver-metro organizations that focus on emergency food assistance, urban agriculture, long-term policy, public education, community organizing and policy, we collaborate to make sure every Denver area family has the nutritious food they need to be healthy and thrive. Our members include:
Denver Department of Public Health & Environment
Denver's Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) is dedicated to advancing Denver's environmental and public health goals. DDPHE works collaboratively with city, state and community partners to conduct education, community engagement, and enforcement to promote healthy people, healthy pets, and a sustainable environment. DDPHE oversees a number of services related to public health and the environment and is comprised of seven divisions: the Executive Director’s Office; Community Health; Public Health Inspections; Denver Animal Protection; the Office of Medical Examiner; and Environmental Quality. For more information on DDPHE’s programs and services, visit the DDPHE website in the link below.
Denver Food Rescue
Denver Food Rescue works to increase health equity with Denver neighborhoods by rescuing high-quality, fresh produce and perishable foods that would otherwise be thrown away by grocery stores, farmers markets, and produce distributors. With the help of our amazing volunteers, the food we rescue is delivered (often biked!) to Denver neighborhoods for direct distribution at No Cost Grocery Programs (NCGPs). NCGPs are co-created with existing community organizations like schools, recreation centers, and nonprofits that are already established and trusted within the neighborhood, decreasing transportation barriers. Residents of the NCGP community lead the distribution of rescued food, and many also help with food rescue shifts. This participation decreases stigma of traditional food pantries.
Denver Urban Gardens
DUG was established in 1985 to support Denver residents in creating sustainable, food-producing neighborhood community gardens. In the past 35+ years, our network of community gardens has grown to more than 180 gardens across six metro Denver counties, and our reach has extended to offering youth education and community training programs around gardening skills, nutrition, community building and more. We additionally provide access to seeds, seedlings, and educational resources through our Grow a Garden and To Grow Box food access programs by supporting our communities as they grow local, fresh, organic food for themselves and their neighbors.
Join us in our online DUG Network to get connected with other gardeners, educators, students, environmental activists, and community partners! We also invite you to join us for a volunteer workday by exploring our upcoming volunteer opportunities. To learn more about growing in a DUG garden this year, please visit dug.org/gardens.
Hunger Free Colorado (HFC)
Hunger Free Colorado (HFC) is a statewide anti-hunger advocacy organization. HFC connects people to food resources to meet existing needs and drives policy, systems and social change to end hunger. Our vision is for every Coloradan to have equitable access to nutritious food.
From its founding, HFC has had a strong focus on federal food programs (SNAP and child nutrition programs) and with building strong collaborations for systems change through our Colorado Food Pantry Network, coalition building or participation. We prioritize community-led and -informed outreach strategies. We established a statewide Community Council with 11 members who have experience with food insecurity and rely on their expertise to guide our priorities and work. We have also prioritized outreach and partnership with the Latinx and immigrant communities. After more than a decade of service, HFC has developed extensive knowledge about the barriers families face in trying to access food needed to live a healthy and productive life and through local, state and federal advocacy are working hard to identify community-based solutions and advocate for those solutions.
Montbello Organizing Committee
MOC is a community organization whose purpose is to galvanize and cultivate Montbello stakeholders and resident leaders to proactively address the critical issues affecting their quality of life. Foremost among those issues is the need to create a sustainable food access system that will ensure equitable and affordable avenues to food security. Over 2500 residents have worked to create a dream for a healthy and viable community that is coming to fruition through the Montbello FreshLo Initiative (fresh, local, and equitable). Key elements include:
*FreshLo Farm-School Network–The Network is a collaborative impact project among several local schools, churches, and nonprofit organizations working together to reduce food insecurity. More than 10,000 pounds of food is distributed through the network.
*Emergency Food Relief – In March, 2020, MOC with three other community-based partner organizations pivoted to respond to emergency food needs during COVID – providing food for 700 – 900 people each day and distributing 1.3mm pounds of food over the past year. MOC also coordinates a mobile food pantry on the first and third Thursdays of each month serving approximately 1400 people each time.
*Freshlo HUB - MOC is leading a $54mm community-led economic development project that includes a grocery-anchored, cultural hub with ninety-seven units of affordable housing. The grocery store will include a nutrition education center to help residents address the health needs related to poor nutrition and lack of access to healthy foods. For more information or to find out how to be a part of the FreshLo Initiative send an email to montbellofreshlo@gmail.com.
Metro Caring
Metro Caring’s mission is to work with our community to meet people’s immediate need for nutritious food, while also building a movement to address the root causes of hunger. Metro Caring sees our community of more than 75,000 Coloradans as a base from which to build an anti-hunger movement.
Coloradans do not go hungry because of a lack of food. Coloradans go hungry because they don’t have enough money to put food on the table. This means that we need to talk about affordable housing, the racial wealth gap, and fight for an economy where anyone who works hard can provide for themselves and their family.
When we began our work 47 years ago, it was intended as a short-term safety net for people who had fallen on hard times. Today, knowing hunger is a symptom of larger issues, we’ve grown to add programming, including nutrition education, gardens and urban agriculture, economic development, and community organizing and activation to confront the root causes that can lead to or contribute to Coloradans not knowing where their next meal will come from.
As Metro Caring shifts from a traditional charity model to focus instead on structural change, we are acting in solidarity with our diverse community. We recognize our community as our base for a powerful movement for change. Our approach is unique because we don't assume what the community needs. Instead, we take our cues from needs and desires the community itself defines, bringing resources to the table to solve problems hand-in-hand with our participants.
Re:Vision
Re:Vision’s work centers around cultivating thriving, resilient communities. Our Mission is to work with people in economically marginalized neighborhoods to develop resident leaders, cultivate community food systems, and create an economy owned by the community. Going beyond traditional food access solutions such as food banks/pantries and community gardens, Re:Vision works to build new community-led and community owned systems.
Sprout City Farms
Sprout City Farms (SCF) is an urban agriculture nonprofit that builds educational urban farms to engage communities, strengthen neighborhood resiliency, and root farmers in the city. Our farms serve as a platform for education, health, food justice advocacy, ecological stewardship, community wealth building, and neighborhood resiliency. SCF was formed by a group of farmers, researchers, teachers, business leaders, and community members in 2010 to address the growing interest in Metro Denver in creating urban farms that can support large community institutions and whole neighborhoods. An independent nonprofit that could work with diverse stakeholders was needed to develop a sustainable and replicable model for farming underutilized urban land.
The GrowHaus
The mission of The GrowHaus is to cultivate community-driven food justice through education and food access. We offer food distribution programming, educational opportunities on wellness, healthy food, and leadership, and community outreach through a Promotora model.
The GrowHaus was founded in 2009 in north Denver’s Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. We work with residents of Globeville and Elyria-Swansea to overcome systemic barriers to food justice. We are successful when the youth, families, and communities we work with are empowered to feed, nourish and strengthen themselves and each other.
