November 12, 2024
Like many of you, we’re reckoning with the recent election results – and reflecting on what this outcome may mean for our democracy, our communities, and our collective work, as well as those on our team and in our network.
Thank you to CommonSpirit Health and the Lloyd H. Dean Institute for recently honoring us with their Human Kindness and Health Justice Award! We were deeply honored to accept this accolade on behalf of our statewide network of partners who focus on food and health justice through the lens of equity, kindness, compassion, empathy, and trust.
February 22, 2024
The Colorado Health Insitute recently released its 2023 Colorado Health Access Survey. With input from nearly 10,000 Colorado households, the data reveals substantial changes in health, health access, and social stressors stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s response to it. This includes food insecurity, along with disparities by race, ethnicity, gender, and more.
December 15, 2023
As 2023 comes to an end, let’s take a moment to reflect on and celebrate our collective accomplishments this past year. By working together, there’s evidence that we’re all truly transforming Colorado’s food systems through community engagement and investments, policy and advocacy, data and evaluation, and increased public awareness and political will. See a snapshot of what we have collectively accomplished in the last 12 months.
December 13, 2023
What progress have we made together? Find out in our new multi-year impact report! Covering the first four years of the Blueprint’s efforts, this report provides a comprehensive overview of our collaborative journey thus far. It showcases the collective progress we have made in achieving our five big goals and recognizes the dedicated individuals and organizations who have made it all possible.
November 30, 2023
What else did we learn from our network during the input phase of the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger’s yearlong transformation journey? Watch a video message from Dolores Ramírez, our Executive Director of Vision, to find out more about the key findings and opportunities, which will be instrumental as we begin developing the Blueprint’s new framework. You also can read the full report from our strategic planning partner, Point B(e) Strategies.
November 30, 2023
The Blueprint invests in local communities to increase healthy food access for everyone living in our state. We provide accessible funding opportunities and distribute grants to support community-based organizations, particularly those traditionally overlooked for funding, who are leading day-to-day work in their local areas and neighborhoods.
We recently contracted with Alarus Development International to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Food Pantry Assistance Grant program’s 2022 – 2023 funding cycle, which distributed $2,351,000 to 142 grantees serving diverse communities across Colorado. Find out more about the most notable findings from their report.
November 1, 2023
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its Household Food Security in the United States in 2022 report last week. While most U.S. households have consistent, dependable access to enough food for healthy living, about 1 in 8 households across America struggled with hunger last year. National rates were higher for those who live in rural areas, as well as for those who identify as Black or Latine. In Colorado, the report showed that hunger is decreasing, but nearly 1 in 11 households (8.9%) still report not having reliable access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious foods.
October 19, 2023
We recently wrapped up the second phase of the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger’s yearlong transformation and strategic planning process, where we gathered input from our community of network partners. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts about the Blueprint and how it can evolve to better serve our Colorado communities!
Now, we’re delving into all of the information with our strategic planning partners at Point b(e) Strategies to better understand what you, our community, collectively think the Blueprint should focus on as we look to the future. So far, the early findings are centered around five areas – much of which already align with the Blueprint’s vision of a Colorado where everyone who lives here can access the food they choose, where they want it, and when they need it.
August 10, 2023
Plenty of data shows that produce incentive programs increase fruit and vegetable consumption, but do they create economic mobility and liberation for program participants? Join us for a virtual presentation on Tuesday, August 22 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. to learn more about recent research that centers community voices in evaluating such programs across Colorado. The 14-month evaluation examined how these Colorado programs affect choice and agency, economic freedom, and well-being of families and individuals who participate – and identified several insights and recommendations from the community participants.
