Food for Hope began in 2014 when ThornCreek Church and Thornton Mayor Heidi Williams decided to take action in their community against the rising issue of hunger. The vision was to be a dynamic partnership with the City of Thornton, Adams County school districts, people of all faiths and walks of life, businesses, and residents. They wanted to have a weekend food program that distributed healthy food, specifically for children who were reliant upon receiving free and reduced meals at school. The program would be funded by organizations and ordinary people who simply cared about children.

In May 2014, Emily Stromquist was brought in to be the Executive Director of their effort. In early 2015, Food for Hope became an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Since then, Food for Hope has been consistently moving forward - pursuing financial sponsorship and healthy food donations to further its mission. Over the years, Food for Hope has expanded services to include Weekend Food Bags, School Fuel Snacks, and In-School Food Banks. This model is different from other food assistance models as it is centered around school district partnership, and working with social work teams to identify and serve children who are suffering most from food insecurity. Currently, Food for Hope operates 7 food banks that provide both fresh and shelf-stable food, including Adams 14 Hope Center, 27J Brighton Family Resource Center, Pinnacle Charter School, Shadow Ridge Middle School, McElwain Elementary, STEM Launch, and Northglenn High School. The Weekend Food Bag & School Fuel Snack programs ensure that children get the proper nutrition they need to learn, grow, and thrive at school. Food For Hope continues to empower and strengthen the future of our communities by providing vital nutrition to children in need throughout Adams County.

To learn more about the mission of Food for Hope and the organization’s impact, visit our website: https://foodforhope.net/impact.