Slow Food Denver

Celebrate 25 Years of Slow Food Denver: Fueling the Next Generation of Good, Clean & Fair Food

For 25 years, Slow Food Denver has been laying deep, nourishing roots across our city.

What started in 2001 as a passionate local branch of the global movement founded by Carlo Petrini has grown into a powerful movement for food education, sovereignty, and equity in Metro Denver.

This Colorado Gives Day help us raise $25,000 to honor 25 years of impact and keep our youth learning, growing, and thriving.

From a Spark to a Movement: Our 25-Year Impact

From early school gardens, farm tours, and Slow Meat initiatives to hosting Slow Food Nations, our mission has always been clear: connect our community to the food on their plates.

Today, our flagship Seed to Plate program brings hands-on cooking, gardening, and nutrition education directly to kids, especially those facing food insecurity. We empower young people to transform from passive consumers into confident creators who cook nourishing meals for themselves and their families.

Look at how far we’ve come in just six years:

• Expanded Access: Grown from 7 schools to over 56 across Metro Denver (including 35 Title 1 schools).

• Empowered Youth: Reached over 2,323 students last year (up from 120 in 2018).

• Nourished Communities: Served 11,464 fresh, local meals last year alone (up from 1,035 in 2018).

Help Us Reach $25,000 for 25 Years!

To ensure every child has access to food-sovereignty education and fresh meals for the upcoming year, we need your help. Gifts of any size directly fund class materials, local produce, and hands-on learning.

How Your Gift Makes an Impact:

• $25 Supplies fresh ingredients and hands-on instruction for 1 student’s cooking class.

• $100 Support the Snail of Approval mentorship program, to award more restaurants & organizations. Sign up for up to $100 per month and all donations will be matched on the second month.

• $250 Fully sponsors one Title 1 student to attend the Seed to Plate class for an entire term, providing weekly meals and life skills.

• $1,000+ Acts as a Community Match Gift to inspire dozens of other donors across Metro Denver. 

• $2000 Become a member of the Snail Society to be the anchoring roots to sustain our Chapter while getting intimate behind the scenes experiences with the SFD Chapter.

• $10,000 Adopt a School: Fully funds Seed to Plate programming and fresh weekly meals for an entire school for the full academic year (payable via check, stock gift, or family foundation).

How to Get Involved Today

1. Schedule Your Gift: Early giving opens November 1st! Donate anytime between Nov. 1 and Dec. 8 to count toward our $25,000 goal.

2. Double Your Impact: Start a recurring monthly donation,your second month’s gift (up to $100) will be matched!

3. Sponsor a Match: Interested in sponsoring a matching grant or adopting a school? Contact Executive Director Lilly Steirer directly at lilly@slowfooddenver.org.

When checking out, please consider selecting the option to cover credit card processing fees so 100% of your donation goes directly to Denver kids.

Thank you for 25 incredible years of supporting good, clean, and fair food for all! Together, we can ensure Denver's youth continue to grow, thrive, and share in the joy of real food.