April 2, 2025
A bipartisan state bill would make it easier for all Coloradans to get nutrition support from qualified professionals, regardless of their income, insurance, or location. Our Policy Director, Greta Allen (who’s also a registered dietitian), shares why this is a key step toward a more just and inclusive healthcare system.
March 13, 2025
We’re speaking out against the federal cancellation of $1.13 billion in investments meant to support local farmers, schools, and food banks and pantries through the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) programs.
March 5, 2025
As allies of our immigrant and refugee communities, we pledge to defend dignity, center people’s safety, and demand justice. We’ll also continue to share resources for communities and organizations so they know their rights and can protect personal information.
March 4, 2025
Our Policy Manager, Dayana Leyva, shares what the proposed SNAP cuts could mean for working families, older adults, and the state’s economy.
December 15, 2023
As 2023 comes to an end, let’s take a moment to reflect on and celebrate our collective accomplishments this past year. By working together, there’s evidence that we’re all truly transforming Colorado’s food systems through community engagement and investments, policy and advocacy, data and evaluation, and increased public awareness and political will. See a snapshot of what we have collectively accomplished in the last 12 months.
December 14, 2023
The Blueprint is getting ready for the 2024 state legislative session – and we’re teaming up with Nourish Colorado to ensure students have enough time to eat during the school day. Representative Jenny Willford (D-Adams County) plans to introduce a bill in early January to create a task force focused on looking at best practices for time to eat in school settings.
December 14, 2023
The SNAP Advocacy for the Houseless project team of Workgroup 4: SNAP & WIC Enrollment is leading efforts to advocate for the implementation of a restaurant meals program in Colorado, which would allow certain participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to use benefits to purchase prepared meals at participating restaurants and better access nutritionally balanced meals. This includes those who may struggle to buy and prepare meals in their homes like older adults, those experiencing homelessness, individuals with disabilities, and military veterans. The program also would support restaurant owners and operators by increasing revenue, in addition to growing the state’s workforce, which in turn benefits local economies and communities.
December 13, 2023
What progress have we made together? Find out in our new multi-year impact report! Covering the first four years of the Blueprint’s efforts, this report provides a comprehensive overview of our collaborative journey thus far. It showcases the collective progress we have made in achieving our five big goals and recognizes the dedicated individuals and organizations who have made it all possible.
November 30, 2023
What else did we learn from our network during the input phase of the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger’s yearlong transformation journey? Watch a video message from Dolores Ramírez, our Executive Director of Vision, to find out more about the key findings and opportunities, which will be instrumental as we begin developing the Blueprint’s new framework. You also can read the full report from our strategic planning partner, Point B(e) Strategies.
November 30, 2023
The Blueprint invests in local communities to increase healthy food access for everyone living in our state. We provide accessible funding opportunities and distribute grants to support community-based organizations, particularly those traditionally overlooked for funding, who are leading day-to-day work in their local areas and neighborhoods.
We recently contracted with Alarus Development International to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Food Pantry Assistance Grant program’s 2022 - 2023 funding cycle, which distributed $2,351,000 to 142 grantees serving diverse communities across Colorado. Find out more about the most notable findings from their report.
November 29, 2023
The Blueprint’s State Policy Committee recently voted to endorse the Healthy Drinks in Kid’s Meal strategy, expressing support for the recommendation to ensure the automatic beverage that comes with a kids’ meal is a healthy one. The Healthy Beverage Partnership is a collaborative effort of local public health agencies and community partners to reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases and address health inequities by supporting municipal-level sugary drink reduction policies across Colorado.
November 21, 2023
Colorado children, especially those in rural communities, will have more access to adequate, nutritious foods next summer, thanks to the actions of state lawmakers and advocates during the special legislative session.
After advancing from both the Senate and House of Representatives, Senate Bill 23B-002 will be signed into law by Governor Polis sometime next week. The legislation supports Colorado in implementing a new federally funded program for school-age children and their families to purchase needed groceries during the summer months.
November 14, 2023
With Gov. Jared Polis’ call for a special legislative session from November 17 - 19, state lawmakers will tackle another urgent issue besides property taxes – ensuring Colorado children, especially those in rural communities, can access adequate, nourishing foods during summer break in 2024.
Learn more about the Summer EBT Nutrition bill and how you can take action.
November 2, 2023
Since 1990, Congress has authorized an annual presidential proclamation that designates the month of November as Native American Heritage Month. It officially recognizes Indigenous peoples as the country’s original inhabitants and for their essential contributions to the United States. November was selected due to its cultural significance as the month when their traditional harvest season ends.
The Blueprint stands in solidarity with Indigenous communities, peoples, and nations. This month and throughout the year, we want to bring attention to the culture, history, traditions, and achievements of the original inhabitants and their descendants of our lands – and their sacred connection to the land and its resources. We also acknowledge the challenges that Indigenous communities continue to face today due to genocide and displacement by colonialism and U.S. public policy.
November 2, 2023
The steering committee of the Healthy School Meals for All campaign is excited to announce its 41 community-based organization partners who will receive grants to support their work. Their efforts will focus on continuing to uplift the new school meals program, now available in every eligible school district across Colorado.
November 1, 2023
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its Household Food Security in the United States in 2022 report last week. While most U.S. households have consistent, dependable access to enough food for healthy living, about 1 in 8 households across America struggled with hunger last year. National rates were higher for those who live in rural areas, as well as for those who identify as Black or Latine. In Colorado, the report showed that hunger is decreasing, but nearly 1 in 11 households (8.9%) still report not having reliable access to sufficient, affordable, and nutritious foods.
October 19, 2023
We recently wrapped up the second phase of the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger’s yearlong transformation and strategic planning process, where we gathered input from our community of network partners. A big thank you to everyone who took the time to share their thoughts about the Blueprint and how it can evolve to better serve our Colorado communities!
Now, we’re delving into all of the information with our strategic planning partners at Point b(e) Strategies to better understand what you, our community, collectively think the Blueprint should focus on as we look to the future. So far, the early findings are centered around five areas – much of which already align with the Blueprint’s vision of a Colorado where everyone who lives here can access the food they choose, where they want it, and when they need it.
October 5, 2023
The Blueprint and partners are advocating for more time to eat in Colorado schools – and seek advocacy support from other network partners! They’ll soon submit a letter to Colorado’s State Board of Education requesting that lunch periods be included in instructional time since research shows the positive impacts on student learning, development, and overall well-being.
October 4, 2023
Last week, the Blueprint team joined staff from Nourish Colorado for a half-day of interactive learning about language justice from the Community Language Cooperative. Language justice ensures there’s space for participants to speak in the language that they feel most comfortable using. It’s a key practice to build community power and engage directly with those who have historically been left out and oppressed like non-English speakers.
October 4, 2023
While Congress avoided a government shutdown for at least 45 days, the full federal budget for 2024 remains up for debate and includes annual funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Last week, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen led Colorado’s Democratic delegation in urging Congressional leadership to fully fund WIC.
September 21, 2023
By supporting the Healthy School Meals for All program with a statewide marketing and outreach campaign, we're on a mission to transform the lives of Colorado public students and their families – one nourishing school meal at a time. To ensure every child has the right to access nutritious and delicious meals, we formed a steering committee of diverse community members and pledged $370,000 for community-based organizations to support and actively promote the new program locally.
September 21, 2023
The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are back in session, and the White House has called on Congress to pass a short-term spending bill, known as a continuing resolution. Its passage would avoid a federal government shutdown on Sunday, October 1, and ensure critical federal programs remain funded through the end of 2023.
As part of their budgetary ask, the Biden Administration seeks a boost in funding for WIC and requested an additional $1.4 billion due to higher food costs and participation. If WIC does not receive full funding for 2024, new parents and young children could be waitlisted, while others could see their benefits cut.
September 20, 2023
We would like to introduce our new co-chairs for the Blueprint’s Governing Council, LaQuetta Walker and Mark Kling. They will be instrumental in leading and guiding the Blueprint through its transformation journey.
Our team also would like to thank our outgoing co-chairs, Meighen Lovelace and Stephanie Salazar-Rodriguez, for their service.
September 8, 2023
National Hispanic Heritage Month is happening from September 15 - October 15! It’s a time to celebrate those who trace their roots to Central America, Mexico, South America, Spain, and the Spanish-speaking nations of the Caribbean.
At the Blueprint, we applaud the many rich contributions of our Hispanic and Latino communities to our shared history, culture, and efforts to end hunger. But we also recognize that poverty and hunger disproportionately impact families and individuals in these communities – the result of a long history of policies that have created and maintained barriers to opportunity for people of color.
