Our programs
How we nourish our neighbors
The face of hunger in Southern Colorado is different from the cities to the plains, from the mountains to the valleys. Our approach to providing food to our neighbors is as unique as they are.
Our partner agencies
Nourishing our Food Pantries and Meal Sites today—and tomorrow.
We are the experts in sourcing and getting millions of pounds of nutritious food to our distribution centers each year. Distributing it to our network of Partner Agencies—food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, community center, churches, and schools— is the most effective and efficient way to serve our neighbors in need.
Direct service programs
There are areas in Southern Colorado where it isn't easy for people to find food. It could be a community with no food pantry or a limited number of grocery stores nearby. That's when our Direct Service programs come in. Our Sunny Side Markets, Mobile Markets, and Mobile Food Pantries bring good food to neighbors in a simple and dignified way.
Sunny Side Market
Sunny Side Market is a local food pantry owned and operated by Care and Share Food Bank in Colorado Springs. All of the food we provide is free of charge, and served in a warm, dignified, and respectful shopping experience. We have an additional Sunny Side Market operated through By Grace Community Center, in Pueblo.
Mobile Food Pantries
Mobile Food Pantries are like farmers markets on wheels. We fill a semi-truck with food and bring it out to a location to distribute to neighbors who need it. Often times, these are walk-up or drive-thru type of events.
Mobile Markets
The Mobile Market is a Care and Share-sponsored program that brings no-cost groceries to communities experiencing gaps in food access.
The Mobile Market program prioritizes communities that lack nearby grocery stores, that have high transportation barriers, that face economic challenges (poverty, unhoused, unemployment, etc.), that experience health or mobility challenges for residents, and/or that are rural or remote.
Children’s Nutrition Initiative
Who wants kids to go hungry? Not us and not you! Our Children’s Nutrition Initiative (CNI) programs—Send Hunger Packing, School Pantries, and School Snacks—get food to kids and their families so they can learn and grow inside and outside of the classroom. It’s just that simple.
National Food & Nutrition Programs
Through our partnership with national nutrition programs and government food programs, we're able to provide meal boxes for seniors in need and extra food for families living on a low-income, We can help people get enrolled in SNAP, and conduct interactive cooking classes that teach families to shop and cook nutritious meals on a budget.
Commodity Supplemental Food Program
Is a federally funded program that provides extra food for seniors living on a low-income. Monthly food distributions are held at participating sites throughout Southern Colorado, serving thousands of our neighbors in need.
The Emergency Food Assistance Program
Is a federally funded program that provides food for low-income individuals, families, and seniors. Monthly food distributions are held at participating sites throughout Southern Colorado, serving thousands of our neighbors in need.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Is a monthly allocation of dollars for individuals and families who need help getting enough food. Each month, money for food is loaded onto an EBT card, which works like a debit card. You can use this card to buy nutritious food at grocery stores and other food retailers.
Cooking Matters
Eating healthy on a limited budget is a hard thing to do, and many of us don’t know how to do it. Our Cooking Matters program is a six-week course that teaches low-income families how to shop for and create healthy, affordable meals.
A little bit goes a long way
Though you might not think twice about where your next meal comes from, thousands of your neighbors do. No matter how different we may seem, we want the same things for ourselves and our loved ones: to be safe, nourished, and given the opportunity to achieve our potential. When you give, you fill a critical need.
$1
Provides five filling and nutritious meals to families in need.
$100
Provides fresh produce through a mobile food pantry to 50 neighbors in need.
$300
$500
Will help stock 32 families cupboards for a month.
