About FoCo Cafe
FoCo Cafe (Feeding Our Community Ourselves) is a nonprofit restaurant in Old Town Fort Collins that builds community by providing nutritious, locally-sourced meals to all, regardless of ability to pay. Since opening our doors in 2014, we've proudly served over 161,500 meals, each representing a moment of connection and dignity in our community. We don't offer handouts – instead, we provide a hand-up by empowering community members to contribute in ways that work for them, fostering dignity and respect for all who enter our doors.
Our Meal Exchange program has seen extraordinary growth, with demand continuing to rise in 2025. We're currently serving approximately 1,000 Meal Exchange meals each month – representing a 6-fold increase since 2022! This program, which now represents the majority of our meals served, allows community members to volunteer their time and talents in exchange for a meal. Whether someone makes a monetary donation or contributes through service, everyone receives the same high-quality, locally-sourced food and welcoming experience.
The need for our services has grown significantly in recent months due to disruptions in other community food resources and reductions in federal food assistance programs. We're now serving over 1,500 total meals per month, providing a critical safety net for our community during uncertain times.
Beyond our cafe walls, we maintain vital community resources including our Freedge (free community refrigerator), Kindness Cupboard (non-perishable food pantry), Giving Tree (essential items), and 24/7/365 hydration station. These initiatives ensure our community has continuous access to necessities.
What makes FoCo Cafe unique is our ability to bring together people from all walks of life – business professionals, students, families, and those experiencing food insecurity share meals and conversation in our welcoming space. These connections break down social barriers and build a stronger, more resilient community.
As a small, dedicated team supported by volunteers, we're serving more community members than ever while fostering a more connected, compassionate Fort Collins. Your support—especially through monthly Sustaining Memberships—ensures that everyone in our community has a seat at the table and can contribute to making Fort Collins a better place for all as we work toward serving our next 100,000 meals.
FoCo Cafe's mission is to build community by providing nutritious and delicious meals with dignity to the people of Fort Collins regardless of their ability to pay while using local, organic, and sustainably grown ingredients.
Our pay-what-you-can model empowers everyone to contribute in their own way. Community members can make a monetary donation of any amount or participate in our thriving Meal Exchange program by volunteering up to half an hour of their time in exchange for a meal. Through partnerships with organizations like Vindeket Market and the Cultural Enrichment Center's garden program, we maintain our commitment to sustainable, locally-sourced ingredients while keeping costs manageable.
Since opening, FoCo Cafe has served over 144,000 meals, with our Meal Exchange program growing nearly 300% in 2024 alone. This remarkable growth reflects both the increasing need in our community and our success in creating a welcoming space where everyone can access healthy food with dignity. As we look toward 2025, we aim to serve 10,000 Meal Exchange meals, continuing our mission of fostering a more inclusive and resilient Fort Collins where people from all walks of life connect over shared meals.
Your support helps ensure we can meet the growing needs of our community while maintaining our commitment to quality, sustainability, and dignity for all.
FoCo Cafe began with a conversation over local beer about creating a nonprofit restaurant in Fort Collins. Inspired by Denver's SAME Café, cofounders Jeff and Kathleen Baumgardner combined their backgrounds in food research, education, and communications to launch this vision. Through tremendous community support and donations, FoCo Cafe opened its doors on Thanksgiving Day 2014, introducing Fort Collins to its pay-what-you-can model.
After the Baumgardners' retirement in 2017, Mallory Garneau, who started as an intern, led the cafe as Executive Director until early 2023. Under current Executive Director Dexter Beasley's leadership, FoCo Cafe has seen unprecedented growth, particularly in its Meal Exchange program, which has nearly tripled in size during 2024. This growth reflects both increasing community needs and successful initiatives to reduce barriers and increase accessibility.
Today, having served over 144,000 meals, FoCo Cafe continues to evolve while maintaining its founding principles of dignity, community building, and sustainable food practices. Through partnerships with local organizations like Vindeket Market and the Cultural Enrichment Center, the cafe provides nutritious, locally-sourced meals while fostering meaningful connections across all segments of the Fort Collins community.
Organization name
Feeding Our Community Ourselves, Inc.
other names
FoCo Cafe
2012
Tax id (EIN)
46-1283773
Category
Food, Agriculture & Nutrition
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
225 Maple StreetMailing
PO Box 242Larimer County, CO, US