Food Services

Access to quality, nutritious food is essential to the survival, growth and wellness of individuals at all stages of life. It is impossible to focus on social and economic growth without being able to rely on having access to food. And while it is a necessary commodity, it’s not always easy to access. This is what we address in offering food banks to our residents.

At our 10 communities, we want to ensure that residents don’t have to worry about having access to good food. By providing the building blocks of secure housing and quality food, it allows our residents to take the next steps towards the essential skills that help them thrive.

Our strategy for addressing hunger in our communities is to make food as accessible as possible to our residents. Many residents might struggle with finding transportation or child care or having good availability once arriving to an off-site food bank. So, we conduct on average 51 food banks per month (roughly 5 per property), all performed on site to eliminate barriers to accessing food.

Food bank is one of the most essential and important services we provide, according to resident feedback. Particularly in 2020, during the pandemic, we saw an increased need to provide food when many residents had reduced work hours or were laid off. The response was to increase the number of food banks hosted weekly and continue to notify each resident of the dates so they could plan accordingly. For those residents that are unable to attend a food bank, we have a food box delivered to them at a time that is convenient.

In the past year we have seen a double in need for food services among our residents. As the need for food services has increased, we have seen a decrease in food supplies at local food banks. In order to adjust, and continue to provide nutritious foods such as fresh fruit, veggies, dairy, grain, and protein, we have sought more partnerships with local providers and funding.

With funds from the Colorado Hunger Relief Fund, we were able to provide continued and enhanced food services by purchasing supplemental supplies from low-cost providers

Additionally, we partner with Care and Share and Food Bank of the Rockies to directly purchase food from their warehouses. By partnering with these providers, we are able to purchase items in bulk and be as cost effective as possible.

We also purchase food from discount grocery stores with a focus of meeting various dietary restrictions and are culturally appropriate.