Put On Your Running Shoes!

Panera Bread's sixth annual Panerathon 5K and 10K to Fight Hunger is coming up quickly! On Sunday, September 16 the event will take place at the Panera Bread in the Shops at Walnut Creek, located at 10450 Towncenter Drive in Westminster, Colorado. Races include a 5K walk/run and 10K run starting at 8:00 a.m. that wind through the Westminster Trail System, as well as an eighth-mile Panera Bread Kids Fun Run at 7:45 a.m. All proceeds will benefit us!

Last year nearly 900 runners participated in the Westminster Panerathon and raised $11,746, yielding more nearly 47,000 meals for Coloradans in need of food. This year’s event aims to raise $15,000-$20,000 for our hungry neighbors.

“With so many of our neighbors seeking food assistance, Colorado’s hunger relief programs rely on support from Food Bank of the Rockies and the community,” said Kevin Seggelke, President and CEO, Food Bank of the Rockies. “Hunger relief is a year-round struggle and we appreciate Panera Bread’s partnership and commitment to fighting hunger and feeding hope through its annual Panerathon.”

Participants will receive an event t-shirt, goody bag, and timing chip on race day. Custom certificates and gift cards from Panera Bread and Road Runner Sports will be given to the top overall male and female finishers in the 5K and 10K. Participants and their families are invited to enjoy the post-race expo, including activities for the entire family and Panera’s complimentary freshly baked bagels, pastries and sandwiches.

“Panera Bread is committed to supporting our local communities and the fight against hunger,” said Craig Flom, President of Breads of the World, LLC, franchisee of Panera Bread in Colorado.“We encourage runners and walkers of all ages and abilities to join us for the Panerathon 5K/10K and help support Food Bank of the Rockies.”

The 5K and 10K registration fee for an individual is $30 pre-race and $40 on race day. The youth (17 years old and younger) and senior (60 years old and over) registration fees are $25 pre-race and $35 on race day. The pre-race registration fee is $20/person for teams of 10 or more, and $30/person for teams of 10 or more on race day. For more information and to register, visit www.Panerathon.com.

Hope to see you and your family (and even your dog) there!

 

 

 

Produce, Produce, Produce!

The United States Department of Agriculture recently awarded a Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) grant to the Colorado Department of Human Services to provide fresh produce for 1,000 low-income seniors.  These groups teamed up with FBR on August 18 to distribute locally grown fruit stand vegetables from local growers to Colorado seniors as a result of this first time grant.  In 2011, 51 State agencies received grants to operate the SFMNP. We were thrilled to be added as a recipient this year.  Nutrition education and information was also provided to senior recipients, encouraging seniors to improve and expand their diets through produce items.  

 

Included in each box was watermelon, cantaloupe, two cucumbers, yellow squash, green peppers, head of cabbage, three one pound bags of carrots, one three pound bag of onions, six ears of corn, one acorn squash, a five pound bag of potatoes, six peaches and one bundle each of green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce and fresh spinach.     

 

It was awesome to see so many of our neighbors in need being provided with healthy produce that is so often too expensive to purchase!  We hope to receive this grant again next year! 

Faces of Food Bank: Kristina

It only seems appropriate to introduce Kristina during our week of all things "Sakic."  Kristina is our event queen.  If an event needs organization, planning, coordination or implementation, Kristina is leading the pack.  She's the master at making things look pretty and raising money in the process.  Kristina also sits on our Social Media team and heads up our Associate Board.  When she’s not out managing events, you can find her on the second floor of our Denver warehouse.  Kristina found her way to Colorado when she saw gorgeous photos of the flatirons surrounding CU-Boulder, her alma martar.  She loves Colorado and the opportunity to make things beautiful all while making a difference in our community.     

A Tour of Food Bank of the Rockies

Have you toured our facility?  If not, many people don't have a clear picture of what exactly happens behind the scenes at our Denver warhouse.  We'd love to tour you in the future, but in the meantime, the staff at FBR is thrilled to invite you a glimpse inside our world of fighting hunger and feeding hope!  Check out this AWESOME video from our friends at Black Diamond Media Productions!  It's worth 3 minutes - we promise!

Check out the video HERE! 

 

Faces of Food Bank: George

Friendly George is rarely seen on FBR grounds as he spend most of his days in the FBR van, delivering commodity food boxes to home bound seniors.  With over 300 seniors served per month, George keeps busy  taking notes on his routes for better efficiency as well as offering excellent customer service to help grow our Commodity Supplemental Food Program for seniors.   George grew up with dreams of being a football player, but is incredibly proud to work with the clients we serve and spends his spare time with his wife and six grand kids.

2 Weeks and Counting!

We've been busy busy with all things Sakic this week!  With Joe's celebrity golf tournament and the Joe and Debbie Sakic Bringing Hope to the Table Celebration approaching (2 weeks from today), we've been in event mode.  Our CEO, Kevin Seggelke was joined by presenting sponsors, RBC Wealth Management and CoBank on Channel 2's "Colorado's Best" on Tuesday morning.  Check out their interview below. 

Colorado's Best Interview

This morning, Joe sat down with Channel 2's Tom Green and FOX 31's Melody Mendez to discuss details of the dinner event (and of course his recent induction into the Hall of Fame).  We're thrilled with ticket sales for this year's event and would love to add more guests to our most exciting event yet!  Joe Sakic, Hazel Miller, Jake Schroeder, comedian Craig Shoemaker, Paul Stastny, live and silent auction, delicious food, libations....a rather fabulous Friday night on the town! 

FOX 31's Interview with Joe
Colorado's Own Channel 2's Interview with Joe

 Visit our web site to purchase tickets today! Every ticket purchased will provide 1,000 meals to Colorado kids!  Thanks to RBC Wealth Management, CoBank, 104.3 The Fan, FOX 31 and Colorado's Own Channel 2 for sponsoring this year's events 

Season to Share Provides Hope

Once again, we're thrilled to announce the FBR recently received a $50,000 gift through Denver Post Charities, a McCormick Foundation Fund.  A record-breaking $2,820,000 was distributed to 65 Denver-area nonprofits with funds raised through this year's Season to Share campaign.  Since 1992, this program has raised charitable donations that are matched and disbursed to local nonprofit organizations serving our neighbors in need:  low-income children as well as those who are homeless, hungry or in need of medical care.  Funds are raised through reader, community and corporate donations and each dollar donated is matched at 50 cents by the McCormick Foundation.  The Denver Post and McCormick Foundation pay all administrative and promotional costs, allowing 100% of donations, plus the match, to go directly to charitable organizations. 

In total over the past 20 years, more than $32 million improving the lives of those in need.  Food Bank of the Rockies will use its Denver Post charities funding to support our Fighting Hunger Feeding Hope program in Metro Denver.  THANKS to everyone who made this outstanding gift possible!   

Noble Energy STEPS UP!

Our warehouse was abuzz last week when Noble Energy arrived with 76 energetic and motivated volunteers!  It's not every day we get groups that large, so we were eager to get them working!  And that they did.  Not only did they volunteer from 8:30am to 3:00pm, they also gifted us with a generous check for $20,000, which will provide 80,000 meals to our neighbors in need.  This is on top of the $20,000 they donated last year! 

The group of 76 employees divided up into teams and created a competition of sorts during their volunteer time.  This created a lot of added energy and laughter throughout the day.  See below for a break out of their teams. 

 How awesome is Noble Energy?  We're so grateful to our friends for ALL they do.  They truly go above and beyond in making a difference in our communities.   

 Team Blue!

 Team Green!

 Team Orange!

Team Yellow!

Faces of Food Bank: Kim

As the Vice President of Development, Kim knows the ins and outs of fundraising like the back of her hand.  She’s responsible for the overall planning, implementation, supervision, coordination and evaluation of all fund developing staffing and activities.  She focuses on major gifts, endowment and capital needs for the organization.  You can find Kim and her contagious laugh on the second floor of our Denver warehouse. Kim loves the Colorado mountains but would move to Hawaii in a heartbeat.  She has been with FBR for 16years and loves the fact that she goes home feeling really good about what she does for a living.    

Faces of Food Bank: Jerry

Our friend Jerry can be found either behind the wheel of a FBR truck or hustling around our Denver warehouse, loading and unloading product from trucks, keeping accurate driver route logs, maintaining equipment, assisting with inventory control, pulling agency orders, stocking and other related administrative tasks.  As a kid, Jerry dreamed of becoming a pro basketball player, but while he works on that dream, he’s happy serving our clients and providing food assistance for those in need.  Jerry grew up in a huge family with 7 sisters and 5 brothers and claims spaghetti to be his meal of choice. 

A Whole Lotta Ears

We shouldn’t be surprised when 70+ Coloradans come together for a good cause,but this past Monday morning was truly amazing!  30,000 ears of sweet corn were picked, bagged, put on pallets, shrink wrapped and loaded into FBR's warehouse in less than 3 hours!   This would not have been possible without all of the volunteers involved on both ends.  In additional to over 70 volunteer pickers, we want to thank everyone listed below for their involvement in providing this awesome source of summer food to our neighbors in need! 

Bruce Postovit, Farmer Mike Kosman, Monsanto Vegetable Seeds, CPS, Ronnie Graff / CHS / Bruce & Amy,  CHS, Pope Vegetable Farm and Simplot