Community Table - "Table Talk" - 2022 Summer Newsletter

TABLE TALK cotable.org

Summer 2022

From our CEO Dear Friends, If I have learned anything over the last few years, it is that recovery takes time, and we can accomplish great things when we work together. Your support carried us through the pandemic and continues to be the link that allows us to meet the changing needs of our community.

Your continued resilience and commitment to our community inspire us. Community Table has always been and will always be a place where neighbors help neighbors. As we continue to serve hundreds more families each month than before the pandemic, we’re also working hard to make sure Community Table is prepared no matter what happens next.

To ensure we are ready to help, no matter the circumstances, we are improving and updating our programs and procedures.

In this newsletter, we’ve highlighted a few examples of how we are supporting our most vulnerable community members, helping them recover and prosper, including: l

Making it easier for families to get the food assistance they need by becoming part of the Link2Feed network.

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Reaching out to underserved communities to ensure they have the food and resources they need.

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Helping people learn to cook healthy meals on a budget.

Thank you for being part of our efforts to help our neighbors recover and prosper. Your compassion reminds us that kindness is alive and well in our community, and we are endlessly grateful for your support.

With gratitude,

Sandy Martin Chief Executive Officer

Great place and wonderful people! Thank the Lord and the beautiful people that keep our families healthy and never hungry! The Community Table is a blessing!

— Vincent

Making Better Connections with Families, Food and Resources We’re partnering with Food Bank of the Rockies and joining other hunger-relief organizations in Colorado that use Link2Feed to help families get the food and resources they need quicker, easier and with fewer forms and paperwork.

Link2Feed is a client service insights software program designed to meet the needs of hunger relief organizations. The online program tracks client visits, generates real-time data reports, and increases understanding of food insecurity in our community.

Link2Feed is web-based and requires no special equipment or software downloads. It works with any device that has access to the internet, including computers, tablets, and smartphones. Families can now create online accounts with their household information and needs in the privacy of their home or using tablets we supply while waiting in line.

Link2Feed is safer than storing information on paper and has high-security standards similar to what banks use. All information is kept private, and we never share it with the government or any outside party.

Community Table and other Link2Feed pantries without completing more paperwork. Link2Feed offers convenient online registration and information and materials in English, Russian, Vietnamese, Spanish and French. It’s a fully mobile solution with features like multi-language support and an appointment booking tool that make it easy to use for the families we help.

By sharing basic information about their households, clients help make the Link2Feed network more robust and connected. The aggregate data will help us better understand hunger in our community and develop much-needed programs and services. For instance, Link2Feed’s heatmapping technology will help us identify underserved areas that could benefit from our mobile pantry program.

In April, we transitioned to Link2Feed from a database we had used for more than a decade that was costly to maintain and upgrade. Food Bank of the Rockies provides Link2Feed to its partner organizations free of charge, including training and support—making Link2Feed a cost-effective solution in addition to its streamlined intake and enrollment process and robust data reporting capabilities.

One of Link2Feed’s most exciting features is barcoded pantry cards that allow families to access food and resources at

Mobile Food Pantries Make a Difference Traditional food pantries have long been relied upon to serve those in need, but due to ever-increasing need, hunger-relief agencies are adopting more innovative food distribution tools such as pantries on wheels.

Mobile pantries deliver healthy food to the communities that need it most, and they eliminate the stigma that often prevents foodinsecure people from accessing traditional food pantries. For Community Table, mobile pantries help us reach underserved areas, many of which are in food deserts.

People living in food deserts have limited or nonexistent nutritious food options available. This often means there are no grocery stores or markets with fresh foods nearby. With limited means of transportation, many people living in food deserts wind up relying on unhealthy food from convenience stores and fast-food restaurants.

Food insecurity exists in every area of America. Nearly 600,000 people in Colorado are food insecure. They could benefit from food assistance, but there is an underlying stigma associated with using food stamps and getting help from hunger-relief organizations. Many mobile pantries aim to remove this stigma by following a “no questions asked” philosophy, in which anyone who needs food assistance is welcome.

The presence of a mobile food pantry can change how an entire community can eat. Pantries on wheels provide fast and flexible delivery of rescued food and grocery products, including meat, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, shelf-stable items and baked goods. Some may also have personal care items like shampoo, laundry detergent or toothpaste. When a truckload of healthy food is delivered regularly to communities in need,

residents are able to make more nutritious food choices. Since mobile pantries focus on specific communities, they can also provide culturally responsive food. For example, at Elevado Estates Mobile Home Park, we provide desired items such as limes, mangos, jalapenos, refried beans, masa and tortillas.

We worked hard to get food to families in need throughout the pandemic. We expanded our Mobile Pantry program to bring food to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. We know that not all people in need feel comfortable visiting us for food and that there are many communities where mobility and transportation are an issue.

Watch for our mobile pantries popping up all over the northern metro Denver area. Communities include seniors and disabled adults at low-income housing complexes, homeless students at community college campuses, families living in “weekly” motels along the I-70 corridor, seasonal farmworkers at mobile home parks and low-income and underserved communities in Wheat Ridge and Westminster.

In 2021, our mobile pantry distributed nearly 50,000 pounds of food to 1,561 families!

Cooking Demos and Classes

August is National Make-A-Will Month

We’ve teamed up with Cooking Matters—the experts on cooking healthy meals on a budget!

This summer, we’ll have chefs from Cooking Matters onsite to show the families we help how to prepare delicious and healthy meals using food from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). TEFAP is a federal program that provides nutrition assistance to very low-income families.

We partner with the USDA and Food Bank of the Rockies to offer the program locally.

Since the selection of TEFAP food varies monthly and sometimes includes unfamiliar items, we want to show families how to make nutritious and budget-friendly meals using items available from our Client Choice Pantry such as split peas, canned pork, baking mix and dried cherries.

In addition to conducting cooking demonstrations, Cooking Matters provides hands-on cooking classes, online programming, digital resources and more. We’re making their recipes cards and other materials available in our lobby and pantry. When families sign up for a Cooking Matters class, they’ll receive a $10 gift card to purchase the ingredients.

To learn more about Cooking Matters and all they do to help families maximize their food resources and learn to cook healthy meals on a budget, visit cookingmatters.org.

They’re not just for the wealthy. Everyone needs a will.

An up-to-date will gives you peace of mind that your wishes are followed, and the people you care about will be looked after you’re gone. It can also give you the ability to change the world or, at the very least, your little corner of it by leaving a gift in your will to the causes you care about most.

That’s right. You can include your favorite nonprofits in your will, leaving a legacy after you have passed on. And, if you ask the charity you care about most, I’ll bet you’ll learn that your charitable bequest can make a huge impact, no matter how big or small.

It’s easier than ever to get your estate plans on track using free online tools. Make a will today for the people and causes you love.

At Community Table, we can provide three wholesome and satisfying meals for every dollar we receive!

Postal Food Drive Returns!

Thanks to the National Association of Letter Carriers and their annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, our warehouse is now jam-packed with enough food to feed families during the summer months when donations are typically low, and families need more food to help feed children who are not receiving free meals at school.

This all-important one-day food drive on May 14 brought in 60,794 pounds of food.

Many thanks as well to the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of generous donors who helped make the postal food drive such a success!

Mark your Calendar Father’s Day Classic Help Race Away Hunger!

June 20, 2022

Community Table is the charity partner for 3W Races’ annual Father’s Day Classic that includes a car show after the race. The event is open to walkers, joggers and runners and helps support us with a food drive and monetary donations. When you bring five items to donate, you’ll be entered into a raffle for gift cards and gear. To register, visit 3wraces.com

ACFB Charity Golf Classic and Gala 40 Years of Food, Help and Hope Gala Saturday, August 13, 2022

Arvada Center Delicious Food-Friends-Fun-Silent Auction

8th Annual ACFB Charity Golf Classic Monday, August 15, 2022

Fox Hollow Golf Course, Lakewood Tee Off Against Hunger and Become a Sponsor Today!

100% of the proceeds from the golf classic and gala help feed the hungry and provide emergency assistance and self-sufficiency programs for families in need. For more information and to register, please visit cotable.org or contact Leanne at 720-437-6394 or lcadman@cotable.org

The Five Cupcakes Feeding the Future Rheinlander Bakery September 2022

Throughout September, every time you buy one of the featured cupcakes—Mimosa, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Pumpkin Spice, S’Mores and Oreo Crush—Rheinlander Bakery in Olde Town Arvada will donate $1 to our Feeding the Future program! Rheinlander Bakery will also be collecting donations to help feed hungry school kids. When you donate $5 or more, you’ll receive an orange Feeding the Future wristband.

September is Hunger Action Month Volunteer • Advocate • Fundraise • Donate Go ORANGE for Hunger Action Month by volunteering, advocating, fundraising and donating to help eliminate hunger in our community. Hundreds of thousands of Coloradans are facing hunger—many for the first time due to the pandemic. This Hunger Action Month, join us is in taking action. Together, we can achieve a hunger-free community.

Visit cotable.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more ways to help support our fight against hunger all year long.

Your gift to Community Table is in good hands and comes with a wholesome return.

@TheCoTableOrg

With each $1 you donate, we can provide food for THREE nutritious meals.

Community Table has a Platinum Seal of Transparency on GuideStar, a 3-Star rating on Charity Navigator, and we are a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity, which means you can trust that we will use your donation to help those in need in your community.

@TheCoTableOrg

@TheCoTableOrg

cotable.org lcadman@cotable.org

8555 W. 57th Ave. Arvada, CO 80002 303-424-6685