Food to Power team (photo provided by Food to Power)
Food to Power celebrates one year of Hillside Hub connecting community to needed and preferred foods
One year ago, Food to Power opened its Hillside Hub in southeast Colorado Springs to meet the needs of its local community with a no-cost grocery and urban farm that supplies some of their store’s healthy food options. They are one of 245 food pantries receiving emergency funding from the State of Colorado through the Blueprint’s Food Pantry Assistance Grant program.
“People have always asked for a grocery store in the Hillside community, and this fresh-food access point is needed now more (than) ever,” Executive Director Patience Kabwasa shared with the Colorado Springs Gazette. “With inflation, people are not being able to make ends meet.”
Known as a “food desert,” the Hillside neighborhood lacks a nearby grocery store – and residents often already struggle to buy nutritious food, on top of paying rent and bills. Many are juggling multiple low-wage jobs and dealing with family health issues or another life storm, in addition to needing to stretch their budgets due to the ongoing impacts of inflation and recent reduction in SNAP benefits.
With a mission to cultivate a healthy, equitable food system in the greater Colorado Springs community, Food to Power launched Hillside Hub as an equity-focused neighborhood food center. It offers grocery staples like milk and eggs, as well as fresh vegetables and fruit – some of which are grown right on their 3.5-acre property. The Hub connects hundreds of families and individuals to needed and preferred foods each month.
Hillside Hub’s birthday cake (photo provided by Food to Power)
They recently hosted Hillside Hub’s one-year birthday bash with community members. The celebration featured a collard greens cook-off, farm tours, live music, dance performances, kid-friendly activities, and of course, birthday cake.
In addition to their store, farm, and community-focused programs, Food to Power also plans to add a passive solar greenhouse for year-round vegetable production, plus an amphitheater where local organizations can host outdoor community events. They’re also engaging community members as part of their strategic planning process for 2024 and beyond.