Southwest Food Coalition

We strive to create a collaborative space where everyone in the food system can gather together, talk about ways to improve food access, take action to improve food access and food systems, and center community in our work. Our coalition is comprised of residents, community agencies, food organizations, and anyone involved in the food system or who advocates for the food system.

 

We have a Community Advisory Board, are lead by one organization leader and one community leader and have Project Teams. These teams are focusing on centering the community, food access, local sourcing, and benefits. Our ultimate goal is to get every organization we work with to improve their organization practices in all of these areas. We currently run a food hub once a week with Food Bank of the Rockies, who delivers 24 pallets of food to a warehouse in Southwest Denver and we then deliver that food directly to pantries.

 

We purchased a 24 foot box truck, hired a driver and provide bulk pick up and delivery for organizations in our Coalition. In the past 7 months we've provided fresh dairy, meat, and produce to 6 schools, one church and one pantry and are preparing for a coordinated effort to improve food access to children 0-5. We are located in and serve Southwest Metro Denver.

 

Our partnership with FIC has helped since before we started our Coalition, FIC provided us with all the reports and research on food systems in Denver. They helped connect us to all the regional and local food partners and provided education to us on the food systems. FIC has been a member of our Coalition from the beginning and has been a vital partner in the development of our community advisory board and the structure and operations of our Coalition. In addition, FIC has supported us financially, enabling us to compensate our Community Advisory Board Members, pay for translation at meeting, and compensate our driver who provides services for free to our partners.