200 Blue Shirts Join Forces in the Fight Against Hunger

One person can make a big difference in the fight against hunger....200 people joining forces for 6 hours on a given Saturday can make a HUGE difference!

This past Saturday, more than 3,000 local Comcast employees and their families and friends volunteered at more than 25 community organizations across Colorado as part of Comcast's eighth annual "Comcast Cares Day." This national day of service is one of the largest single days of corporate volunteer efforts in our country. FBR was fortunate enough to be gifted with 200 hard working people who showed up and made this place look brand new!

At 9:00am, shifts of volunteers wearing matching blue shirts were assigned a task. Packing food boxes, sorting and cleaning food drive items, painting walls, floors and doors, making cards for our Senior clients and landscaping. No matter the job, they all worked equally hard and by 4:00pm, FBR's warehouse and landscape looked brand new. It's amazing what a difference one day and 200 hearts and hands can make.

THANKS to Comcast for being an invaluable partner in the fight against hunger! And a special thanks to Sandra and TLC Gardening Services for going to the extra mile to make our property beautiful. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

Music by Jon Troast's album "a person and a heart."

Fighting Hunger, Springsteen Style

"The Boss" graced Denver with his legendary presence on Friday night. Those fortunate enough to find themselves at the Pepsi Center listened to hours of powerful music and generously responded to Mr. Springsteen encouraging them to donate to Food Bank of the Rockies. He said, "We've lived in some tough times, but this is unusual" and asked folks to donate to FBR. We were invited to host a booth at the concert, where countless Springsteen fans replied to his request and dropped off cash donations, totaling over $4,000.

This isn't the first time Bruce and his E Street Band have given a "shout out" to FBR. They've toured through Denver three times and have graciously included FBR in all the concerts, raising enough to provide over 250,000 meals in total. FBR is honored to be a charity that Mr. Bruce Springsteen supports. A huge FBR SHOUT OUT right back at ya for doing your part in fighting hunger and feeding hope!

Claudette

71 year old Claudette tells me that lately, it's impossible to make ends meet. For over 28 years she worked for Montgomery Ward and had to retire due to her husband's epilepsy and health issues. Until a few years ago, they managed to make ends meet without assistance. That's just not possible anymore. They're both on social security and rely on a local pantry for food - "a blessing from God," says Claudette. "We live in a small apartment. The energy costs, high cost of food, car insurance, gas...it's overwhelming. Growing old isn't for sissies. Throw in some health problems and before you know it, you're broke."

Things are Hoppin' at FBR!

April 8th was a busy Wednesday at FBR! It's not often that we're served the very food that's being donated, but yesterday that was the case. The Colorado Egg Producers donated 194,000 eggs to FBR all while cooking up fresh omelette's for our volunteers and staff! As if that wasn't excitement enough, the Easter Bunny showed up and took pictures with over 50 kids from Little Giants Day Care (and a few adults too).

This is the second year in a row the Colorado Egg Producers have donated a truck load of eggs to FBR. In total, they'll help more than 600,000 people who are at risk of hunger in Colorado through the donation of eggs around our state. Thanks to everyone who was involved in making the day a "hoppin" success!

194,000 eggs about to be unloaded into FBR's warehouse.

FBR's Kim and Kristina escort the Easter Bunny to his photo session.

A young food banker gives his candy to the "Big Bunny."

The kids from Little Giants Day Care thoroughly enjoyed their visit with FBR's Easter Bunny.

Curtis

For 10 years, Curtis worked as a Senior Program Analyst for the Denver Newspaper Agency. He made a good living and spent much of his free time volunteering with the company's ACTS Volunteer Program. For the past 2 years, Curtis has spent all his vacation days volunteering at FBR.

In October of last year Curtis was laid off. In a matter of minutes he was without income. After a couple months of unsuccessfully looking for work he called Olive at FBR and asked if he could volunteer at FBR. Curtis shows up at FBR every single morning around 8:30am, leaves mid afternoon and spends the rest of his days looking for work. "Volunteering here is how I get through my days. I was getting really depressed sitting at home looking for work and wondering what I was going to do." Curtis may not be working for a pay check right now, but he's definitely working to make a difference for countless people who are struggling to make ends meet.

The Perfect Sanctuary...The Finest Cuisine

Plans are underway for the 2009 Joe Sakic Celebrity Classic and Joe & Debbie Sakic Bringing Hope to the Table Celebration! Join Joe & Debbie Sakic, Food Bank of the Rockies & 5280 Magazine for an unforgettable day of golf & an elegant evening of entertainment & fine dining.

Joe Sakic Celebrity Classic
Sanctuary Golf Course - August 27, 2009

Joe & Debbie Sakic Bringing Hope to the Table Celebration
Inverness Hotel - August 28, 2009

Reserve your event package by calling 303.375.5838 or visit the Events Page at http://www.foodbankrockies.org/. The Joe Sakic Celebrity Classic is Presented by RE/MAX International. All net proceeds benefit Food Bank of the Rockies’ Children’s Programs.

A Kid Who Cares

When Kian first volunteered at FBR with his school, he enjoyed it so much, he convinced his mom to let him come help the food bank on a permanent basis. He even promised to complete his homework each afternoon before volunteering. We know when 14 year old Kian arrives on Tuesday evenings because he lights up the warehouse with his big smile and the constant skip in his step. He’s always ready and willing to help agencies fill their orders and any other task asked of him. 9NEWS agreed with us when we nominated him for their 9 Kids Who Care awards and they chose him as one of their winners for 2009. Congrats Kian and thanks for your dedication to fighting hunger and feeding hope!