Martha King was on a Peace Corps mission in March 2020 when she was evacuated from Zambia and sent home to Colorado. King needed a new way to help people during the pandemic, which she found at Food Bank of the Rockies.

A volunteer for nearly five years now, the Park Hill resident is at the food bank’s NE Denver distribution center five days a week, often arriving on her bicycle and often doing heavy lifting in the warehouse. After a career in public health, she says she has found her place to give back.

“If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, I think I would have been working in a people organization, but I tend to take people home and fix them, so it wasn’t a good idea,” King says with a laugh.

Volunteers are at the heart of the organization, which supports 800 hunger-relief partner organizations across Colorado and more than 70 mobile pantries throughout Colorado and Wyoming. Each day, 100 volunteers show up at their distribution centers and mobile pantries.

Erin Pulling, president and CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies, says the organization wouldn’t be able to operate without volunteers and money to pay for the increasing community need.

“We’re able to make such a big impact with any support that people can provide, with the equivalent of three meals being provided for every dollar donated,” Pulling says. “People’s philanthropic donations go a long way, and that is truly how we operate. It’s not supplemental to what we do. It makes what we do possible.”

The donations help cover rising food costs for the organization, which have been a challenge since federal pandemic-era support ended.

“That was $7 million last year that we’re not receiving this year, mostly for food purchasing,” Pulling says. “So that’s a challenge.” And while the support has ended for organizations like Food Bank of the Rockies, it has also ended for individuals, such as temporary increases to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or food stamps.

“And with the rising cost of living, cost of housing, cost of food, we are seeing more of a need than we’ve ever seen before,” she adds. “Food insecurity nationwide is at a 10-year high right now. And what we’re seeing often from people, not just in Denver but in the surrounding area and the rest of Colorado, is that they are working hard, but wages just don’t [keep up].”

More than 400,000 people in Colorado rely on Food Bank of the Rockies for food assistance. And just as shoppers are seeing higher prices in the grocery store, so too is the organization, which relies on half of its donations from big name retailers. It also buys 10 semi-trucks full of food a week with a focus on fresh produce.

Pulling shares the example of potatoes. Over the course of a year, the organization will purchase 40 semi-trucks filled with them. The cost of those potatoes has gone up $31,000 a year. She has seen similar cost increases for cucumbers and other items. Pulling says it all adds up, and even though philanthropic support is strong, it’s the loss of federal funding that hits hardest.

Food Bank of the Rockies is not alone in the need for money and volunteers. Colorado non-profits overall have seen a drop in donations since a surge in contributions during the pandemic, and volunteering tends to slow down at the start of the year.

“If you have a little gap in your schedule, find time,” Pulling says.

And King would like to challenge others to join her, especially retirees like herself.

“This is such a neat place to be, and I’ve been so fortunate in life,” King says. “It’s time for me to give back. It’s very close to where I live, and it’s great exercise, and you don’t have to pay gym fees. I could go on and on, but it is such a good cause.”

For information about volunteering at Food Bank of the Rockies and other organizations, go to our list of volunteer organizations.

Front Porch photos by Christie Gosch