By Brandon McKinley

As over 600,000 Coloradans waited weeks to receive their monthly grocery budgets in November, Metro Caring increased food distribution to meet people’s emergency needs thanks to the outpouring of support from our community.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, offers people monthly allowances to buy food at grocery stores and farmer’s markets, if their income is low. In November, the United States Department of Agriculture refused to distribute SNAP benefits during the government shutdown, despite having contingency funding intended for emergency situations like this to cover at least partial benefits.

Community members like Laurie-Ann worried about losing access to nutritious groceries.

“I earmark my SNAP benefits for protein, milk, eggs, and some fresh veggies,” she said. “If they don’t process benefits, that’s all going to be exempt from my diet.”

Metro Caring quickly launched an emergency fundraising campaign to purchase additional food for our Fresh Foods Market shelves and welcome more community members. Within four weeks, our community raised nearly $230,000 and hosted over 30 food drives. This support allowed us to increase appointments to our Fresh Foods Market and begin distribution of pre-packaged boxes on Mondays to serve more people.

“Places like Metro Caring become even more important in times like this,” Laurie-Ann said. “This is where you can get some fresh produce, the place where we can get nutritionally sound food.”

Shifting operations to welcome more people

Monday mornings in Metro Caring’s parking lot look even busier than normal. Multiple white tents and tables are stationed along the backside of the building. As some volunteers roll out the shopping carts, others in bright green safety vests began to direct traffic.

Meanwhile, in the warehouse, 500 boxes full of dry goods—thanks to Sunday afternoon volunteers putting in extra hours—await final packaging of fresh produce before being rushed outside.

On Mondays throughout the rest of 2025, the Fresh Foods Market will be closed to accommodate the boxed food distribution, which is open for six hours during the day. The change allows us to invite more people to access food than on a typical Monday.

Emily Settlecowski, Metro Caring’s food access manager, said a key ingredient to making this shift was simply having enough food to share. All the items in the boxes are purchased, which is only possible thanks to our community’s donations and the credits Metro Caring received to buy food from Food Bank of the Rockies as part of the $10 million in emergency funding released by the state of Colorado.

Community choice remains part of the package

Community members repeatedly tell us that being able to choose items from the shelves of the Fresh Foods Market is far more useful and dignified than receiving a prepackaged box of random groceries.

However, the Food Access team has been able to leverage data gathered over the past two years to better inform what the Monday boxes contain. The team conducted research with Fresh Foods Market visitors to understand what foods people consider essential items, across cultures and diets. After surveys and interviews with hundreds of community members, the team identified a list of market staple items, which include rice, dried beans, canned tomatoes, onions, and potatoes. These are the items we packaged into the boxes, making them far more community-informed than random leftover items.

Community members can also still choose their meat items and if they’d like eggs, just as in the market, and at the final tent, people are invited to pick up bread, dairy, and refrigerated items.  

“Packaging the boxes with our market staple items is only possible when you have guaranteed inventory,” Emily said, “and the only reason we have guaranteed inventory is because of our community’s generous financial support and the state’s emergency funding.”

SNAP remains essential for preventing hunger

Blanca is a mom of two teenage boys. Her oldest son has Type 2 diabetes and Down syndrome, and she plays a major part in helping him manage his health. Over the past year, focusing on a protein-rich diet has helped him achieve a healthier weight.

“I spend all of my SNAP benefits on proteins for him,” Blanca said, “like red meat, pork, chicken, fish, eggs.”

SNAP remains one of the most effective programs in reducing hunger in the United States because it allows community members like Blanca to maintain their agency and dignity to make the choices their families need.

Emily said that SNAP also helps seniors use grocery delivery services and allows people to double their benefits when purchasing produce, including at farmers’ markets during the season.

Future SNAP reductions threaten to increase hunger

After nearly three weeks of delay, the state of Colorado was finally able to release November SNAP benefits. However, new restrictions and longer-term cuts to the program are planned as part of the House Resolution 1 budget bill that passed Congress this summer.

“I’m concerned because, despite the incredible response from our community to meet this moment, it’s ultimately the government’s responsibility to ensure that folks have access to food,” Emily said. “Food is a human right, and under several international human rights treaties, the U.S. government is obligated to uphold its commitments to our rights, not undo the progress and impact of programs like SNAP.”

The last time SNAP was reduced, in 2023, we saw double the number of households visiting Metro Caring, far beyond the number of people visiting us at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We will always try our best to meet our community’s emergency needs, but I’m worried because these emergency moments are becoming longer and part of the status quo,” Emily said. “Food pantries were created 60 years ago to be a short-term solution to people experiencing hunger, but they were never meant to exist as somebody’s only food resource. Over time, we’ve normalized how much of our population is going hungry.”

Local efforts offer hope of new, stronger solutions

Despite federal chaos during the most recent government shutdown, we did see city and state governments in Colorado step up. In addition to the state’s $10 million in emergency funds, the City of Denver launched a task force and food drives at recreation centers.

While the federal administration continues to use SNAP as a political tool, we can look at strengthening our local food system and addressing the other root causes that force people to choose between keeping a roof over their head, seeking the medical care they need, and putting dinner on the table.

“Coloradans have shown that we care deeply about our food system, the people who grow our food, and all of us who eat it,” Emily said. “Coloradans vote repeatedly to fund free school meals, run citywide food drives, and donate hundreds of thousands of dollars to local food organizations. That gives me hope that we can be creative with new ideas and programs for our city and state that ensure everyone’s right to nutritious food is protected, respected, and fulfilled.”

To all our volunteers who have helped us make the Monday distribution change possible, Emily shared deep gratitude for all the extra hours, the flexibility to learn new roles, and the physical labor of lifting many more pounds of food.

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, welcomed volunteers, built coalitions, and welcomed neighbors for more than half a century. We’ve grown from a small downtown pantry into a place where people shop with choice, cook new recipes together, get help keeping their benefits, grow food in community gardens, and organize with their neighbors for better policy. But even as our work expanded, the problem hasn’t disappeared. In many ways, it’s only gotten more complex.

As we reflect on 50 years of showing up, this moment feels like an invitation to look back, ask deeper questions, and get honest about what it will really take to end hunger for good. Because if decades of hard work, generosity, and community care haven’t permanently solved the problem, maybe it’s time to ask a different set of questions.

If we know how to feed people, why are we still fighting hunger?

We Nearly Ended Hunger. So, What Happened?

This might sound too good to be true, but for a brief period, the U.S. nearly proved hunger was solvable. In the late 60s, expanded government nutrition programs and school meals drove malnutrition down so sharply that people believed the crisis was behind us.

Then came the backslide. Corporate lobbyists encouraged the federal government in the 1980s to line their pockets with more money at the expense of working people. The Reagan administration cut outreach funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, often referred to as food stamps. Metro Caring found at the time that a third of SNAP-eligible households we served weren’t aware of the program.

The administration also added unnecessary work requirements to make it more difficult for people to receive funds to buy food. These work requirements are becoming more prohibitive today due to policy changes coming from the federal administration’s House Resolution 1, passed in July of this year.

On top of that, housing costs climbed while wages stalled. To fill the gap, charity scaled up, but the need kept growing faster than donations.

How Community Stepped In and What We Learned

As public benefits receded, community groups tried to hold the line. In Denver, that work took shape at Metro Caring: volunteers packing standardized sacks by family size, a single truck making pickups, rescued bread stacked in the basement. It was practical and generous but also unsustainable.

Longtime volunteer and former board member Susie Higginbottom remembers those Mondays, the steady rhythm of distribution, the small triumphs of stretching limited inventory, and the nagging question that grew over the years: Were we changing tomorrow or just getting people through today?

The line outside told its own story. Meeting the moment mattered but ending the pattern was another thing entirely.

So, the work changed. Pre-packed bags gave way to a choice-based market while canned goods made room for fresh and culturally relevant produce. The Fresh Foods Market became a place where people shopped with dignity and relationships replaced transactions. We also added benefits navigation, document support, nutrition and cooking classes, community gardens, and partnerships with local growers, while organizing alongside community to push on the systems that keep plates empty.

That evolution shows up in people like Danette Hollowell.

Danette first came to Metro Caring as a single mom looking for groceries. She found a market where she could choose the kinds of ingredients her family actually eats. Beyond the food, she also found classes and connections that helped her build community and, eventually, launch her own business.

She kept coming back, first as a shopper, then as a volunteer, and later as a voice shaping the work. Today, she serves on our board of directors.

“I’m proof that whatever they’re doing works,” Danette says.

Her path makes the lesson plain: Hunger isn’t a measure of effort. People can work hard, budget carefully, and still see full grocery carts lose to rent, medical bills, and wages that don’t keep up. Put next to Susie’s long view, Danette’s experience points to the same truth: The biggest obstacles aren’t inside the pantry. Unaffordable housing and healthcare, low paychecks, and a food system built only to profit large corporate grocery stores all keep people hungry.

“There’s this idea that hungry people aren’t working,” Danette said. “But most people who are hungry are kids, elders, people with different abilities—and a lot of creatives and students, too. We’re not linear people; you can’t flatten our lives into a stereotype.”

The numbers bear that out: according to the Economic Research Service, in 2023, nearly 1 in 5 U.S. households with children experienced food insecurity, and about 1 in 10 households with an adult 65 or older did as well.

From Charity to Solidarity

Solidarity begins with listening first and building with, not for.

As Danette puts it, “You have to know about the community you serve,” and you only learn that by showing up alongside people.

helped create Baby Café at Metro Caring for new parents and their little ones to receive weekly lactation support. After just two years, the program has become a place for parents to find community, especially for folks who are new to Denver and looking to build relationships. As their children grow, parents in the program are hoping it can evolve to include help with introducing solid foods, like fruits and vegetables, to keep their toddlers healthy.

However, even with evolution, hunger endures because the headwinds are structural. Danette was blunt about it: there are folks trying to feed people, and others determined to take their cut first or to make sure no one gets help “for free,” even while they benefit from advantages they didn’t earn.

Danette’s arc puts a face to the shift: she came for groceries, found resources that fit her family, steadied her footing, launched a business, and now helps steer the ship.

“It’s a full-circle moment,” she told us. “I’ve become the person I needed 15 years ago, and I hope someone bumps into me in the hallway and moves in a better direction.”

What the Work Points To

When help meets proximity, it multiplies. Danette told us how that looks on the ground: “I help family members, loved ones, friends, people in my community. I know exactly how to get them in that line, get them an appointment, get them food on their table. So, that ability to give other people in my community food security is a really good feeling.”

Stability steadied her home and set things in motion: new skills, a business launch, and a voice others trust. That’s how solutions spread: neighbor to neighbor, then room to room, until the room has enough power to change the rules.

And the rules do need changing. As Susie puts it, people keep showing up because dignity today matters, but they also keep asking why families must need us tomorrow. That question points upstream: wages that match the cost of living, housing policies that don’t wipe out paychecks, healthcare people can actually afford, public benefits that catch folks before they fall, and a food system that values nourishment over margin. The lesson isn’t that charity failed; relief matters, but it can’t replace fair rules.

That’s why a focus on advocacy and policy has been part of Metro Caring’s work for decades. In the early 80s, we advocated for community members who were unlawfully denied their SNAP benefits. Staff and volunteers began monitoring food stamp officers in Denver. In just three months, we helped 5,000 people get their benefits reinstated.

Now, the work takes shape with a full team of staff community organizers who are training, listening to, and mobilizing our community. As we identify the issues causing our community to go hungry, our Community Organizing team connects people to the issues they are affected by and then help them shape their story into compelling narratives and share them in spaces with policymakers and elected officials.

In 2025, we took members of our Diabetes Among Friends class to the Colorado State Capitol to testify in support of a Diabetes Prevention Bill that would make diabetes prevention more affordable. Our community watched as the bill passed the Senate committee and then celebrated when the governor signed it into law.

An Invitation to the Next Chapter

If hunger became “normal,” it was because we let the conditions that cause it to become normal. We don’t have to. Danette hopes the next person bumps into her in the hallway on the day they need a hand and leaves with more than a bag of food: a path, a friend, and a way forward. Susie hopes more people step into this work, because the line moves faster when the circle widens.

So here’s the invitation: keep feeding people and keep changing the conditions that make feeding necessary in the first place. Listen closer. Stand nearer. Back leaders with lived experience. And wherever you are, in a church basement, a city office, a kitchen, or a boardroom, use your seat to move the needle from relief to rights.

As we close the chapter on our 50th anniversary, you can learn more about Metro Caring’s history and our vision for the future: one that has food for all and hunger for none.

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, community-rooted partners: Mo’ Betta Green and Urban Symbiosis. 

These organizations bring a wealth of agricultural knowledge, strong local relationships, and a shared vision for food sovereignty and environmental stewardship. Their leadership ensures that the work Metro Caring started will continue in and with community. 

As part of this transition: 

• Mo’ Betta Green will manage our greenhouse, coordinate with partner growers, and lead the remaining gardening classes and workshops at Metro Caring this season. 

• Urban Symbiosis will steward the Humboldt Community Garden and lead a project at the Bayaud Micro Community, installing gardens and delivering hands-on agricultural education. 

We’ve worked alongside both organizations for years, and this transition is a natural extension of our shared commitment to increasing food access and supporting local leadership at other community organizations. 

Learn more about these wonderful organizations below: 

• Mo’ Betta Green is a 15-year-old Denver organization founded on three things: Food Literacy, Environmental Stewardship and Social Responsibility. They fulfill their mission through H.E.A.L. initiatives (Health Eating, Active Living), eliminating cost barriers to broaden access and collaboration with mission aligned partners. 

• Urban Symbiosis is a nonprofit organization based in Aurora that is dedicated to building community-led urban farms and a local parallel food system that promotes food sovereignty, economic opportunity, and environmental resilience. Through hands-on education, partnerships, and grassroots organizing, we empower residents to grow, share, and access fresh, culturally relevant food in their own neighborhoods. 

While this transition marks the end of Metro Caring’s sole ownership of the urban agriculture program, it strengthens the partnerships we’ve built and grows our collective movement to end hunger and realize food as a fundamental human right. We’re deeply grateful to Mo’ Betta Green and Urban Symbiosis for continuing this work with care, vision, and purpose. 

Thank you for being part of this journey and for your continued commitment to Metro Caring’s mission of ending hunger at its root. 

Neambe Leadon
Senior Manager of Food Sovereignty

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 dedication to ending hunger at its root.  

We want to be transparent with you about the challenges we are currently facing and how we are responding to ensure our work continues for the long haul. 

The current economic climate is incredibly difficult, and many in our community are living with the effects day to day. Unfortunately, this reality is also having cascading effects for nonprofits around the country, including ours. Like so many others, Metro Caring is grappling with rising costs and declining public funding, and we find ourselves having to tighten our belt and make hard choices to ensure the sustainability of our mission. 

After an extensive and thoughtful budgeting process, we have made the incredibly difficult decision to sunset our Strategic Initiatives and Urban Agriculture programs. These changes come after significant expense reductions that allow us to remain fiscally responsible while staying grounded in our mission.  

These program transitions started in our new fiscal year, which began on April 1, and we have been working closely with affected team members and partners. 

Our Strategic Initiatives program was launched to incubate bold, innovative ideas that could disrupt systemic hunger in our community. The program succeeded in advancing ideas of Universal Basic Food and a Community Food Utility and moved conversations forward across the food justice movement through op-eds and reports and presenting at conferences and events. While we have struggled to secure funding to develop a full Universal Basic Food pilot, we will carry forward much of the research and lessons into our Food Access team’s work to inform how we procure and distribute food for the Fresh Foods Market in alignment with our values.  

The decision to sunset our Urban Agriculture program was incredibly hard and one we did not take lightly. For the past five years, the Urban Agriculture program has empowered thousands of people to grow their own food in their own communities—regardless of where they live. Its impact has been deeply felt, and we are proud of the work accomplished by everyone involved. 

While we’ve been incredibly fortunate to grow our programming over the years, there have been times in our history when we’ve had to make hard decisions like this, and they’re never easy. But in times of economic uncertainty, we must recenter and focus on remaining a reliable resource for our community in the ways they depend on us. 

We also want to acknowledge the incredible team members who have contributed their time, care, and creativity to these programs. 

We want to be clear: while Metro Caring will no longer directly lead urban agriculture work, we are not walking away. We are committed to collaborating with community partners with missions centered on urban agriculture who can lead the work with the same spirit and care. Together, we will explore creative ways to share our spaces, such as our greenhouse, community gardens, and seedling distribution with partners aligned with our vision of food sovereignty and a just and sustainable food system. We will also ensure that our community continues to have free access to the resources our Urban Agriculture program has offered while we transition ownership of the program.  

Creating the future of this work with partners will take time, and we are committed to doing it thoughtfully. We will keep you informed and look forward to sharing more as these collaborations take shape.  

Our commitment to ending hunger remains as strong as ever—and we are sustained by the people who show up for this work with us. Thank you to our community, volunteers, supporters, and partners for being a vital part of Metro Caring and for always sticking with us. We deeply appreciate your commitment, your generosity, and your time.  

While these decisions are difficult, they come from a deep commitment to doing what’s right for the long-term health of our organization and our community. Our focus remains on working alongside our community to end hunger at its root.  

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being a part of the Metro Caring community. 

With gratitude, 

Teva Sienicki 
CEO-Visionary 

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 they made tortillas.  

That’s when she first learned how important food was to our lives.  

Now as a senior who lives far below the poverty line, Jessica says it’s a constant struggle to eat healthy.  

“Sadly, now many people are ill due to lack of nutritious and healthy foods,” she said. “Food grown solely for profit and commercial gain is not in the best interest of people’s health.”  

Jessica is among twelve storytellers that joined Metro Caring’s inaugural Voices at the Table program, an evolution of our former spokesperson certification program. 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—issues deeply tied to policy, access, and power. 

At the heart of this program lies a critical issue: the urgent need to address hunger and fight for food sovereignty, where everyone has the right to food. This isn’t just about making sure people have enough to eat—it’s about transforming the systems that perpetuate hunger and inequity. And, importantly, this movement needs to involve and be led by people with lived experience, who are most impacted by the policies and decisions made around issues like SNAP benefits and grocery store closures.  

Twelve participants learned community organizing tactics, how to practice self-care and mental wellness in this work, how the state legislative process works, how to testify on legislation, and about the root causes of hunger. We even had the opportunity to tour the people’s house—the State Capitol—with State Representative Javier Mabrey and State Legislative Aide Isabella Martinez to witness firsthand how change happens in the halls of power. 

In December, Voices at the Table gathered for a night of celebration and, of course, a shared meal. Each participant shared their story to invited guests and Metro Caring staff and volunteers, using their experiences to bring attention to the issues they care most about and to inspire others to take action.  

We’re proud to celebrate this inaugural cohort of storytellers, organizers, and community leaders: 

• Areli Garcia 
• Cassandria Faircloth-Carmouche 
• Cinthya Garcia 
• Elaine Pratt 
• Genoveva ‘Eva’ Rodriguez 
• Jessica Marsteller 
• Karina Sida 
• Keila Rodriguez 
• Kourtney Perales 
• Leticia ‘Lety’ Enriquez 
• Luz Macias 
• Reyna Gallegos 

These storytellers will continue to help Metro Caring determine policy and advocacy priorities and organize people in their own neighborhoods and communities to join our movement. Lawmakers will hear their stories at the State Capitol this legislative session as they testify on why certain policies would improve the lives of all Coloradans.   

“It was an enriching experience,” Karina said in Spanish. “All the topics that were discussed were very interesting. I felt very confident to share my story.”  

For Jessica, she learned how important it was to come together on these issues.  

“I learned I’m not alone,” Jessica said.  

Special thanks to Charlie Kestler from the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger, Bre Holligan and Holly Capello from Commún, Isabella Martinez from Rep. Velasco’s office, and Rep. Javier Mabrey for your thoughtful collaboration.  

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 took your insulin?” 

He had never taken insulin.  

That’s when Eric found out he had type 2 diabetes, a disease he hadn’t ever thought he was at risk for. Over the past 16 years, he’s faced numerous challenges, trying to balance an ever-changing blood sugar to stay healthy while affording insulin among other bills.   

“Living with this disease is not easy,” he said. “Even when you have all the medication you need, even when you’re a healthy weight, even when you follow all the guidance, it’s still a crab shoot. I wish I had never gotten it.”  

That’s why he is so passionate about the proposed Diabetes Prevention & Obesity Treatment Act becoming Colorado state law. The bill would require private insurance companies in Colorado to cover pre-diabetes and obesity treatment, education and prevention programs, medical nutrition services, certain surgeries, and anti-obesity medications.  

Advocating for a healthier future 

Eric knows this bill is unlikely to offer him any direct benefits, but he wants future generations to have the resources they need to avoid getting diabetes.  

He joined two other community leaders, Jocelyn Miller and Roberta Molock, to testify in support of the bill to the Colorado Senate Health and Human Services Committee.  

Jocelyn and Roberta both live with diabetes and are leaders of Metro Caring’s Diabetes Among Friends classes to help people eat well, monitor blood glucose, be active, and manage stress. 

When Roberta was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the doctors told her that her diabetes is genetic.

“This was one of the scariest parts of it because I have three kids and five grandkids,” she said to the Senators during testimony.  

She supports the bill because she wants her children to be able to get quality care if they are ever diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Guaranteeing that all insurance companies cover pre-diabetes care would make for a significantly less financial burden on families.  

“I really believe that we need this,” Roberta said. “This could help us from being sick. If we could keep our lives healthier, we would work more, play more, pray more, sing more, and laugh more. I want to play, sing, pray, and laugh more with my kids and grandchildren.” 

Jocelyn has been an advocate and mentor for teens living with diabetes for 49 years, ever since she was diagnosed with type 1.  

“This disease affects all races, demographics and generations,” Jocelyn said. “An early diagnosis can be helpful only if an individual is given the tools to manage their new condition.” 

Metro Caring’s Community Organizing and Nutrition teams helped prepare and practice with Eric, Jocelyn, and Roberta for their testimony. The trio of advocates was joined by several other Diabetes Among Friends participants and class facilitators who visited the Capitol to show support for the bill.  

On the path to becoming law 

After dozens of people shared testimonies, the group witnessed the bill successfully pass the Senate Health and Human Services Committee in a 5-3 vote.  

“I am so proud that my certified peer-leaders who facilitate the diabetes self-management program at Metro Caring had an integral part in this victory,” said Khadijatu Fofanah-Stevens, wellness program coordinator at Metro Caring. “It’s times like this that I am so honored to work with staff members and community leaders who are so committed in using their talents to empower others to take charge of their health. Collectively, we all want and try to make our state a healthier place for all.” 

The bill still has a way to go to become law. It will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee next before hopefully making its way to the full Senate and then through the House of Representatives.  

You can expect to see our community’s leaders engaged in the process the whole time, showing up to the Capitol and speaking with their elected officials to get it passed.  

“This lit a fire in me,” Eric said about his experience testifying.   

He referred to a quote from the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! that says, “I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.”  

“I want to be that giant,” Eric said.  

The diabetes prevention bill is one of several that Metro Caring’s community and Board of Directors voted to endorse this legislative session. Follow us on Bluesky  for updates or subscribe to our Action Alert emails.  

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 organization, focusing on organizational development, employee engagement, and financial oversight.  

Lori has dedicated her career to advancing equity and opportunity for people at all stages of life. Most recently, she worked as a consultant to support leaders in organizational development and strategy at foundations and nonprofits, including GrowHaus, the Colorado Trust, and the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR). 

“Denver is my home, and it matters to me that Coloradans can live healthy lives full of equitable opportunities.” — Lori Casillas, Chief Operating Officer

With a strong commitment to racial equity and inclusivity, Lori served as a statewide director for a health access initiative, ensuring coverage for uninsured families. She was also the executive director of a statewide nonprofit that supported the sexual health of Colorado’s youth and the chief operating officer of Hunger Free Colorado, leading operational changes through the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I’m eager for Lori to join the Metro Caring community, as she has a vast amount of experience in the nonprofit and philanthropy sectors,” says CEO-Integrator Erik Hicks. “Lori has a proven track record of change management, internal communication, and overall organizational and financial strategy. I’m confident her expertise and leadership will greatly benefit our staff and our community.”

Having nearly doubled the size of our staff and budget in the last decade, Metro Caring is in a significant growth phase with opportunities to lead the movement to end hunger in the city, state, and nation.  

As we look back on our 50-year history, we know hunger won’t be solved by more food pantries. Instead, we are addressing the root causes of hunger by introducing innovative ideas like Universal Basic Food to reimagine our food system and organizing community leaders to advance local and state anti-hunger policies.  

“I’m excited about Metro Caring’s new growth as it looks to play an even bigger role in the Denver community,” Lori says. “Denver is my home, and it matters to me that Coloradans can live healthy lives full of equitable opportunities.” 

Lori says she was drawn to Metro Caring because of the chance to build support for the organization’s mission and grow opportunities for our people.  

“Your mission is only as strong as the people who are doing the work within the walls of the organization,” Lori says. “For me, helping build that architecture of an organization is exciting because then staff can do their best work possible and have a great impact on the community.”

Born and raised in El Paso, Texas, Lori remains deeply connected to her borderland roots. She has called Colorado home for 30 years now and lives with her family in a bilingual and bicultural home, where they share a love for travel, art, and exploring global cuisines.  

Lori earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and psychology from Amherst College. She is a former board member of The GrowHaus in Denver and Healthy Teen Network in Baltimore and is a founding member of the philanthropy giving circle, LatinasGive!.  

Her favorite cuisine is Mexican—and Japanese, Indian, Korean, Middle Eastern, Vietnamese, and Chinese!  

En español a continuación. 

At Metro Caring, our mission is to end hunger at its root, which includes advancing policies in the Colorado State Legislature.

The legislature is in session now until May to propose and discuss new bills to become laws. Several bills this season would improve the lives of everyone living in Colorado. 

Our Community Organizing team worked with community leaders to create this legislative agenda for the 2025 season. We discussed 10 bills that directly impact hunger and its five root causes identified by community, which are the corporate food system, unaffordable housing, inadequate public benefits, unaffordable healthcare, and the racial wealth gap. 

Community leaders voted to determine four bills that were most important for Metro Caring to endorse, and the Board of Directors approved. The following agenda will be used to communicate our work throughout the Metro Caring community, inform our organizing around legislation in 2025, and identify opportunities for community engagement. 

Want to get involved? Help take action! Follow us on Bluesky for updates or subscribe to our Action Alert emails. 

SUPPORT: SB25-169 The Restaurant Meals Program

Let’s bring the Restaurant Meals Program to Colorado! By doing so, we can expand food access while boosting local businesses and driving economic growth in our communities.

The Restaurant Meals Program is a USDA initiative that lets certain SNAP recipients—older adults, people with disabilities, and those experiencing housing instability—use their benefits to buy prepared meals from restaurants. This would help people who face challenges around cooking and preparing meals. (SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.) Learn more.

SUPPORT: HB25-1274 Healthy School Meals for All Program

This bill would ask voters to approve new funding for Healthy School Meals for All. In 2022, Colorado voters approved a ballot proposal to make breakfast and lunch free for all students regardless of family income. The program now provides more than 60,000 free meals to students each day, which reduces stigma, ensures students’ nutritional needs are met, and eases the financial burden on families and school budgets. This bill would allow voters a chance to approve fully funding and implementing this successful program. We need additional funding to keep kids fed and implement all the elements voters approved, including training and increased wages for cafeteria workers and partnerships with local farmers. Learn more.

SUPPORT: HB25-1002 Medical Necessity Determination Insurance Coverage

This bill would require every healthcare plan to cover preventative care, screenings, and treatments for behavioral and mental health and substance use disorders. This would include admission to and stays in treatment facilities. Learn more.

SUPPORT: SB25-048 Diabetes Prevention & Obesity Treatment Act

This bill would make it easier for Coloradans to get treatment for obesity and diabetes. It would require private health insurance companies to cover treatment, education and prevention programs, medical nutrition services, certain surgeries, and anti-obesity medications. Learn more.

SUPPORT: HB25-1032 Improving Infrastructure to Reduce Homelessness

This bill aims to reduce homelessness by improving statewide coordination. It re-establishes a homelessness council in the governor’s office, allows regional authorities to address homelessness, and directs fees from real estate filings to support affordable housing and homelessness initiatives. Learn more.

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Prioridades Legislativas de Metro Caring para 2025

En Metro Caring, nuestra misión es acabar con el hambre de raíz, lo que incluye promover políticas en la Legislatura del Estado de Colorado.

La Asamblea Legislativa está en sesión ahora hasta mayo para proponer y debatir nuevos proyectos que se convertirán en leyes. Varios proyectos de ley de esta temporada mejorarían la vida de todos los que viven en Colorado.

Nuestro Equipo de Organización Comunitaria trabajó con líderes comunitarios para crear esta agenda legislativa para la temporada 2025. Discutimos 10 proyectos de ley que afectan directamente al hambre y sus cinco causas fundamentales identificadas por la comunidad, que son el sistema alimenticio corporativo, la vivienda inasequible, las prestaciones públicas inadecuadas, la asistencia de salud inaccesible y la brecha de riqueza racial.

Los líderes comunitarios votaron para determinar los cuatro proyectos de ley más importantes que Metro Caring debía respaldar, y el Consejo de Administración los aprobó. La siguiente agenda será utilizada para comunicar nuestro trabajo a toda la comunidad de Metro Caring, informar sobre nuestra organización en torno a la legislación de 2025 e identificar oportunidades de participación comunitaria.

¿Quieres participar? ¡Ayúdanos a pasar a la acción! Síguenos en Bluesky para estar al día o suscríbete a nuestros correos electrónicos de alerta.

Agenda Legislativa 2025

APOYO: Programa de comidas en restaurantes

¡Traigamos el Programa de Comidas de Restaurantes a Colorado! Al hacerlo, podemos ampliar el acceso a los alimentos y al mismo tiempo impulsar los negocios locales y el crecimiento económico en nuestras comunidades.

El Programa de Comidas en Restaurantes es una iniciativa del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA, por sus siglas en inglés) que permite a ciertos beneficiarios de SNAP -adultos mayores, personas con discapacidades y aquellos que experimentan inestabilidad en la vivienda- utilizar sus beneficios para comprar comidas preparadas en restaurantes. Esto ayudaría a las personas que tienen dificultades para cocinar y preparar comidas. (SNAP significa el Programa de Asistencia de Nutrición Suplementaria.) Aprenda más.

APOYO: HB25-1002 Determinación de Necesidad Médica Cobertura de Seguro

Este proyecto de ley requeriría que cada plan de salud cubra la atención preventiva, exámenes y tratamientos para la salud mental y del comportamiento y trastornos por uso de sustancias. Esto incluiría la admisión y estancia en centros de tratamiento. Aprenda más.

APOYO: SB25-048 Ley de Prevención de la Diabetes y Tratamiento de la Obesidad

Este proyecto de ley facilitaría a los habitantes de Colorado el tratamiento de la obesidad y la diabetes. Requeriría que las compañías privadas de seguros de salud cubran el tratamiento, los programas de educación y prevención, los servicios médicos de nutrición, ciertas cirugías y los medicamentos contra la obesidad. Obtenga más información.

APOYO: HB25-1032 Mejora de la infraestructura para reducir la falta de vivienda

Este proyecto de ley tiene como objetivo reducir la falta de vivienda mediante la mejora de la coordinación en todo el estado. Vuelve a establecer un consejo para personas sin hogar en la oficina del gobernador, permite que las autoridades regionales se ocupen de las personas sin hogar, y dirige las tarifas de las presentaciones de bienes raíces para apoyar la vivienda asequible y las iniciativas de personas sin hogar.  Aprenda más.

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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 and state policies that impact all of our lives. Voting is a powerful way to make change in your community. For the 2024 election, Metro Caring is taking positions on five ballot initiatives for Colorado and Denver.

Members of our community met to prioritize the initiatives that Metro Caring should endorse. Together, we chose these five measures because of the connection they have to the root causes of hunger and issues primarily affecting our community’s lives.

These initiatives are only a select few of the ballot initiatives that will appear on Colorado and Denver voters’ ballots. To learn more about the full ballot, join us on Monday, October 21 in our Fresh Foods Market (9:00 – 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 – 3 p.m.) to talk with our community organizers and voter engagement team. And remember, go vote! 

YES on Proposition KK: Firearms and Ammunition Excise Tax – PASSED

If passed, this will create an excise tax on gun sellers and manufacturers for all sales of firearms, ammunition, and firearm parts. The revenue will fund behavioral health programs for veterans and youth and programs to support victims of crime, school safety, and gun violence prevention.

NO on Amendment 80: Constitutional Right to School Choice – FAILED

If passed, this would make School Choice a right in the State Constitution, including public, private, homeschool, and future innovations in education. This opens a pathway to take significant funding away from public school education and give it to private and charter schools. Other states that have passed a similar measure have seen significant budget cuts to public schools.

YES on Ballot Issue 2R: Affordable Housing – FAILED

If passed, this initiative will increase sales tax by 0.5% to fund affordable housing projects. The lack of affordable housing is a leading cause of hunger in our community. Additional funding for affordable housing is crucial for our community to thrive.

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

If passed, this will remove the requirement that police and firefighters have to be citizens of the United States. It would still require legal work authorization. This will increase job opportunities and bring Denver into compliance with federal anti-discrimination laws.

YES on Ballot Issue 7A: RTD – PASSED

If passed by multiple counties, including Denver, this measure will permanently exempt the Regional Transportation District (RTD) from a cap on revenue raised caused by the Taxpayers Bill of Rights (TABOR). RTD has been exempt for decades, but that is set to expire in 2025. Passing this measure allows RTD to keep more revenue to improve and maintain public transportation, which is an important resource for many in our community to get to work, school, and medical appointments.

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 $1,000 for Metro Caring?

She launched her swim-a-thon fundraiser, “Making a Splash for Metro Caring,” and promised that if the $1,000 goal were surpassed, she would swim an extra 100 meters of “backwards freestyle,” which she attests “really is a thing.”

To get her friends, family, and community involved, Sophia worked with Metro Caring’s Development Coordinator Madi Matheny to set up a custom fundraising webpage. Then, Sophia created a QR code and made a poster to put up around her swim club. She asked her coach to share the fundraiser with the families of her teammates, and she personally reached out to family and friends.

“I’m very passionate about what Metro Caring does for my community,” she wrote on her fundraiser page, “and hope that you will help me hit or exceed my goal.”

Sophia got over a dozen supporters, many of whom she introduced to Metro Caring’s anti-hunger mission, including her grandparents. Others had already heard of Metro Caring’s work in the community, like a parent of her teammate who regularly donates shampoos and soaps to our Fresh Foods Market.

Together, they met Sophia’s $1,000 goal—even exceeding it by $5.

So, on May 16, Sophia took to the pool, motivated by her community to swim what turned out to be 98 laps within 5 minutes of her time goal.  

“I think it’s really important to get creative and figure out how to combine things you love to support a good cause,” Sophia said, referring to swimming and Metro Caring’s mission. “It’s really motivating when I’m raising money by doing something I love.”

This isn’t the first time Sophia has swam in support of Metro Caring and ending hunger. In 8th grade, she ran a similar fundraiser for a class capstone service project. She swam two miles in two hours and exceeded her $500 goal.

“I definitely learned that I could combine something that I love with making a difference in my community,” Sophia said. “I think fighting hunger is a great cause and I love being able to make a difference.”

Sophia grew up hearing about Metro Caring from her parents, who have supported the organization for years. Sophia volunteered with her mom in Metro Caring’s Fresh Foods Market and her family has a history of involvement in public service and food access. Her grandfather was an emeritus professor of the International Agriculture Development at the University of Illinois. His life’s work was focused on working with farmers in other countries to help feed local communities. Her aunt worked for Feeding America, and grandma was an attorney and appellate judge for the  Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C.

“I’ve been exposed to this my whole life,” she said. “It means a lot because my family has been doing it for so long, and food insecurity is a great cause to be supporting.”

Next year, she wants to organize her entire swim team to launch a similar fundraiser. She hopes by working together, they can increase the goal, and then they’ll be able to all swim together in the end.

Sophia’s fundraiser shows how you can find creative ways to support causes you care about.

Other volunteers and local groups have created unique fundraisers to engage their community. Volunteer Chloe Rekow biked 250 miles roundtrip from Denver to Wyoming, raising over $1,200 for Metro Caring. The Denver Bar Association Young Lawyers Division hosts “Roll Out the Barrels” annually, inviting law firms around the city to a friendly fundraising challenge in place of a former canned food drive.

“People want to give back to the community, but they sometimes don’t know how,” Sophia said. “If you give them the opportunity, they want to help.”

Sophia plans to host her swim-a-thon annually. She said her younger sister already has ideas to continue the fundraiser once Sophia heads off to college—where she hopes to keep swimming.

And yes, Sophia certainly watched the Olympics, and she rooted for Denverite swimmer Emma Weber—who came home with a gold!

You can combine a passion or hobby with your dedication to Metro Caring’s mission of ending hunger at its root with a unique fundraiser. It’s a great way to share your values and issues you care about proudly with others. We can assist in creating a specialized donation page and share resources like our logo and posters to help you.

When we all bring our unique passions, skills, and communities to the table, we truly have an abundance of community to build our movement to end hunger.

Learn more and get started today.