50 years of ending hunger. What’s taking so long?
By Rahma Diallo Fifty years of food drives. Thousands of pantry visits. Millions of donated meals. And yet, hunger hasn’t gone anywhere. Instead, it’s become the background noise of American life, normalized and expected. At Metro Caring, we’ve handed out groceries,...
Partners carry urban agriculture work forward
Dear Metro Caring Community, We want to share an important update on the future of our Urban Agriculture program. We’re proud to announce that our urban agriculture initiatives will continue under the leadership of two long-time collaborators and trusted,...
Transitioning our work for long-term sustainability
Dear Metro Caring Community, Since 1974, Metro Caring has stood alongside our neighbors, helping hundreds of thousands of families put food on the table. What has always set us apart is the heart and resilience of this community—your unwavering support and your...
The voices we need at the table
By Naomi Lin & Brandon McKinley As a child, Jessica spent long summer days playing under a mesquite tree. In the shade of its branches, she used to listen to the older women in her tight knit farming community talk about various food remedies and recipes while...
Testifying in support of diabetes prevention bill “lit a fire” in community leaders
By Brandon McKinley Eric remembers being rushed to the hospital in the summer of 2008. As the doctors and nurses began diagnosing the problem, Eric thought they seemed to be taking a lot of blood. A doctor finally asked him, “Mr. Morris, when was the last time you...
Metro Caring welcomes food access and health equity leader as new chief operating officer
Lori Casillas joined Metro Caring as our new chief operating officer this month, bringing decades of experience in advancing food access, health equity, and reproductive justice for Coloradans. As Metro Caring’s COO, Lori will lead strategic initiatives across the...
Metro Caring’s 2025 Legislative Priorities
Current Status of Bills Became Law: HB25-1274 Healthy School Meals for All Program: Passed House & Senate; awaiting governor’s signature SB25-048 Diabetes Prevention & Obesity Treatment Act: Passed Senate & House; awaiting governor’s signature...
Metro Caring’s 2024 Ballot Guide
Updated November 19, 2024, to reflect bill statuses. Four out of the five community-endorsed ballot measures were voted in favor of protecting and uplifting our community’s interests! At Metro Caring, we work to end hunger at its root, which includes addressing local...
High schooler makes a splash for Metro Caring
By Brandon McKinley East High School junior Sophia Swanson started swimming competitively at 8 years old. This year, she challenged herself: Could she swim three miles in 75 minutes? To help motivate herself, she offered a challenge to her community: Could we raise...
Where to find Metro Caring’s community at farmers markets
By Ace Alcantara As the summer heat bakes the Mile High City, it’s the perfect time to discover where to find Metro Caring partners and entrepreneurs at farmers markets this year. Supporting local businesses and farmers is more than just a feel-good activity;...
Urban agriculture program grows to meet community and environmental needs
By Anna Smith Updated spaces, classes, and initiatives provide new value to the community and increase the program’s need for volunteers Metro Caring’s Urban Agriculture Program has grown significantly since its inception over a decade ago. Initially centered around...
CU grad students map Front Range food system in steps towards Universal Basic Food pilot
New research strengthens our understanding of the local food system and supports Metro Caring’s vision for a Universal Basic Food program Graduate students at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Master of the Environment program partnered with Metro Caring in 2023 to...
Where does Metro Caring’s local food come from?
By Brandon McKinley In the past four years, Metro Caring purchased more food for our Fresh Foods Market than ever before. Originally, our market relied solely on donations. Now, thanks in part to funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Purchase...
Community leaders determine five key issues for 2024 legislative focus
Coloradans do not go hungry because of a lack of food. Coloradans go hungry because rent continues to rise while wages lag behind, because SNAP benefits are difficult to get, and because healthcare is out of reach and expensive. Addressing these root causes is...
The Case for Universal Basic Food
Op-ed by Emily Settlecowski published in Next City. Food is many things in our lives. It’s a cultural connector, bridging relationships with people, places, and our heritage. Food is medicine, providing us with nutrients integral to our well-being. It’s also a...
Emergency bags paused to improve reliability and access to Fresh Foods Market
At Metro Caring, our mission is to meet people’s needs for nutritious, culturally relevant foods while building a movement to end hunger at its root. After careful consideration, we will pause emergency bag distribution at the end of February to increase access to our...
Metro Caring Introduces First Arabic Diabetes Management Program to Colorado
By Anna Smith At the end of 2023, Metro Caring made significant strides in health inclusivity by facilitating the first Arabic diabetes management class in the state of Colorado. The program was taught by Sara Hamid, a registered dietician and graduate of Metro State...
Potenciar un sueño | Una carta de la comunidad
Querida comunidad Metro Caring, Ahora que se acerca el Colorado Gives Day, quiero compartir mi historia y pedirles que apoyen a Metro Caring, una organización que ha jugado un papel importante en mi vida. Cuando me mudé por primera vez a Colorado, fue muy difícil...
Empowering a Dream | A Letter from Community
Dear Metro Caring Community, With Colorado Gives Day coming up, I want to share my story and ask you to support Metro Caring, an organization that has played an important part in my life. When I first moved to Colorado, it was very difficult to find an affordable...
2023 Hungry for Change Awardee provides sustainably, equitably sourced foods
By Brandon McKinley East Denver Food Hub is a key partner of Metro Caring to ensure that local, fresh, and nutritious food makes its way to our community in a sustainable and equitable way. Working with over 60 farms directly in Colorado, East Denver Food Hub is a...
Exploring Food as Medicine: Girls Inc. interns collaborate with Food Access program
This summer, students from Girls Inc. of Metro Denver interned with Metro Caring’s Food Access program to explore the connection between our culturally rooted food purchases and the health benefits of consuming local produce. Joy and Karinne, two rising seniors from...
Metro Caring pilots 4-day workweek to invest in employee well-being and expand evening hours
By Brandon McKinley Our mission at Metro Caring is two-fold: work with our community to meet people’s immediate needs for nutritious, culturally rooted food and build a movement to end hunger at its root. To foster creative and innovative solutions to these systemic...