Food Connect Colorado

Reducing food waste by sharing reclaimed food with people in need in our local community
Serving people who live in the Aurora Colorado area

33% of Coloradans lack reliable access to nutritious food
SNAP enrollment in Colorado is up 23% over pre-pandemic levels
35% of US households are ineligible for SNAP due to their income or immigration status

About Food Connect Colorado

Who We Are

We are a new 501(c)3 food pantry and a partner agency of Food Bank of the Rockies, Denver. We hold a free food market every Thursday from      10 am-5 pm. No income requirements, must be a resident of the Aurora/Montbello Area. Every week, with the help of our valued volunteers, we stock our market with fresh produce, dairy, dry groceries, and bread and distribute it to people in our community.

Our Mission

The mission of Food Connect Colorado is “Reducing Food Waste by Sharing Reclaimed Food With People in Need in Our Local Community”. Your generous donations help us achieve our goals and fulfill our mission.

Thank you so much for supporting our mission to give help to people who are facing food insecurity!!

Free food market in Aurora bridges gap between food waste and hunger

AURORA, Colo. — More Coloradans are in need of food than ever before. Food Bank of the Rockies said during 2020, the need for food in its service areas increased by upwards of 50 percent, and some months it climbed as high as 80 percent. Food Connect Colorado is working to bring those numbers down in this one area of the state.

“Aurora is very underserved with free food resources,” said Elizabeth Watts, president of Food Connect Colorado.

Every Thursday and the second Saturday of the month, the nonprofit associated with Food Bank of the Rockies opens its doors to a free food market. It acts just like a grocery store where people can come and choose the food and other items they need.

“That’s what we strive for to have like a normal experience here that people can come in and pick whatever they want,” said Watts. “You don’t pay for anything. Everything is free.”

Watch the entire story on Rocky Mountain PBS

ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
Bernadette Johnson
Bernadette Johnson picks out food at Food Connect Colorado's free market.

Food Connect Colorado distributes food directly to people in need. No income requirements, must be a resident of the Aurora/Montbello Area.

Your generous donation will enable us to provide food to families each week

Click on the button below to go to our SignUp site and sign up for a shift.

Donate

Expanding Our Capabilities to Help More

We recently moved to a location where we can provide a client choice free food market. Every week we are able to offer fresh produce, dairy, dry groceries, and bread. Shoppers make an appointment and then come shop the market for the items they want.

As the need for free food markets increases, we must have the ability to store more food at our warehouse. Our current goal is to purchase: 2-3 commercial coolers, 2 large freezers and more sturdy shelving units.

The mission of Food Connect Colorado is “Reducing Food Waste by Sharing Reclaimed Food With People in Need in Our Local Community”. Your generous donation will help us achieve our goals and fulfill our mission.

In the first five months of operation, we served 10,012 individuals, 2,380 households.

44% of the individuals we serve are under 18.

Volunteer

Help Us Help Others

Volunteers are the backbone of our operation at Food Connect Colorado. We need many helping hands to fulfill our mission of “Reducing food waste by sharing reclaimed food with people in need in our local community”. If you want to do something that will make a real difference in people’s lives, become a part of our volunteer team!

To sign up now, use the button below. There you will find details about our volunteer opportunities and available shifts. For questions or additional information, please contact us.

Partners

We would like to thank our great partners