“While hunger is a solvable issue for our state, a comprehensive and coordinated effort is needed at every level to make the change needed.”
Hi Care and Share friends!
We are excited to share some important news with you. Care and Share Food Bank has joined forces with a collection of Colorado leaders– including hunger and nutrition nonprofits, health care providers, state agencies, local county governments, schools, community-based organizations, and individuals experiencing hunger– to launch an effort aimed at ending hunger across the state.
It’s called the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, which is a multi-year plan to end hunger for all Coloradans. It was developed, with funding from the Colorado Health Foundation, by individuals, and organizations across the state who are working on solutions or experiencing hunger.
Care and Share Food Bank is part of the statewide steering committee, which consists of 35 organizations and individuals that developed the Blueprint. The steering committee received recommendations and input from more than 100 additional organizations.
The steering committee agrees that, while hunger is a solvable issue for our state, a comprehensive and coordinated effort is needed at every level to make the change needed.
We have a unified vision that all Coloradans have access to affordable and healthy food in their communities. It’s supported by five goals:
- Increase public awareness and understanding that solving hunger is vital to the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and the state.
- Increase the number of Coloradans who can access affordable, nutritious food in their communities.
- Increase the number of Coloradans who can access food assistance and nutritious food through community-based organizations.
- Maximize SNAP and WIC enrollment.
- Maximize participating in Federal Child Nutrition programs, moving Colorado to become a national leader in delivery of these vital programs.
Statewide, about one in ten Coloradans struggles with not always having enough money to buy food they need. In Southern Colorado, one in eight neighbors is food insecure, and one in five children does not know where their next meal is coming from.
“Unfortunately, there are thousands of individuals and families who are struggling to put food on their tables. At Care and Share Food Bank, we are working hard to make sure no one goes hungry, and while we are making positive strides in our mission, we know that collaboration is key to ending hunger, not only in Southern Colorado, but our entire state,” said Care and Share Food Bank President and CEO Lynne Telford.
It is well-documented that hunger has profound repercussion on key areas for individuals, such as child development, educational attainment, mental health, and overall health and wellness. Research shows hunger always has a negative affect on our economy- at the local and state level.
For more information of the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, please visit www.endhungerco.org
To download the Blueprint, click here.
