community | Hunger Free Colorado https://hungerfreecolorado.org Making sure all Coloradans have sustainable access to nutritious, affordable food Wed, 31 May 2023 15:39:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://hungerfreecolorado.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/pea-150x150.png community | Hunger Free Colorado https://hungerfreecolorado.org 32 32 Welcoming Our New Board Members! https://hungerfreecolorado.org/welcome-new-board-members/ Thu, 13 Oct 2022 20:46:16 +0000 https://hungerfreecolorado.org/?p=12763 Hunger Free Colorado has just welcomed five new board members! We are so excited to have them on the team. Read more about them below.

Introducing…

Iffie Jennings – Area Manager, Community and Government Affairs at Xcel Energy; Founder of The Kindness Network

I feel I can contribute in three ways:

1) As a Board member, I would help guide the organization’s direction by providing feedback on strategic decisions and helping shape the culture of our organization through my leadership skills.

2) As an individual volunteer, I would utilize my experience in external community affairs and engagement to help grow Hunger Free’s brand and increase awareness about the mission.

3) As a donor, I would provide financial support for the organization’s efforts by donating both time and money.

I understand that as a member of the Board, I will be asked to make decisions that impact people throughout the state of Colorado, and I look forward to using my skills and resources to help achieve this goal. I believe that this is an incredible opportunity for me to make a lasting impact on Coloradoans’ quality of life by ensuring that all people have access to healthy food. This is an important time for Hunger Free Colorado, and I am eager to contribute my experience and expertise toward this goal.

Esther Fuentes – Service Integrity Manager (DISH TV & Internet)

Watching my single mother constantly struggling to provide for her four children without government assistance shaped how I would later become more involved in my adult life towards helping end hunger.

Joining the board will allow me to utilize my passion so early ingrained in my early education taught by my mother in order to help those less fortunate

My management and organizational skills will come in handy when helping to facilitate meetings, networking events, and fundraisers

Leaving the future for our children in better shape than how I found it is my ultimate goal.

Gabriela Medina – Westwood Neighborhood Health Advocate, Healthy School Meals for All Steering Committee

A Westwood neighborhood health advocate and community leader, Gaby is a member of the Steering Committee of the Healthy School Meals for All Coalition and was previously a member of Hunger Free Colorado’s Metro Denver WIC Coalition. She is a passionate speaker that inspires others to get involved in their communities.

She has also experienced food insecurity and can speak from her heart about what that feels like and does to a person.

Adela Flores-Brennan – Deputy Chief Administrator Officer, Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

I have worked for over 20 years to help bring about changes to improve the lives of low-income families in Colorado. Through working on self-sufficiency, SNAP, and health care issues I have learned a great deal about the intersectionality of these issues themselves and their intersections with racial justice. Through this growth I am ever more committed to ensuring that we can bring about changes in our society that ensure that everyone has what they need to live their best lives.

I bring 20 years of policy advocacy in a range of social justice issues at both the state and general levels. I understand public policy from the advocacy perspective as well as the implementation perspective (within the state organization or agency). I also bring nearly 20 years working in small nonprofits, 8 of which as an executive director, and can understand staff, executive, and board roles and perspectives. I’ve served on several boards and can apply that experience to supporting HFC and its leadership moving forward.

Luz Valencia – Food Safety Advisor, Master Gardener, 4-H Club Leader, Hunger Free Colorado Community Council Member

Hello, my name is Luz Valencia, I am from the state of Sonora, Mexico. I have 3 children and my husband.

I am a Food Safety Advisor/Master Garden/leader of a Hispanic children’s club in 4-H. I like to participate in the community to appreciate what this country gives us and let them know that we like to help.

I want to be on the board of directors to help a little more and know how to bring better things to the communities.

How to help the board of directors is by giving ideas of what I have seen that is lacking in our community, I have had experience in this because I am on the Hunger Free Colorado community council, and I also visit the places where they offer food, and I see how there is a need to change some things here in my community.

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Jerima King – Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Impactful Individuals in Our Community // Celebrando el Mes de la Herencia Hispana: Personas que han impactado a nuestra comunidad https://hungerfreecolorado.org/jerima-king-celebrating-hispanic-heritage-month-impactful-individuals-in-our-community-celebrando-el-mes-de-la-herencia-hispana-personas-que-han-impactado-a-nuestra-comunidad/ Wed, 12 Oct 2022 15:18:42 +0000 https://hungerfreecolorado.org/?p=12754 En español a continuación

Meet Jerima King, a naturalized citizen originally from Panama who has lived in Colorado with her husband and family for almost 30 years and volunteers for nonprofits that help immigrants and those struggling with housing, language barriers, and hunger.

Growing up in a very close-knit community in Panama, King has always placed great emphasis on the value of helping others, noting her mother as a wonderful role model: “Folks stayed at her place when they were having hardship, and she encouraged [her children] to be part of The Red Cross Youth in Panama.” Being the oldest of six kids, King adds that she grew up having the sense that life is not always just about your own personal comfort—it’s important to break out of your comfort zone and help others in need.

Panamanians or Panameños are culturally “all very united”—if you go anywhere in the world and meet someone else from Panama, you’re “instantly neighbors,” she says. This is something she has noted of many other Latinx groups as well. King continues to bring forth this friendly and open sentiment in her local community today, volunteering for various nonprofits and groups such as Accompaniment and Sanctuary Coalition of Colorado Springs.

“We want to be the neighbor you could ask for cup of sugar… We provide clothing, utilities, rent, and accompany people to doctor’s appointments and court appointments,” King comments when discussing some of her volunteer work. As someone who speaks multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and French, as well as some Portuguese and American Sign Language, she is often an interpreter for immigrants and has accompanied several women to their last citizenship interviews in Denver.

King became inspired by Bernie Sanders to help at the local level and has done everything from taking calls about I.C.E. incidents as a dispatcher with the Colorado Rapid Response Network (CORRN) to handing out food and toiletry items to unhoused individuals in Colorado Springs. She is especially passionate about achieving housing and food justice and is quick to point out the inefficiencies of current systems:

“Over the years, I became very aware that shelters are not a replacement for a home,” she says. “Care and Share,” a southern Colorado food bank, “is good, but it’s meant for people who have a kitchen and way of cooking food. These programs are not thinking about people who don’t have a way of cooking or of keeping milk, eggs, or cheese,” she observes, noting that the volunteer group had to start giving out camping can openers because they couldn’t rely on only receiving pop-top cans. Additionally, the unhoused can’t store many perishable food items including produce, so King and other community members find themselves distributing mainly packaged foods through the nonprofit Spreading Smiles & Sandwiches. They often serve 20-30 people and sometimes more than 100.

The homelessness problem in America is indicative of a larger, widescale culture of discrimination and systemic racism that has seeped its way into numerous other cultures:

“I lived so long in this white society that I did not appreciate that I was missing out on my culture. I was not supporting other people from my culture. In the different cities in the USA where I have lived, we’ve always been very comfortable with the American way of doing things without realizing we were losing the ancestral way of doing things.”

King admits that she does not celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month for this very reason—she feels guilty, but adds that she feels the celebration is also “lip service for many people”: “Why don’t you try to do something for the community all the time, not just during this month?” King rightfully asks.
Far too often, and especially when discussing Hispanic Heritage Month, individuals outside the Hispanic community are quick to assume that all Latinos share similar heritages and celebrate in similar ways. This is simply not the case. “One time teaching at a high school in Colorado Springs,” King explains, “someone asked me: ‘What are we going to do for Cinco de Mayo?’ I didn’t know what that was – I’m not Mexican. It’s not even a country celebration in Mexico.”

Instead, King emphasizes the value of educating oneself about other cultures as she does through her work across various Colorado communities. Thank you for all the amazing work you do, Jerima!

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Conozcamos a Jerima King, una ciudadana naturalizada originaria de Panamá que ha vivido en Colorado con su esposo y su familia durante casi 30 años y es voluntaria de organizaciones sin fines de lucro que ayudan a inmigrantes y a quienes luchan con la vivienda, las barreras del idioma y el hambre.

Habiendo crecido en una comunidad muy unida en Panamá, King siempre ha puesto gran énfasis en el valor de ayudar a los demás, destacando a su madre como un maravilloso modelo a seguir: “La gente se quedaba en su casa cuando tenían dificultades, y ella animaba [a sus hijos] para ser parte de la Cruz Roja Juvenil en Panamá”. Siendo la mayor de seis hijos, King indicó que creció con la sensación de que la vida no siempre se trata solo de la propia comodidad personal, sino que también es importante salir de la zona propia de comodidad y ayudar a otros que lo necesitan.

Los panameños son culturalmente “todos muy unidos”: si vas a cualquier parte del mundo y conoces a alguien más de Panamá, eres “instantáneamente vecino”, expresó. Esto es algo que también ha notado en muchos otros grupos latinos. King continúa transmitiendo este sentimiento amigable y abierto en su comunidad local hoy, siendo voluntaria para varias organizaciones sin fines de lucro y grupos como Accompaniment y la Coalición Santuario de Colorado Springs.

“Queremos ser el vecino al que podrías pedir una taza de azúcar… Brindamos ropa, servicios públicos, alquilamos y acompañamos a las personas a las citas con el médico y las citas en la corte”, comenta King al hablar sobre parte de su trabajo voluntario. Como alguien que habla varios idiomas, incluidos inglés, español y francés, así como algo de portugués y lenguaje de señas estadounidense, a menudo es intérprete para inmigrantes y ha acompañado a varias mujeres a sus últimas entrevistas de ciudadanía en Denver.

King se inspiró en Bernie Sanders para ayudar a nivel local y ha hecho “de todo”, desde recibir llamadas sobre ICE (Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas) y de incidentes como despachador con la Red de Respuesta Rápida de Colorado (CORRN, en inglés) hasta la entrega de alimentos y artículos de tocador a personas sin hogar en Colorado Springs. Le apasiona especialmente lograr la justicia alimentaria y de vivienda y se apresura a señalar las ineficiencias de los sistemas actuales:

“A lo largo de los años, me di cuenta de que los refugios no reemplazan a un hogar”, comentó. “Care and Share”, un banco de alimentos del sur de Colorado, “es bueno, pero está destinado a personas que tienen una cocina y una forma de cocinar. Estos programas no están pensando en las personas que no saben cocinar o conservar la leche, los huevos o el queso”, observa, y señala que el grupo de voluntarios tuvo que empezar a repartir abrelatas de camping porque no contaban con solo se reciben latas pop-top. Además, las personas sin hogar no pueden almacenar muchos alimentos perecederos, incluidos los productos agrícolas, por lo que King y otros miembros de la comunidad se encuentran distribuyendo principalmente alimentos envasados ​​a través de la organización sin fines de lucro Spreading Smiles & Sandwiches. A menudo atienden de 20 a 30 personas y, a veces, a más de 100.

El problema de las personas sin hogar en Estados Unidos es indicativo de una cultura de discriminación y racismo sistémico más grande y generalizada que se ha infiltrado en muchas otras culturas:
“Viví tanto tiempo en esta sociedad blanca que no me di cuenta de que me estaba perdiendo mi cultura. No estaba apoyando a otras personas de mi cultura. En las diferentes ciudades de Estados Unidos donde he vivido, siempre nos hemos sentido muy cómodos con la forma americana de hacer las cosas sin darnos cuenta de que estábamos perdiendo la forma ancestral de hacer las cosas.”

King admite que ella no celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana por esta misma razón: se siente culpable, pero agrega que siente que la celebración también es “de boca para afuera para muchas personas”: “¿Por qué no intentan hacer algo por la comunidad todos? El tiempo, no solo durante este mes,” King preguntó con toda razón.

Con demasiada frecuencia, y especialmente cuando se habla del Mes de la Herencia Hispana, las personas ajenas a la comunidad hispana asumen rápidamente que todos los latinos comparten herencias similares y celebran de manera similar. Esto simplemente no es el caso. “Una vez que enseñaba en una escuela secundaria en Colorado Springs”, explica King, “alguien me preguntó: ‘¿Qué vamos a hacer para el Cinco de Mayo?’ No sabía qué era eso, no soy mexicana. Ni siquiera es una celebración en México”.

En cambio, King enfatiza el valor de educarse sobre otras culturas como lo hace a través de su trabajo en varias comunidades de Colorado. ¡Gracias por todo el increíble trabajo que haces, Jerima!

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Hunger Free Colorado Selects Lindsey Loberg for 2022 Kathy Underhill Scholarship Award https://hungerfreecolorado.org/hunger-free-colorado-selects-lindsey-loberg-for-2022-kathy-underhill-scholarship-award/ Wed, 08 Jun 2022 19:20:49 +0000 https://hungerfreecolorado.org/?p=10213 The Kathy Underhill Scholarship Award highlights exceptional work in the food access field with advocacy, policy, or community engagement through the lens of health equity. Kathy Underhill, Hunger Free Colorado’s founding CEO, is a nationally recognized leader and policy expert in solving hunger. Lindsey Loberg, the Co-Director of Boulder Food Rescue, is the award’s third recipient. 

The award comes with a $1,000 scholarship for professional development related to the awardee’s career and work within food access. Lindsey was selected from a strong group of nominees. This year’s selection committee includes Hunger Free Colorado board members, community advocates, and the award namesake. 

The 2022 Winner: Lindsey Loberg

Hayden Dansky, Boulder Food Rescue’s Executive Director and Lindsey’s nominator, said: “Lindsey has built upon a foundation of food distribution to share food and power. This has created space to cultivate leadership inherent within communities, and they have also leveraged this work to help coordinators of these programs develop language around their community organizing, which ultimately helps them have better access to employment opportunities, wages, and overall health and security.”

An excerpt from Hayden’s award nomination form reads:

Lindsey Loberg has worked as the program director of Boulder Food Rescue for six years. In their role, they have greatly expanded Boulder Food Rescue’s work to be more justice-focused through expanding the No Cost Grocery Program (NCGP), community-led distribution points of food access. They have conducted community-based participatory research on food access which has led to their published research on food access barriers, showing not just that barriers exist to accessing food but how they amplify one another. They have used their platform for BFR staff to better understand the experiences of community members and have used their voice to amplify the voices less likely to be heard in our community. They have worked to study and understand participatory programs and change BFR’s programs to be more inclusive, more participatory, and support the dignity of people within our community. They have also created a Participation Framework and have helped train other organizations to become more participatory and inclusive. Their work has led to BFR hosting 30 No Cost Grocery Programs, which serve thousands of people every year healthy food they wouldn’t otherwise have access to.

Lindsey has also signed on to advocacy policies with the objective of supporting more people with food insecurity, helped create voter registration programs within BFR, and support outreach programs to better understand food access. This all shows that Lindsey has the purpose of working for justice and equity. Their work also has the characteristics of collaboration with other agencies and always being willing to share, learn, and create new ideas in the search for common welfare in the communities.

During Lindsey’s acceptance speech, they said, “I build my work on the idea that people always do what’s best for their own health and well-being, for their family’s health and well-being, and for the community’s health and well-being…there are always people in our communities who are looking out for others, making sure everybody is safe and that they have what they need.”

Learn more about past Kathy Underhill Scholarship Award Winners:

Roberto Meza, Emerald Garden Microgreens

Fatuma Emmad, Frontline Farming

Left to right: Marc Jacobson, CEO of Hunger Free Colorado; Hayden Dansky, Executive Director of Boulder Food Rescue, Roberto Meza, 2020 KUSA winner; Lindsey Loberg; Jana Henthorne, HFC Board member

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