At a mobile food pantry in Denver on Monday, Carlos Munoz waited in line alongside his neighbors, gathering fresh produce and exchanging warm greetings with familiar faces. “These people, they help,” he said with gratitude.
This pantry is one of many community-led efforts addressing food insecurity—and now, those efforts are getting a powerful boost. The City of Denver is awarding over $11 million in grants this week through the Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids initiative. The funding aims to expand access to nutritious food for low-income and at-risk youth, reinforcing the city’s commitment to hunger relief and community well-being.
Back in 2018, Denver voters took a bold step toward combating childhood hunger. With the approval of Ballot Measure 302, the Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids (HFDK) initiative was born—an ambitious effort to fund healthy meals and food education for the city’s youth. Approved by 59% of voters, the measure went into effect in January 2019, adding a modest 0.08% increase to the city’s sales and use tax…