Early Bird

Colorado Food Cluster supports children’s nutrition

Roadrunners with qualifying kids are encouraged to register for the meal-support program.

By Josie Lavender

March 2, 2021

Free student meal-delivery service Colorado Food Cluster is expanding its outreach throughout metro Denver. Qualifying for the meal-support program is easy. Students must be ages 6-18 and live within a 20-mile radius of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood. Qualifying Metropolitan State University of Denver students and students with qualifying children can sign up through the open-registration form today.

What it is

Colorado Food Cluster is a network of Colorado organizations working to fight hunger and serve underresourced families. The program is supported by a number of metro Denver partners, including Bondadosa and Revolution Foods. Weekly CFC deliveries include culturally relevant and nutritious meals, snacks and cartons of milk. Revolution Foods will soon accommodate dairy-free requests and is already offering vegetarian alternatives. Families receiving meal support can refer to allergen reports directly on the CFC site. 

How it works

Maggie Brown, MSU Denver alumna and director of partnerships for Bondadosa, explained that CFC partners such as Bondadosa have “been delivering food into our most vulnerable communities since the beginning of Covid-19.” In response, the CFC team has taken extra measures “to reduce exposure and keep our community safe.” Some of these measures include minimal-to-no-contact deliveries and text-message confirmation of delivery.

Where it all began

Last March, Bondadosa CEO Ricardo Rocha, also an MSU Denver graduate, partnered with Denver Youth to found a meal-outreach program called the Denver Metro Emergency Food Network. Originally, the DMEFN delivered meals to specific school districts. Recently, the program was reborn as the CFC, which has secured federal funding that allows the organization to offer meals to children regardless of their school affiliation.

What’s next

Currently, more than 9,000 students around the Five Points area are served every week through CFC. The program aims to increase its outreach to 15,000 students per week as it expands toward Weld and Boulder counties in the coming months.

Roadrunners can contribute to this growing community staple by directing qualifying Roadrunners to the open-registration form, making a financial donation or contacting Denver Food Rescue to facilitate a food contribution.

Additionally, MSU Denver’s Roadrunner Food Pantry continues to support students and is accepting financial donations. Learn how to help.