Jorge, his younger brother, and his mom, stop by the Summer Mobile Food Pantry held at the Deerfield Hills Community Center every couple weeks.

Unfortunately, a year ago, a court case separated her sister's family, resulting in the addition of two more children to Lori's household. With three kids of her own, two of which still live at home, she now has four young mouths to feed.

Zodok is a student at Atlas Prep High School. He and his family have had struggles, like many others, but Zodok doesn't like to look at his past as a sob story because it isn't. Zodok says, growing up, it was tough for his parents to feed a pack of hungry kids every day, three times a day, not including snacks.

Since 2000, Delton has suffered from numerous health complications. In order to remain healthy, he needs the right food, which is oftentimes more expensive. Delton understands that what you eat affects your body and “your whole total being.”

Linda can’t afford much beyond the bare minimum that her monthly income allows, which makes it difficult for her to purchase the fresh fruits and vegetables necessary for a healthy diet. Nutrient-rich food is especially important for Linda because she has diabetes. To help supplement her monthly grocery budget, Linda visits Fishes and Loaves Food Pantry.

Last summer, Jorja and her husband opened their hearts to five foster care children. They welcomed these children into their home to give them an opportunity to reach their full potential. With her growing family, Jorja also had a growing food budget.

She describes our children's programs as necessary, wonderful, and effective.

Dick has also volunteered at several local food pantries that receive food from Care and Share. He now understands just how many people are struggling with hunger right here in Southern Colorado.

“You’re helping the community out, and you’re helping families, and it’s a great place to volunteer.”

Lucky and his wife Shelly began their time at Care and Share when Shelly worked for Colorado Springs Utilities and led a group in volunteering. Lucky and Shelly retired soon after and realized that they wanted to find a place to regularly volunteer. They checked into Care and Share nearly seven years ago, and have since been a consistent and important part of this organization.

“You all have passion at Care and Share, and that brings out my passion.”

“We give back as an appreciation to our customers. We believe businesses have a duty to give back to the communities they serve,” said Art Stawsi, President of Loaf ’N Jug and Quik Stop. “With our focus being on programs benefiting children and families, Care and Share became an ideal organization to partner with. I would encourage other businesses like ours who also believe in helping families fight hunger in their neighborhoods to contact Care and Share…it could be their perfect fit, too.”

There are some businesses in our community that go above and beyond their scope of services to make a positive difference in the world. They understand the powerful work that can take place when the corporate and nonprofit sectors unite for a common cause. We are honored to highlight Security Service Federal Credit Union as a change maker.

Chef Jay Gust lets his passion for food shine through in all that he does. He says that cooking is an expression of his soul, and he is constantly thinking of ways to create unique food combinations that will result in culinary masterpieces.

Care and Share’s mission is close to Jamey’s heart. His degree is in Sports Management, so he knows that “you are not healthy if your mind and body don’t work.”

Mary remembers them loading up their backpacks with food donations before school and hauling them into their classes. Mary and Jeff tell their kids, “The meal we have may not be your favorite, but you have choices. Some kids don’t have choices.”

“We had people bring in recipes and made them into a cookbook. We gave people tote bags and the books so people would have a guide on how to use the food from the pantry. It makes you feel good knowing you’ve helped somebody.”

Dove Creek, Colorado is located in the Southwest corner of our state. It is a small, rural community with a population of less than 800. Nearly 23% of its residents are living below the poverty level.

The gardens at Care and Share play a vital role in providing nutrition for those in need. As of today, we have harvested 900 pounds of healthy food from our three gardens and greenhouse, including pumpkins, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, and beets

Gunnison Country Food Pantry is proud to count the good people at Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado among the best of our friends.

High Plains Helping Hands had an idea to provide weekly education classes that would empower their patrons by teaching them certain life skills, including healthy cooking and gardening. Along with the idea, they also envisioned a garden.