Who is Jeffco Eats?
Our Mission
Our mission as a non profit is to strategically function as a year round weekend food program provider in partnership with Food Bank of Rockies and the Jefferson County Department of Education Title One department. Our mission is to help kids and families eat by providing food over the weekends to insure that no child goes hungry in Jeffco Title One Schools and GAP schools. We will never stop working towards this goal.
Our specific geographic areas we serve are first Lakewood, then Edgewater, and Wheat Ridge and Arvada, Colorado. We created our program to meet unmet needs for weekend food to students in low income schools and families. Our weekly food includes food not just for the student, but also for the family. Many of the students and families we serve are the homeless population.
Secondly, we serve those families in the free and reduced lunch income categories. We target Title One schools as they have greater than 70 percent free and reduced population. We strategically help GAP schools (which would be non-Title One – we do not receive Title One benefits), but have over 50 percent very low-income families and thus hungry families on weekends.
why are we important?
- Because no child or family should go hungry in Jefferson County, CO
- Hunger during a school day impedes learning and social emotional growth
- Food Insecurity is at an all time high – surging growth needs surging help
- We are solving root issues of hunger – we deliver directly to schools with shelf-stable pantry foods, produce and snack foods
- We support other nonprofits with shelf stable foods as they do not have a budget or capacity to get larger amounts of types of foods, we specialize in.
what makes us unique?
- We are unique because we are a MOBILE PANTRY with FOOD CHOICES
- We are culturally relevant and work with minority families to meet their needs as requested – we are nimble and responsive
- We also have helped Section 8 housing communities i.e. Metro West Housing
- LATINX foods – We distribute foods like pinto beans dried, rice, masa flour, chili peppers, tortillas etc.
- Single Moms foods – When possible we distribute baby foods, diapers, formula
- Toiletries and Cleaning Products – When available we distribute these much needed items to families in our pantry and deliver directly to other nonprofits
Food for Children & Families
- TOTES FOR HOPE - Contains nine to ten items
- FRESH PRODUCE - Provided for first-come-first-serve population
- SNACK ITEMS - Over 15,000 snacks go to schools that request this program. These organic and requested snacks are given to every child each day.
- SUMMER WEEKEND FOOD - Totes of food, snacks and produce
- School Food Pantries - Our volunteers hand sort a variety of food boxes and provide special pantry requests when possible
watch our Colorado & Company interview to learn more about us!
