GCFP
In the News

A new food pantry has formally opened its doors to serve students at Western Colorado University. Mountaineer Food Hub, operating in the basement of Western’s Leslie J. Savage Library, opened on Feb. 7. As soon as the doors opened, students were lining up for distributions, and the hub served nearly 30 students on opening day alone.

The highly-anticipated opening of the Gunnison County Food Pantry’s new space has been tentatively set for this coming spring after construction delays and electrical issues extended the original timeline. Soon, pantry patrons will collect their groceries in a space that’s nearly four times larger, with new services like direct access to clean water and mental and behavioral health resources.

As we all stock up our own cupboards in preparation for holiday feasts, now is a good time to grab an extra can or two of your favorite items to help stock the Gunnison Country Food Pantry during their holiday food drive. The pantry has received fewer donations over the past six months than it did previously, and yet the need for food assistance in Gunnison County is growing.

Students grab fruit and vegetables from a selection provided by the Gunnison Country Food Pantry.

Gunnison and Crested Butte pickleball players enjoyed a ‘Pickleball For A Purpose’ round robin tournament on Nov. 5th to benefit GCFP.

While the Gunnison Country Food Pantry (GCFP) has played a vital role in food assistance for residents in need throughout the Gunnison Valley since it opened in 2006, the pantry has recently acquired a much larger space to meet growing demands and bridge information gaps to those it serves as well.

The Gunnison Country Food Pantry asked the City of Gunnison to endorse and advocate for the renovation of the organization’s new facility — a move that will allow the organization to continue combating food insecurity in the Gunnison Valley.

The Gunnison County Commissioners gave a nod of approval for the Gunnison Country Food Pantry’s Food for Life expansion project, chipping in a grant of $30,000 to help finance the pantry’s purchase and renovation of its future facility at 405 W. Tomichi, site of the former Colorado Fitness gym.

The Crested Butte town council unanimously approved a $50,000 contribution for the Gunnison Country Food Pantry.  The money will be spent on the pantry’s recently purchase building and renovation. 

The Gunnison Country Food Pantry held its Pantry Palooza on June 5th at the I Bar Ranch to raise funds to provide food assistance in the Gunnison Valley.

After a long history in the valley, Young at Heart, a volunteer organization serving Gunnison seniors since 1963, has disbanded. The Gunnison Senior Center, part of the Gunnison Parks and Recreation Department, has taken over the group’s former functions.

Gunnison Elks Lodge Exalted Ruler Janine Garnes presented checks totaling $5,500 to the Gunnison Country Food Pantry. The gift was made possible through the Beacon Grant and the Spotlight Grant, which are funded by the Elks’ National Foundation.

Community members attended a sneak peek on Feb. 19 of the building Gunnison Country Food Pantry has acquired to serve as the future pantry. Pictured, GCFP Vice President Katie Dix explains to donor Bob Wojtko plans, costs and a timeline for renovation of the facility.

Since opening in 2006, the food pantry has become a trusted and vital, if not entirely known part of the local ecosystem where people can show up for help to bridge a gap between seasonal work, when going through a hard time or simply looking for a way to help others. The pantry is now preparing to move into a larger space and plans to expand its ability to meet basic human needs in the Gunnison Valley. 

Boy Scout Troop 476 delivered 485 pounds of food to the Gunnison Country Food Pantry during their holiday community service. The scouts extend special thanks to Ace Hardware for the bags and to the community households that helped fill them. Standing in the back row are Jonathan Robinson, Spencer Hays, Kade Jones, Jonny Pierce and Scout Master Josh Pierce. In the front are Margaret Cranor, Lincoln Hemmert, Katie Dix, and Ethan Pierce.

The first time I wandered into the Gunnison Country Food Pantry on Ohio and Main, I felt like an imposter. I was in graduate school at Western Colorado University and working part-time.

Moving to Gunnison by myself and not knowing anyone meant some safety nets had dissolved for me. It had always been my dream to live in Colorado. I had too much pride in that decision to call back home and admit I only had canned green beans and rice in my pantry.

Jarrett first came to the Gunnison Valley about 20 years ago. “In the beginning, I made snow up at Crested Butte during the winter and did ranch work in the summer,” he shared. He loved working outside, but found it difficult to live off the low wages, especially during the shoulder seasons. “Unfortunately for me, the Pantry didn’t open until 2006.”

Katie Dix reflects about the past year in a special essay for Crested Butte News. If grocery store shelves were emptying due to the pandemic, would the flow of surplus food from our local stores and distributors decrease?  What to do? What to do?