FRCC raising awareness during Hunger & Homelessness Week
Did you know that there are approximately 580,000 Americans who are homeless on a typical night?
Or that 44 million people in our country are at risk of suffering from hunger?
Or that one in six children in the US lives in poverty—and 37.2 million Americans live below the poverty level?
These are just some of the reasons that FRCC has worked to earn the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s designation as a Hunger Free Campus.
But, of course, there’s a lot more work to be done.
Homelessness on the Rise
In Denver, homelessness has reached crisis levels. Overall homelessness in the seven-county metro area has increased by 13% between 2020 and 2022, according to the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless 2022 State of Homelessness Report.
The coalition also shares that:
- Approximately 15,374 students experienced homelessness/unstable housing in the 2020-2021 school year.
- Approximately 1,912 people ages 24 and younger were homeless on a point-in-time count in January 2022.
- Approximately 2,455 people identified as newly homeless in 2022, up 85% from 2020.
Coloradans Facing Hunger
Hunger is also a big problem in our state. Hunger Free Colorado reports that 33% of Coloradans lack reliable access to nutritious food. The organization also shares that:
- 20% of adults surveyed in April 2021 reported having to regularly cut back or skip meals due to not having enough money
- 7.5% of older adults face hunger in Colorado, forcing them to choose between purchasing groceries or medication
A Mission to End Hunger and Homelessness
These facts are startling, but the more communities come together to mobilize resources and share knowledge about hunger and homelessness, the closer we can come to ending these problems.
That’s what Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is about, a joint effort of the National Coalition for the Homeless and the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness. Each of us has the power to learn, educate one another, change the conversation about stereotypes, volunteer for service providers and more.
FRCC Has Three Food Pantries
FRCC is proud to be designated by the Colorado Department of Higher Education as a Hunger Free Campus. Alongside other Hunger Free-designated schools, FRCC offers student-focused programs and systems that ensure students have the resources they need.
Each FRCC campus has its own food pantry open to students:
- Located in C1102
- Hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-4pm, Fri 10am-3pm
- Stop by Student Life first so staff can open the pantry.
- Pre-orders must be submitted by 11am on Tuesday. Pickup days/times are Wednesday 10am-3pm and Thurs 12pm-5pm.
- Visitors can use the pantry up to 2 total times a week and get up to 2 bags of groceries per visit.
- Pre-orders + pick up at Student Life limited to once per week.
- Questions? Call Student Life at 303-678-3742.
Larimer Campus’s Food for Thought Pantry
- Located in LP 103
- In-person hours: Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm
- Pre-order pickup hours: Mon-Thurs 10am-5pm
- Pre-orders must be submitted by 3pm the day before pickup. Requests submitted Thursday will not be available for pickup until the following Monday.
- Visitors can get up to 4 bags of groceries per week.
- Questions? Email FoodforThought@frontrange.edu or call 970-404-5314.
- Online ordering only
- Pre-orders must be submitted one day prior to pickup (at a time/date you select).
- Orders must be picked up at the front desk of Student Life: C-0560.
- Questions? Call Student Life at 303-404-5314.
Students, if you signed up for a Thanksgiving meal kit with Student Life, you’ll be able to pick those up starting Monday, November 13, at your campus.
Where FRCC Students and All Coloradans Can Get Help
If you or another classmate, friend, peer or family member are in need of resources, housing, food, or other support, here are some good places to start:
- 2-1-1 Colorado –2-1-1 is a confidential and multilingual service connecting people to vital resources across the state. There are more than 8,000 resources in the database, including housing and shelter resources and food assistance resources. Call 211 to speak with a person on weekdays, or text your zip code to 898-211 to get resources that way.
- Metro Denver Homeless Initiative – This community-wide commitment is intended to coordinate the city’s response to homelessness. This is a great place to learn more about the issues and the effort to end homelessness and an excellent starting point to find help. They maintain a list of organizations in the region where people can get access to whatever they need to solve their housing crisis.
- Colorado Coalition – The coalition has many programs to help people find housing, healthcare and other support.
- City of Westminster homelessness resources and information
- Adams County Human Services
- City of Longmont Human Services
- Boulder County Human Services
- Larimer County Human Services
Get and Stay Involved
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an opportunity to learn about the struggles faced by so many in our community, but the reality is, people need help every day of the year. Get the facts. Get involved. There are many ways to make a difference and help others.
