Dear Friend of the Pantry,
September is Hunger Action Awareness Month, a national initiative to spread awareness of the issue of food insecurity and what is happening within communities to take action. It’s organized through Feeding America, a national non-profit that serves as a network for food banks, including one of the Pantry’s key partners, Care and Share Food Bank.
Gunnison Country Food Pantry has a clear mission statement: to provide food assistance to those in need in a kind, confidential and supportive environment. Along the road of fulfilling that mission, we have discovered a few truths and its times like these when we can take stock of what we have learned. One major lesson is how food insecurity lies at the nexus between many of the other issues our community struggles with. As an issue, it’s a product of rising inflation, a reduction in federal food benefits, stagnant wages, and the ongoing housing crisis. It’s also a barrier to anyone working to overcome those obstacles. Meeting other needs such as strong mental health, finding a place to live, providing for our children and living healthy, happy, meaningful lives is made so much more difficult under the threat of not having enough to eat. The Pantry exists as a safety net for everyone in the Gunnison Valley who finds themselves in that compromising position.
Gunnison Compared to the Rest of the Country and State
Hunger isn’t an issue that only effects the Gunnison Valley but the particularities of our part of the world mean the problem has a unique tint. Nationally more than 47 million people face hunger, including more than 1 in 5 children. While food insecurity is an issue in every county in the United States, people in rural communities are more likely to lack access to enough food.
At the state level, Colorado actually has a lower-than-average rate of food insecurity at 9.9% as compared to the rest of the U.S. But zooming further in, the Gunnison Valley has the one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the state, with 10.7% of residents reporting they have gone with less, because there wasn’t enough money for food.
How Can You Help?
Gunnison Country Food Pantry’s greatest asset in this fight against food insecurity is the incredible community it calls home. Just last month, 96 volunteers donated 728 hours towards feeding their neighbors. Each week, new businesses and organizations are signing up to host a Red Bucket Food Drive. In the past three months, we’ve also received grants from local community organizations such as the Gunnison Car Club, the Gunnison and Crested Butte Rotaries and the Gunnison Valley Community Foundation. And we need YOUR help too!
Donate Time
1. We’re on the hunt for volunteers on September 18th, 19th, 23rd and 24th to build a solar array on our building. No experience? No problem. Equitable Solar Solutions is hosting a FREE intro to solar installation workshop on September 14th. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the basics of PV systems and safety around installation. Participation in the workshop is not required to volunteer on the ground but we recommend joining if you’re interested in getting up higher during the installation. Please email ESS@Coldharbourinstitute.org to volunteer or sign up for the free solar installation workshop.
2. Most Needed Volunteer Times:
Tuesday Grocery Store Pickups 8:30a-10:30a
Wednesday 9a-11a No Cost Grocery Distribution Prep & 1p-4p No Cost Grocery Distribution
Thursday 10a-2p No Cost Grocery Distribution Front Desk
Monday 1p-4p /Wednesday 1p-4p /Thursday 10a-2p Spanish Lang Coord/ Translators
Spanish Language Coordinator needed for Mondays 1pm-4pm and every 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month through December. This is a paid position. Email Jodi at director@gunnisoncountryfoodpantyr.org for more information.
3. Volunteers are needed for the North Valley Pop-up Pantries – email Jake at volunteer@gunnisoncountryfoodpantry.org to get involved! Pop-ups are the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month 4:30-7:30p.
Join us and other partners in food security on September 18th for a Welcome Week Celebration!
Donate Food & Supplies
- Host A Red Bucket Food Drive at your place of work, worship, or next gathering. Make it fun and host a competition in your office or with your friends! Call us at (970) 641-4156 to get your bucket today!
- Bring in needed food items such as healthy snacks, hearty soups, grains (pastas, cereals/rice/etc.), condiments (jelly/mayo/ketchup/etc.), spices and canned protein directly to the Pantry.
OR bring in your egg cartons and gently used reusable bags. These items help distributions go smoothly. You can drop them off at the Pantry during our open hours.
The Coat Closet is right out front of the Pantry, you can also drop off gently used and clean winter coats for neighbors to wear!
3. Visit our Amazon Wishlist Click Me to View the Wish List! The Pantry has many ways of ordering food- we use online vendors to help achieve bulk purchasing. Want to help support our Food for Children programming? Purchase an item or two off our wish list!
Donate Money
Over 400 local donors contribute to the work of the Pantry annually. The Pantry sources funds from local, state, and the federal government as well as local organizations/clubs, foundations, and businesses. As need has increased over the past two years, the cost associated with running the Food Pantry has also risen.
When you donate to the Pantry you can count of your gift being spent wisely. See below for details on our programming cost throughout the year.
No Cost Grocery Distribution for a family of four
This basic Pantry service supplements households with dairy, produce, and other staples.
- $83.70, One week
- $167.40, Two weeks
- $334.80, One month
Gunni-Packs and Healthy Snacks for a school child
Gunni- Packs contain six servings of meals, six snacks, and one drink and are delivered weekly. Healthy Snacks (over 2,000) are distributed to Gunnison Watershed School District, Crested Butte Community School, and the Gunnison Public Library for classrooms and after school programming.
- $6.33, One week of Gunni-Pack delivery
- $25.31, One month of Gunni-Pack deliveries
- $638.57, One month of Healthy Snacks
Emergency Food Box
In the event a neighbor needs immediate assistance, 26 community agencies have emergency food boxes on hand. Boxes can be found at locations such as the Dept of Health and Human Services, Sherif Office, and Project Hope.
- $5.36, One box
- $10.72, Two boxes
Gunnison Watershed School District Mini-Pantries
A mini pantry contains basic food items. They are located in every school in GWSD to serve as a resource for emergency food, to eat immediately, or to take home.
- $102.18, One week
- $408.71, One month
Crested Butte Mountain Resort Mini-Pantry
At the CBMR employee lounge, a Mini Pantry is stocked twice monthly with an assortment of easy-to-prepare foods.
- $29.55, One week
- $118.21, One month
Fresh Mobile Pantry
Saturday morning, beginning June and ending in November, the Fresh Mobile Pantry drives into five identified neighborhoods in need to distribute food. Recipients of food from the Mobile Pantry are not required to fill out an application. Each shopper is considered a “visit”.
- $13.39, One individual visit
- $3,214.25, One month’s worth of visits
Give Online
Want to make a special impact? Become a Faithful Friend of the Pantry, or one of our reoccurring donors. Your monthly donation ensures families have access to the resources they need week in- and week out.
Did you know you can host a Facebook fundraiser? You can do this anytime throughout the year and many folks choose to do it as a birthday fundraiser. When you go to post an update on Facebook click the three dots in the right corner and select “host a fundraiser”- then choose Gunnison Country Food Pantry. It’s a festive way to share the wealth on your special day!
Other Ways to Give
1. Mail a check to PO BOX 7077, Gunnison, CO 81230
2. Drop off in person at 114 S 14th St, Gunnison and come tour the Daniel Escalante Center for yourself!
At Gunnison Country Food Pantry, every month is Hunger Action Month. Volunteers, staff, and partners work tirelessly to help neighbors in need of food assistance year-round.
I hope you find a way to get involved this September, it takes a village, and I am grateful you’re a part of ours.
Thank you for reading.
We are all in this together,
Jodi Payne
Executive Director
Gunnison Country Food Pantry
970-641-4156
114 S 14th St, Gunnison CO 81230
PO Box 7077, Gunnison CO 81230
Please Support our efforts by donating.
