...An immigrant mom whose limited English makes it hard to get the community resources she and her two sons need. A school counselor who is overwhelmed by the uptick in requests for help from families. A cash-strapped teacher who adds extra items to her grocery list so that hunger is less of a barrier for the students in her classroom. These are all individuals who benefit from Food for Hope’s programs, which aim to provide students in Adams County with the nutrition they need, regardless of the circumstances at home.
Food for Hope (FFH) programs exclusively serve the Adams County students and their families behind those staggering statistics. FFH works with school districts to get healthy food to students where they already go every day, as opposed to a traditional food bank that requires a special trip and extensive personal information in order to be served. FFH leverages school infrastructure and mobilizes dedicated volunteers at 40-50 school and district sites to provide weekend food bags, high-protein school snacks, and an in-school food pantry program in Brighton, Commerce City, Broomfield, Federal Heights, Northglenn, Thornton and Westminster. In the 2025-2026 school year, Food for Hope fed an average of 3,800 individuals per month, adding almost an additional 1,000 individuals supported from the 2024-2025 year. Food for Hope pack and distributes all food out of their Food Distribution Hub located at 122 and Grant in Thornton, CO! This year we also purchased a second small refrigerated distribution truck, Little Clem! The truck recently got a liftgate and is out on the roads delivering more fresh produce at our local schools.
Funds from Colorado Gives Day will support the overall growth of the organization - supporting our Fresh Food, Fresh Start initiative for existing food pantry programs and the increased food needs including weekend food bags, at all of our locations.
Northglenn High - Food Pantry
STEM Launch - Food Pantry
27J BLARC - District Food Pantry (Brighton)
Little Clem - Ready to Deliver Fresh Produce
Family Shopping - Food Pantry
McElwain Elementary - Food Pantry
Mapleton Public Schools - Food Pantry
Amazon District Mgr - Packing Meal Kits
Volunteers in the Warehouse
Feed 5000 - Food Delivery!
The most exciting fact about working together is that through the Food for Hope Partnership and Adams 14’s commitment, we transform challenges into opportunities, nurturing both mind and bodies, and proving that hope and collaboration can create a future where every student thrives! - Dr. Karla Loria, Superintendent of Schools, Adams 14 School District
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"Es de mucha ayuda en lo económico Lo que me dan ya no lo compro y ese gasto lo uso en la renta" - Food Pantry Shopper
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"The access to healthy and nourishing food provided by Food For Hope allows families to put more of their limited financial resources towards maintaining housing and keeping the lights and water on, and reduces some of the stress that parents have when wondering how they will put food on the table. In addition, the food assistance is of immeasurable benefit to our Adams 12 families who are not eligible for public benefits like SNAP. Over the past few very difficult months, we have seen more tears of joy and appreciation that we can count, as families realize not only that they have access to food but that there are organizations like Food For Hope who are dedicated to bettering the lives of our students and families." - Lisle Reed, Whole Child Initiatives, Adams 12 Five Star Schools
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One of the amazing things about the resource closet and food bank at Pinnacle Charter School is it is on-site for our students and families. We know many families in our community experience challenges with transportation, and providing resources for them at the school helps cut down on the number of trips they need to make to obtain food for their families. We greatly appreciate the opportunity Food for Hope has given the Pinnacle community, and we thank them for their role in helping our students and families. -Chad Miller, Chief Financial Officer - Pinnacle Charter School
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"This food pantry has helped my family and me tremendously; as a mother, it relieved a huge amount of stress—the stress of not having enough money to cover our food for the week. Furthermore, I was deeply touched by the kindness with which they provided us with this food package." - Food Pantry Shopper
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"They have helped me keep more of the food my children need in our pantry. Since sometimes we don't have enough to buy everything they require, this is a huge help for us. We are able to save money on groceries."
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“Food for Hope has taught me that there are many people who don’t have food, not just for Thanksgiving, but for everyday life and that breaks my heart. What we do for Food for Hope is so simple, but it means so much. I feel that I have made a difference in the lives of children and their families through my time at Food for Hope. - Ayden Martinez, Volunteer
Our mission is to empower and strengthen the future of our communities by providing nutritious food to children in need. Each student enrolled with our program receives nutritional assistance throughout the school year.
The idea for a weekend food program began in early 2014 Mayor Williams and Pastor Ruben Villarreal of ThornCreek Church began to collaborate on what would become Food for Hope. The vision was that it would be a dynamic partnership with the City of Thornton, Adams County school districts, people of all faiths and walks of life, businesses, and residents. They aspired to create a nutritional assistance program that distributed healthy food, specifically for children who depended on free/reduced meals at their schools. It would not be funded by tax dollars, but by organizations and ordinary people that simply cared about children.
In May 2014, they brought in Emily Stromquist to be the Executive Director of their effort. Since that time, those supporting Food for Hope have been meeting with organizations within the community gathering resources for achieving its operating goals. Food for Hope is moving forward - pursuing financial sponsorship and healthy food donations. Our organization became an independent 501(c)3 organization in early 2015, and the hope is that the reach of this vision will only continue to grow.
Organization name
Food for Hope
other names
FFH
2014
Tax id (EIN)
47-3117111
Category
Human Services
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
12132 Grant CircleMailing
PO BOX 685Adams County, CO, US