February 12, 2019

Care and Share recently ramped up food distribution in response to the government shutdown. Individuals who were not accustomed to navigating food insecurity suddenly found themselves experiencing uncertainty about when they would next receive a paycheck. Families who rely on SNAP benefits were being told to stretch those dollars because no one was sure of when additional funding would be available. As the local experts in emergency food response, Care and Share took swift action.

On January 18, Care and Share hosted a Mobile Food Pantry out of the Colorado Springs Distribution Center that served 584 households in three and half hours, distributing 72,768 pounds of food.

The same day, we partnered with the Pueblo Eastside Action Support Team and Lucero Library to conduct an additional Mobile Food Pantry. This site typically serves about 150 households, yet this distribution served 239 households who benefited from 12,807 pounds of food.

Two weeks later in Pueblo, Care and Share conducted another Mobile Food Pantry housed in the Pueblo Distribution Center which served 316 families with 36,920 pounds of food.

While the government shutdown may have ended, the households that experienced hardship during the shutdown are still feeling the effects. Families are continuing to need support to make ends meet while they work to get back to normalcy.

On February 8, Care and Share hosted a Mobile Food Pantry out of the parking lot at Broadmoor World Arena. That distribution reached 374 families and shared 47,000 pounds of food.

At the same time, Loaves and Fishes in Canon City, which is a monthly Mobile Food Pantry site, increased the pounds of food they typically distribute. The distribution reached around 150 families and shared more than 19,000 pounds of food.

Funder support of Care and Share allows us to maintain fluidity for challenging opportunities (like these), natural disasters, and the complex needs of the communities we serve. Beyond our day-to-day operations, we must remain nimble so we can respond when called upon to ensure our neighbors have the food the need to thrive, even in times of turmoil.