Food for all. Hunger for none.

50 Years of Metro Caring | Annual Report 2025

Food is a human right.

Everyone—regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality, income, or ability—needs nutritious, culturally relevant food to live happy, healthy lives. We won’t accept that people should be content with leftovers in a state rich with local agriculture.

In a community survey, we asked what our community would eat more if money wasn’t an issue. Their top response: meat. So this year, we grew our procurement of meat directly from local ranchers—including BIPOC, women, and first generation producers. Ranchers are now raising whole cows for us, and our partners are even hosting fundraisers to purchase them. This creates substantial income for small ranchers and hundreds of pounds of meat for our community.

To support this, we conducted 30 more interviews with local producers, adding them to our Local Food Procurement Catalog. This guide helps us buy the specific foods our community wants and needs. To truly have food for all, we must rethink the charitable food system and invest in a localized food ecosystem.

“I was so… grateful to link up with Metro Caring to sell this beef and my pork because I knew that I was raising animals in a way that I felt really good about. I wanted to make sure that not just my neighbors were getting this sustainable, healthy meat but…all kinds of people who might need it.”

– Rachael Woods, Woods Family Ranch

18

local producers purchased from

41%

of purchased food is local

$289

average cash value of market trip

31,857

appointments in the Fresh Foods Market

Food for all.

Food for all of Denver.

We know that Metro Caring cannot reach everyone alone, but our warehouse and coolers are major assets. Our Food Access team relaunched our resource share program to offer food to ten other organizations already embedded in communities around the metro area. Our goal is to share food with communities that we have a harder time reaching at our site and to support organizations who share our vision for ending hunger.

Resource Share Partners:

Community partnerships carry
Urban Agriculture forward.

In our Urban Agriculture program’s final year, we shared 10,250 plants and seed packets to over 4,000 community members through the Indoor Garden. We hosted 16 classes on topics ranging from seed saving to vermicomposting. We grew 550 pounds of food that went right into the Fresh Foods Market, and we supported the Humboldt Community Garden where 31 community members grew their own food.

We are so grateful for the incredible team members and volunteers who have contributed their time, care, and creativity to these programs over the years. We’re proud to announce that many of these urban agriculture initiatives will continue under the leadership of two long-time collaborators and trusted, community-rooted partners: Mo’ Betta Green and Urban Symbiosis. They bring a wealth of agricultural knowledge, strong local relationships, and a shared vision for food sovereignty and environmental stewardship.

Hunger for none.

Hunger is a policy choice.

To prevent it, we must invest in policies that guarantee a safe, affordable place to live with access to food, healthcare, and opportunities.

Inadequate healthcare is among our community’s top five root causes of hunger. That’s why they chose to support the Diabetes Prevention and Obesity Treatment Act during the 2025 legislative session. We took members of our Diabetes Among Friends class to the State Capitol to testify in support of the bill. Following their passionate stories, the bill successfully passed its first committee. It later became law, guaranteeing that group insurance plans cover pre-diabetes and obesity treatment in Colorado.

“I myself am almost seventy years old, so any benefit that comes from making this the law of the state… is almost certainly not going to happen soon enough to benefit me personally, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot give whatever I have so that others may be helped. This lit a fire in me.”

– Eric, Diabetes Among Friends graduate

State & Local Policy Wins

Our community chooses which ballot initiatives and state bills we endorse or oppose each season. Leaders gather to learn about the different issues, discuss and debate their effects, and then vote on which are most important for Metro Caring’s endorsement.

2024 Ballot Wins

PASSED
Proposition KK: Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax

FAILED*
Amendment 80: Constitutional Right to School Choice

PASSED
Referred Question 2T: Removing Citizenship Requirement for Police and Firefighters

PASSED
Ballot Issue 7A: RTD

*Metro Caring opposed this bill. The measure failing was a win for keeping local schools funded.

Metro Caring’s 2024 Ballot Guide

2025 Legislative Wins

PASSED
HB25-1274 Healthy School Meals for All Program

PASSED
SB25-048 Diabetes Prevention & Obesity Treatment Act

PASSED
HB25-1002 Medical Necessity Determination Insurance Coverage

PASSED
SB25-169 Restaurant Meals Program

Metro Caring’s 2025 Legislative Priorities

The Voices We Need at the Table

In our inaugural Voices at the Table program, an evolution of our former spokesperson certification class, we invited community members to develop their leadership skills and lived experience with food insecurity into a powerful narrative to change unjust systems.

Throughout the fall, this group of passionate changemakers met weekly. Together, we explored how food insecurity isn’t simply a matter of scarcity. It’s a result of systemic issues that are deeply tied to policy, access, and power. Twelve storytellers learned community organizing tactics, how to practice self-care and mental wellness, how the state legislative process works, how to testify on legislation, and about the root causes of hunger.

“Getting to know and interact with the different experiences of many people…
it increased my confidence.”

– Keila, Voices at the Table graduate

“I learned I’m not alone.”

– Jessica, Voices at the Table graduate

“It was an enriching experience. I felt very confident to share my story.”

– Karina, Voices at the Table graduate

Uprooting hunger, together.

For 50 years,

Metro Caring has been a place where people come together across differences to make our community a healthier, more vibrant place. When we work in solidarity with community and each contribute the skills, time, and treasures that we can, our movement to end hunger grows.

1,869

total volunteers

1,024

new volunteers this year

3.3

million pounds of food sorted

“Metro Caring provides an excellent opportunity to volunteer and help community members experiencing hunger. The staff and volunteers are a pleasure to work with and have a passion to support Metro Caring’s mission. I enjoy every day I am here.”

– Pat, Warehouse Stocker

“The thing I enjoy most about volunteering with Metro Caring is the sense of community. Every week, I get to see volunteers go above and beyond to not only help people but make them feel welcome.”

– Rahul, Volunteer Lead

“Volunteering is amazing. And volunteering here is the epitome. We’re not just doing it for ourselves, but it does feel good to do it.”

-Elaine, ID Voucher Volunteer

Making Connections for a Stronger Economy

Our Community Connections team finds important ways to connect our community to opportunities and resources that help them succeed. Partnering with United Way, we helped community members receive free tax preparation and maximize the tax credits they are eligible for, getting a little extra cash back into their pockets to pay bills and buy food.

We also support local food entrepreneurs by sharing our kitchen and were happy to see many achieve milestones in their business ventures:

Danette borrowed our kitchen and market pop-up supplies years ago to get her waffle business off the ground. This year, she opened her own storefront, Jazz Waffle Café.
Andre, owner of DC E.A.T.S., secured a three-year state contract to cater weekly boxed lunches. He uses our kitchen a few times a week to prepare them.
Elizabeth secured a spot at an indoor marketplace to sell desserts through her business, Alvarez Desserts.

Community Led Programs Make for Healthier Lives

Ten years ago, Roberta was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The doctors immediately put her on medicine, but it didn’t work well for her.

Roberta said she learned the medicine wasn’t tested sufficiently in Black communities.

Attending our Diabetes Among Friends class helped Roberta connect with others who had similar experiences. She learned she wasn’t alone: her medication also didn’t work for other Black folks in class. The class is led by others with diabetes, which offers participants solutions that are more culturally relevant and a supportive environment with others who have experienced similar challenges. The class helped Roberta learn how to speak up and advocate for her needs. Now her medication and management plan are more successful.

She also became a certified peer facilitator through the Scripps Diabetes Institute to teach others about navigating the disease.

“It doesn’t do no good just to keep the knowledge to myself,” Roberta says. “I don’t want to be the only person in the world. I want mates and friends. I spread knowledge. I don’t keep knowledge. And I want people to spread knowledge to me.”

946

visits to cooking classes

11

trained peer facilitators

456

visits to Diabetes Among Friends Classes

387

visits to Baby Café

A Vision Taking Shape.

Shot,Of,A,Young,African-american,Woman,Bonding,With,Her,Mother.

Affordable Housing at Metro Caring

At Metro Caring, we know that hunger and housing are deeply connected. That’s why we’re advancing a bold, community-rooted project that will add approximately 140 units of affordable housing to our site—while expanding our program space to better support health, dignity, and belonging.

Over the past year, our Community Advisory Board—made up of Metro Caring community leaders—has continued to guide the design of this transformational development. The vision centers trauma-informed design, sustainability, and maintains Metro Caring’s critical anti-hunger services.

A major milestone this year was securing competitive state funding through the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority (CHFA) Land Banking Program—a powerful endorsement of our vision and its impact. With these funds, we are purchasing the land directly south of our current site from a generous donor who originally acquired it on our behalf.

While the project will take several years to complete, it will not disrupt our existing operations or reduce access to food. Instead, it will grow our ability to meet immediate needs while addressing the root causes of hunger—making Metro Caring a national model for community-led solutions. This project is more than housing: It’s a blueprint for how communities can come together to address the root causes of hunger with equity, innovation, and care.

Thank you to our supporters

Every gift—whether financial or in-kind—helps nourish our community and fuel Metro Caring’s mission to end hunger at its root. We are proud to recognize all those who make this work possible, and to celebrate the generosity of our giving society members, whose sustained support drives long-term change.

Inclusive of supporters who gave during our 2025 Fiscal Year (April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025).

Roots to Rise Society

$50,000-$99,000 per year
Deborah Price

$10,000-$24,999 per year
Michelle Desien and Austin Zuber
Stuart Ferguson and Carolyn Welsh
Gerald Forney and Irene Ludwig
Becca and Robert Reichenberger

$1,000-$9,999 per year
Richard Abels
David Arnolds
Carol and John Balkcom
Elizabeth and Kris Barber
Devin Zatorski and Brad Barfield
Sarae and Danny Bay
Mary E Donahue
Jack Blumenthal
Sarah Boulden and Scott Kitchens
Howard and Kathleen Brand
Judith Ackerman and Jon Brause
Susan Brodie and Mark Hall
Shan and Caleb Burchenal
Sarah Burns
Martha Burroughs
Grace and Bill Carr
Bethany Lutheran Church
Central Presbyterian Church
Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Bryce Clark and Wil Smith
Nan Clydesdale
Sue and Sean Connelly
Eric Cornejo and Alan Arbuckle
Patrick and Susan Corser
David and Tammy Craven
Bill and Rhonda Crossen
Adrianne Hipsher and Jason Davies
John DeLuca
Kevin and Michelle Dempsey
Susanna and Mark Donato
Gifford Dudley
Kristen Dutton
Angèle Fauchier
Beth and Randall Ferguson
Dick and Deborah Galaty
Diane and John Gallagher
Helen and Chris Gibson
Ray and Marcia Giske
Ernestine Gormsen
Don and Marianne Hamilton
Russell and Sue Haskell
Zach and Caton Hauer
Lynn Hawthorne
Patrick and Andrea Henry
Elizabeth and Timothy Hepp
Carolyn Hill
Doug and Jenny Hock
Nancy Hodges
Shelley and Brian Hook
Lisa and Warren Hughes
Janie and Ray Johnson
Milt Kahn and Betsy Herrick
Rick and Pat Kahn
Uli Keeley
Stephanie Krause and Pat Kelly
Al and Sheryll Kraizer
Nicole Lang
Luke and Nicole Laydon
Ayelet and Michael Lehtman
Noel LeJeune and Lynn Callaway
Jennie and Kevin Lewis
Dave and Jennie Lock
Bob and Marty Longway
Katy and Greg Lunsford
Cliff Marian
Abigail Marsh
Nancy and Bobby Maynard
Nancy McMahon
Jillian Meissner and Patrick Hannon
Colin Mitchell and Rachel Vranizan
Linda Mitchell and Ken Neeper
Liza Morgan
Peter and Mary Morin
Jay and Kim Morse
Shen Nagel
The Law Offices of Ben Norton
Sally and Richard Obregon
Colin M. O’Brien
Mike and Jill Ogborn
The Parkers
Jeffrey Parker and Carol Willers
Jo Ann and Sam Pegues
Hugh Pitcher and Linda M. Lebsack
Martha and Joseph Pofit
Robert Musgraves and Joan Prusse
Ellen Reath and Craig Maginness
Michael Ricafort
Andy Robinson
Laurie and Chris Romer
Nicholas and Amy Rosevear
Megan Sawyer
Elexis and Brian Schroder
Rhett Schweitzer
David and Jean Scott
Way Shen and Chris George
Bethany Siekmeier
Teva Sienicki and Adrienne Russman
The Gilson Family Foundation
Charles and Teri Steckly
Lisa Steffen and Juan DeJesus
Michele Stillwell-Parvensky and Ryan Tierney
Thomas and Kris Stoever
Stephen Strachan
Diana Terry
Martha and Will Tracey
Bob and Shirley Traettino
Jamen Tyler
Lynne and Ralph Valentine
Jim and Lisa Van Someren
Ethan and Lauren Watel
Krista and Daniel Wesdyk
Matt White
Janice and Chuck Woodward
Barbara Young

The Greenhouse

Cheryl Ackerman
Laurel Adler
Gary Allen
Meredith Alvey
Elisabeth Arenales
Jake Armstrong
Margaret Banner
Mikaila and Michael Barton-Gawryn
Michele Basche
Ria Bates
Jessica and Nate Baumgart
Jessica Bernfeld
Mary Ann Bindbeutel
Jill Boice
Katherine Wheeler Boyd
Alisoun Brewster
James Bright
Marjorie Britt
Douglas Burks
Michael Callahan
Andrea and Andrew Carpenter
Theresa Cashman
Andrea Cervantes
Lynn Cohen
Cheri and Richard Colter
Christina Comerford
Diccon Conant
Carema CookMasaud
Kate Crandall
David and Tammy Craven
Stephanie Cross
Dominic Dezzutti
Marla Digitale
Radina Dikova
Katherine Donato
Lee Ann Doner
Lindsey Dundas
Jenni and Ted Dyman
Margaret Ekstrand
Christy Elwell
Peter Ferguson
David Fifield
Mckilip Household
Herbert Fried
Douglas Gammell and Andrea Gammell
Paola Gascot-Chinea and Nicholas Crawford-Crudell
Ginny Gelbach Household
Karen Goldrick
Kristen Gray
Sarah Grey
Toni Gross
Nathan, Lannea, Evan and Luke Hand
Rachel Hanson
Anne Harris
Andrea Helsel
Jill Hess
Penny Sue Hollon
Gabrielle, Danette and Aubryone Hollowell and Vernon Ameen
Janice Hsu
Robert and Pam Hubbard
William Hughes
Janet Hukill
Sarah Hulslander
Catherine Hupp
Josiah Hutchinson
Graham Ignizio
Stephanie Jensen
Rebecca Johnson
Melissa Jordan
Laurie Kepros
Thomas Keyse and Jennifer Courtney-Keyse
David Krause, Jonathan Blakely and Pamela Krause
Sandra B Landry
Mark and Elaine Landry
Carole and Geoffrey Lane
Mr. Mitch Lehn
Ashley and Zach Leonard
Anitra Lesser
Kevin Lindahl and Ben Fiedler
Cory Loney
Wesley Lorenzen
Amy Lorton
Laura MacKenzie
Linda Mallory
Julie Maxwell
Melissa McBain
Seth McCarus
Charles (Stu) and Gina Mesnier
Sarah Meyer
Elizabeth Michaels
Betsy Miller
Matthew E. Milliken
Jackie Montesano
Diane Moy
Esther Muzzillo
Ming Nagel
Tiffany Nam
Don and Emily Nease
Timothy O’Connell
Abigail Olker
Barry Ollman
Chris Olson
Peter Ott
David Pardo
Nora and Yale Passamaneck
Judith and David Peters
Kirsti Peterson
Trenton Pinson
Katelyn Pruett
Kurt and Susan Reisser
Eliza Ross
Laura Roth
Martha Rowley
Ilana Rubin
Patrick Sandvig
Judy Schultz
Kathryn Seitz
Cody Shafer
Irene Shepard
Hanna Skuladottir
Lisa and Richard Smith
Annie Sovcik and David Stapleton
Mr. & Mrs. Michael and Julia Steiner
Jordan Strong
Jessica and Steven Sushinsky
Amberle Suski
Peter Thulson
Helen Tuttle
Daniel Urban
Thomas Vani
Mary-Elizabeth Waldrep
Nicole Walters
Steve Meyers and Laura Weber-Meyers
Ellen Wells
Paul Wetzel
Douglas Wheeler
Erika Wild
Carolyn Wilke
Jennifer Willard
Elisha Wilson
Irene Wilson
Jacqueline Winter
Brenna Wood
Mr. & Mrs. Patrick and Selena Wright
Alan Zimmerman
Marykate Zukiewicz and Pawan Nelson

Perennial Roots

Anonymous
Hugh Pitcher and Linda M. Lebsack
Deborah Price
Ellen Reath and Craig Maginness
Thomas and Kris Stoever
Kevin Vidal

Financials & Board

Revenue

Donated Food and Services: $7,084,699
Individuals: $7,045,555
Government grants and contracts: $1,642,045
Foundations: $1,062,948
Businesses: $136,631
Faith Communities: $80,468

Total Contributions: $17,052,346

Investment Income: $171,049

Other Income (including sales & events): $49,076

Total Support & Revenue: $17,272,471

Expenses

Program Services: $10,559,850
Administrative: $1,700,594
Fundraising: $581,374

Total Expenses: $12,841,818

Total net assets FY25: $14,625,628

Increase in net assets from FY24: $4,430,653

Board of Directors (Fiscal Year 2025)

Nicole Lang, Co-Chair
Senior Communications & Brand Manager
Stantec

Sarae Bay, Co-Chair
Vice President
GoWest Foundation

Deborah Price, Past Chair
Retired President & CFO
Thermoflex Corp.

Ría Ramirez, Secretary
Innovative Chef
Good Food Good Living

Shelley Hook, Treasurer
Retired Controller
Bethany Lutheran Church

Angèle Fauchier, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Danette Hollowell
Food Entrepreneur
Metro Denver Community Leader

Donna “Dee” Curlin
Registered Physchotherapist/Legal Mediator/Life Coach
Case Manager/Social Worker, Samaritan House
Owner, Sistergirlfoundation

Erik Hicks
CEO-Integrator
Metro Caring

Jamen Tyler
Corporate Counsel
Skillsoft

Matt White
Manager, Portfolio Management
Western Union

Teva Sienicki
CEO-Visionary
Metro Caring

Thomas Stoever
Partner
Arnold & Porter

18

41%

$289

31,857

2024 Ballot Wins

2025 Legislative Wins

1,869

1,024

3.3

946

11

456

387

Roots to Rise Society

The Greenhouse

Perennial Roots

Community Partners

Board of Directors (Fiscal Year 2025)

Fresh Food Market Hours