$10,000 = 2 Totes of Hope Children Sites!

2 weeks ago, when we launched our "Facebook Fans Feeding Tummies" campaign, we hoped to raise $5,000 to start a new Totes of Hope-Children site.  We were eager to see what our Facebook fans would come back with!  Today, we couldn't be more excited to announce that our rock star fans raised $10,000 - double of what we originally asked for!  We'll now be able to support TWO Totes of Hope-Children sites as a result of the generosity of our followers!!!!! 

This successful fundraiser follows a Facebook campaign where Natural Grocers donated $1 for every new "like" our page received.  We hoped for 500 new fans and were floored with the final result....1,327!!!!!!  We continue to be humbled by the dedication of our donors and social media fans.  What an amazing way to reach out and spread the word about hunger in our community.  THANK YOU!

Coors was in the House

The United Way and Miller Coors plays an incredibly active role in our community!  We were fortunate enough to welcome a group of Miller Coors volunteers, through United Way, here this past week.  And to top it off, they created this fantastic video, documenting their experience with us!  Check it out HERE.

We can't thank these two groups enough for their dedicated to fighting hunger!

#25, A 9NEWS Hunger Champion

Mark Koebrich, 9NEWS Anchor

“All of us at 9News are deeply committed to the cause of food security. We support Food Bank of the Rockies and their mission to keep families and at need individuals from going hungry.  With 1-in-7 Coloradans struggling with hunger, the need has never been greater, the mission has never been more urgent.”

About Mark:

Mark Koebrich joined Channel 9 in September 1981 from WLKY-TV in Louisville, Kentucky. Koebrich came to 9NEWS as the Southern Bureau reporter in Colorado Springs. Later that year, Koebrich helped launch 9NEWS 6:00AM with Bertha Lynn, Larry Camp and Krista Bradford. Koebrich anchored the early morning news for six years and was then assigned to anchor 9NEWS at 12:00pm and 9NEWS 4:30pm with former staffer Linda Benzel.

Mark Koebrich is now the anchor for 4 o'clock @ 9NEWS and 9NEWS at 5, 6, and 10 pm. He is also the 9NEWS Consumer Reporter.  Koebrich's enthusiasm for each project assigned has merited him a variety of experiences. In 1986, Koebrich was a finalist for NASA's Journalist in Space project. In 1988, Mark was loaned from 9NEWS to the Grant Tinker-Gannett program "USA TODAY - The Television Show" as a national correspondent. Beginning in 1992 until its last telecast in September 1994, Koebrich hosted "Good Afternoon Colorado" weekday afternoons on Channel 9. "Good Afternoon Colorado" launched a spin-off craft, hobby and collectibles program for the Discovery Channel daytime lineup called "Start to Finish." The program aired on Discovery for eighth seasons.

Koebrich has covered the Olympic Games in China, Salt Lake City and Atlanta for both NBC News Channel and KUSA. He spent three weeks in the jungles of Guatemala following a group of Kentucky doctors and nurses, and he followed the Denver Broncos to four Super Bowls. He has won a dozen Emmys for his work, including awards for best spot news coverage, best anchor and best documentary.

Koebrich is a native of Illinois and graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. He received a degree in Journalism with special emphasis in radio and television with a minor in speech and public relations. His television career was launched in Terre Haute, Indiana at WTHI-TV as News Director/Primary Anchor from 1974 to 1978. Koebrich moved to WLKY-TV in Louisville, Kentucky serving as Bureau Chief before coming to 9NEWS.

Koebrich gives a great deal of time to local charities and is a popular program speaker. He and his wife, Cathy, have two grown children.

#24, A Little Opie Goes a Long Way

Jake Schroeder, Front Man of Opie Gone Bad

“I’ve partnered with Food Bank of the Rockies for the past few years and plan to continue in that partnership for years to come.  The work they do in fighting hunger in our own communities is outstanding and I can’t think of a cause more worthy than providing a basic necessity that none of us could live without.  I’m honored to lend my voice to both advocate for such a worthy organization as well as entertain their supporters at various events throughout the year.”   

#23, a Lovely Lady & Hunger All Star

Kathie J, Morning Show Host on KS 107.5

"Before KS1075 started partnering with Food Bank of the Rockies for the KS 1074 food drive, I had no idea how many children and adults Food Bank of the Rockies feeds.  I don't think most people are aware that churches, schools and other food pantries rely on Food Bank of the Rockies for their own supplies to give to people in need.  I’m honored to be on the Celebrity Council because I want everyone to be aware of the issue of hunger in our communities and how easy it is to help.”

About Kathie J:

Kathie J is co-host, along with Larry Ulibarri and Kendall B, on Denver’s #1 morning show, the KS1075 Morning Show. The show has aired for over a decade and has been consistently ranked #1 in the station's target demographic.  Kathie J grew up on Thornton and had an early passion for volunteering. She was active in Girl Scouts and Student Council throughout her school years. In college, she was a Domestic Violence Ambassador for the El Paso Courts. She has also volunteered weekly at local Denver area animal shelters for over 10 years. Her relationship with Food Bank of the Rockies began with the yearly KS1075 Food Drive for Food Bank of the Rockies.

The Dynamic 4 Duo, #21 & #22

Jim Benemann & Karen Leigh, Anchors on CBS 4

Photo by Hans Rosemond

“In good times and bad, there is big demand on Food Bank of the Rockies to feed hungry people in our community. Without Food Bank and the generous Coloradans who support their vital mission, many people would not be able to provide food for themselves and their families. Their mission of fighting hunger and feeding hope comes down to basic human dignity.  The staff and volunteers at Food Bank of the Rockies serve up dignity and hope with every box of food distributed.”

About Jim:

Emmy-award winning journalist Jim Benemann and Karen Leigh are co-anchors of CBS4 at 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.  Jim is an outstanding journalist and an exceptional communicator. His passion for his work and his commitment to this community make him one of the most respected broadcasters in Colorado. Jim’s anchoring and reporting background has included major assignments on local, national and international stories.

He established a broadcasting bureau in Washington D.C., where he covered Capitol Hill, political campaigns and sent home reports from Cuba, Korea, South America and Europe. Jim is a Chicago native. He attended Colorado State University, earning a degree in broadcasting in 1978.


His TV news career began in Davenport, Iowa but Jim and his family have always felt at home in Colorado. Prior to returning to CBS4 where he anchored in the early 1990′s, Jim worked at Denver’s KUSA-TV and at KGW-TV in Portland, Ore. In his spare time, Jim likes spending time with his family, golfing and getting into the beautiful Colorado back country.


About Karen:
CBS4 Anchor Karen Leigh is thrilled to be in Denver and at CBS4.  “From the moment I arrived at the airport I noticed something special about the people here,” Karen said. “Everyone looks you in the eye, greets you with a smile and is quick to chat. There’s warmth to the folks here that I’ve been looking for in a community. I already love this place!”


Karen joined the CBS4 News team in 2008 as anchor of CBS4 news at 5pm, 6pm, 6:30pm, and 10pm from WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she served as an Emmy Award winning morning show anchor since 2004.


Prior to WCCO, Karen worked for two years in her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas as the 5 and 10pm weekday anchor for KTHV-TV. She spent most of her career reporting in the field from WKRN-TV in Nashville, Tennessee where she won two other Emmys – one for reporting live in the field and the other for a hard news series.


And most recently, Karen added another Emmy to her resume, picking up one locally for anchoring a Beating the Recession special in 2009.  Karen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from Arkansas State University.  Karen says: “Since finding my home in Colorado, my blessings just keep coming. I have not only fallen in the love with the people here, but I met and recently married Colorado native Jim Peros, and together we have an amazing daughter named Elle.”  Karen enjoys spending time at home with her family and doing anything outdoors.  Karen is passionate about family, work and helping the community.

Announcing #20, Congresswoman Diana DeGette

Congresswoman Diana DeGette

“Keeping our families healthy has been a primary focus of my time in Congress, and that commitment is borne out of the same commitment Food Bank of the Rockies demonstrates day-in and day-out: that access to safe, healthy food is something every American deserves.  In these difficult economic times, many families who perhaps never thought they’d need the services of a food bank are struggling to put meals on the table, and the Food Bank of the Rockies goes a long way to filling that need.  They deserve our thanks, and perhaps more importantly, our assistance for everything they do for the people of this region, and that is why I am honored to work with Food Bank of the Rockies to help in the fight against hunger.”  

About Congresswoman DeGette:

Chief Deputy Whip Diana DeGette is serving her 8th term in Congress as Representative for the First District of Colorado. As a member of the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce, an exclusive congressional committee with vast jurisdiction over health care, trade, business, technology, food safety, and consumer protection, she is one of the leading voices in the health care debate in this country. She also serves as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, which conducts the oversight of, and investigations into, issues falling under the jurisdiction of the full committee. As a member of the Democratic leadership, she played a vital role in the reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, has fought for tough food safety legislation, and was a key player in crafting a comprehensive consumer product safety bill.


U.S. Rep. DeGette is also the chief architect of legislation to expand stem cell research, which has been passed twice with broad, bipartisan support in Congress. The measure was vetoed twice by President George W. Bush – including his very first presidential veto. A life-long Coloradoan, U.S. Rep. DeGette is guided by traditional Western values. She’s also the author of the landmark Colorado Wilderness Act, which would protect and preserve pristine land across Colorado for generations to come. She has fought to enhance her constituents’ access to affordable quality health care, expand mass transit, improve transportation in the Denver area, clean up environmental waste sites, and improve opportunities for small business.