Your Support Today = Meals Tomorrow
Dear Friend of the Pantry,
One of the defining traits of the Gunnison Valley is our tight-knit community. It grounds us, supports us, and often gives us purpose—especially in uncertain times.
Like many of you, I’ve felt a mix of emotions lately—confusion, fear, even helplessness—as national headlines signal troubling shifts. When those feelings hit, I’m grateful for this community and for the mission of the Food Pantry, because I can immediately channel those emotions into action.
If you’re feeling the same way, I hope you’ll join me in doubling down on your support for the Food Pantry. Now more than ever, we need to stand strong together.
Your gift of $100 helps put food on the table for local families, ensures staff are in place, and keeps critical services running.
Thanks to people like you, the Pantry is on strong footing. But no one could have predicted the growing pressures we’re now facing.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen a consistent need—on top of the 10–15% annual increase we’ve already experienced for the past five years. At the same time, federal funding sources that once sustained this work are fading. Pandemic-era support is ending, even though the need it revealed still exists.
That’s why I’m writing. Right now, your neighbors are making impossible choices—groceries or rent, gas or medicine.
And yet, just as need is rising, federal cuts are looming:
The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)—a backbone of our food supply—is facing a 33% reduction.
Proposed AmeriCorps funding cuts threaten three essential service members at the Pantry.
Programs like SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, and TANF are also under threat.
These cuts couldn’t come at a worse time. In 2025 so far, we’ve already served 1,800 individuals and distributed more than 100,000 pounds of food.
We are doing everything we can. But we can’t meet these challenges alone. In the face of growing uncertainty, your gift offers something concrete and powerful: reliable food access for those who need it most.
Meet Melissa
If you met Melissa on the street, you’d think she was doing great. She’s employed full-time, involved in the community, and raising a healthy, happy two-year-old named Luke.
But for the past three years, Melissa has quietly struggled with food insecurity.
After escaping an abusive relationship and battling postpartum depression, she found herself overwhelmed and isolated. She barely had the energy to care for her son—let alone figure out where their next meal would come from.
Then, one day, she noticed neighbors receiving Pantry deliveries. Feeling desperate and embarrassed, she finally reached out—and began receiving weekly food boxes. She felt an immediate sense of relief.
Still, it took months before she had the courage to walk through our doors in person.
When she did, everything changed. The food helped, yes—but so did the social connection. The experience reminded her that she wasn’t alone.
“People who are utilizing the pantry aren’t lazy people,” she told us. “We are all just living under unfortunate circumstances. People are just trying to get by, just trying to survive.”
A year later, Melissa is flourishing. She’s working multiple jobs, one of which is in a community-serving role she loves. Her son is thriving.
But the challenges haven’t disappeared. Her rent still takes up 40% of her income. She still juggles food, housing, transportation, and healthcare costs with every paycheck.
Melissa’s story is not unique.
The Bigger Picture
More than 1 in 5 Gunnison Valley residents live with food insecurity. Often, we don’t know what struggles our neighbors are facing—the friendly barista, the bus driver who got us to the mountain, the carpenter who built our deck.
A gift of $350 can provide reliable, healthy food for a family like Melissa’s for an entire month.
Your support is a steady force in uncertain times. Thank you for showing up—for Melissa, for her son, and for the hundreds of neighbors who rely on the Pantry every single week.
