Hanging With Sea Lions

For the past couple months, FOX 31 and 2 The Deuce have been going above the call of duty for the sake of fighting hunger. Shaul Turner of FOX 31 has a heart for those less fortunate in Colorado and has made it her mission to get the community on board their Faces of Hunger Campaign, benefiting FBR. Her success has been outstanding! We've had more than double the amount of food/fund drives than is typical for this time of year and the phones keep ringing with corporations, non-profits and individuals wanting to do their part to feed our neighbors in need.

Last week, we were fortunate enough to be invited to Elitches for a morning TV shot with Shaul and Elitches summer show - 4 rowdy, entertaining sea lions. Janie and I spoke about the need and how far $1 goes through FBR and ended our morning with sea lion smooches. Not how we expected to spend the morning! Special thanks to Elitches for including us in your special promotion. We received over 1,000 pounds of food and over $400 in one day, due to your generosity and creativity. We value your partnership!

And to FOX 31, Shaul and 2 The Deuce, THANK YOU for dedicating so much valuable air time and personal time toward fighting hunger in Colorado. We're incredibly grateful for all you do!

Daniel

Hunger is so often an invisible problem. This is especially evident in the eyes of a child. You can see the joy in Daniel's eyes, despite the fact that his family doesn't always know where their next meal will come from. The bad things don't seem so bad to Daniel - he loves the fact that he can get doughnuts and play at the local church pantry. Daniel's parents both work. Every day. But they don't make enough to make ends meet for Daniel and his siblings. The local food pantry is their lifeline for food, fellowship and programs for the kids.

A Major Goal Accomplished!

When Food Bank of the Rockies moved into our current facility in 2006, we knew the need for food assistance was increasing. Expansion was necessary if we were to continue nourishing those less fortunate in our community. We're honored to announce very exciting news. We have wrapped up our 2009 fiscal year and due to contributions of time, talent and resources, the tireless work of our staff, board and many volunteers and the incredible generosity of this community, Food Bank of the Rockies has met the goals of our capital campaign and will start the new fiscal year with our building paid in full!

We are extremely grateful to everyone who contributed to the campaign – thank you! Your donations and efforts allowed us to leverage the entire $1.15 million in challenge grants made to us by our generous friends at the Boettcher, Gates Family and Kresge Foundations.

FBR's Janie with Scott and Peggy Shreeve

FBR Board Chair Dick Treich and fellow board members Uly Williams and Mark Boshoven

While we cannot begin to appropriately thank everyone who contributed, we do want to mention some very special people who went above-and-beyond efforts in making our campaign a success. In particular, please join us in thanking our campaign chair, John Strohm, who brought wonderful leadership and energy to the campaign and our honorary chair, Bob Slosky, for his wise counsel. We would also like to recognize Gary Magness and family for providing the lead gift for the campaign, Bruce Etkin, without whom this move would not have been possible and finally, our Board of Directors for their support and commitment to the campaign.

Bob and Carole Slosky

Food Bank of the Rockies’ staff also deserves special recognition. While moving tens of millions of pounds of food annually to meet the need of our neighbors struggling, they also helped build a foundation to allow us to continue fighting hunger in the future. The staff is the driving force of this organization. In particular, we would like to recognize the efforts of our recently retired Vice President of Development, Barbara Arko, who provided us with great leadership and vision throughout the campaign. This 6.3 million dollar campaign was the pinnacle of her fundraising career, which spanned over two decades at FBR.

Barbara and Glen Arko

FBR's Craig, Kim and Kim's daughter Mikaela.

FBR Staff Donna, Amanda, Sean, Theron & Kristina.

These small, heartfelt and simple words say volumes and are delivered humbly to each and everyone who has helped us reach this goal - thank you and congratulations!