Hi! I’m Grace (they/she) and I am the Community Capacity and Education Manager at Provecho Collective, formerly Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger.
Admittedly, when first asked to write a blog post about myself and how I found my way to Provecho, I felt hesitant because I could have approached this multiple ways. I could have shared my lived experience as a former SNAP recipient, food lover, and failed gardener. I could have said “this has always been my calling”. But some of this wouldn’t be accurate or genuinely reflect why I am here.
The truth is that the team at Provecho Collective took a chance on me during a struggling economy and tough job market. This feels vulnerable and raw to share; not because I lack passion or care, but because my knowledge and expertise are forever expanding no matter where I find myself. I reject any myth that knowing is static or final. My ego doesn’t need that. Perhaps sharing this also reflects the reality of so many of us existing under capitalism, where opportunities to grow as messy, incomplete humans don’t come often enough.
So, how did I find myself here?
True – When I started at Provecho in October of 2024, I had no background in food justice.
False – I am an expert in Colorado food systems and am the perfect person for this job.
True – My breadth of experience as a community member, relationship builder, and systems-level thinker allows me to bring a unique and powerful perspective to this team and this work.
I grew up in Southwest Colorado, left the state for numerous years, and after completing my Masters of Social Work degree at Colorado State University in the spring of 2024, I found myself at Provecho Collective working under the lens of grassroots capacity building for organizations across Colorado working towards food justice. Returning to the place I grew up to support statewide efforts has been connective and meaningful, ultimately helping me return to and better understand the land I currently occupy (unceded land of the Arapahoe, Cheyenne, and Ute peoples).
For over a decade, I’ve worked at the intersection of varying issue areas and communities, bridging gaps between micro-level work with local communities and macro-level policy work with leaders and decisionmakers. I hold the belief that systems change is necessary to ensure long-term impactful solutions. What I bring to my role at this organization mirrors organizational practice and community impact, as well as a relational, equity-rooted approach to capacity building.
Capacity building is nuanced and can be defined in varying ways. From a sustainability perspective, capacity building requires slow and intentional efforts that respond to community needs with curiosity, confidence, and patience. Building trusting relationships takes time and a level of care that can often feel impossible under systems built on a sense of urgency. In our work at Provecho Collective, we help strengthen capacity by deepening existing relationships, building new ones, and expanding upon and developing peer and community-led education initiatives. We support 1:1 organization project efforts, develop resources, and strive for internal alignment and accountability to communities that we work with and are a part of.
I care about the work of this organization, my team, and folks doing this work and living proof of inequitable systems across the state. While at this organization, I am committed to advancing food justice for anyone and everyone who still doesn’t have a choice of what we eat, where we want it, and when we need it.
If you’re also subject to the weight of capitalism, check out our network job board and find food here. Do you want to read more about our collective sense of urgency and how to challenge it? Read more about Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture here.
