The DPS Foundation Food Security Fund
Removing Barriers So Students Can Thrive
Make a Donation
Your generosity helps ensure that DPS students and families have reliable access to food — so students can focus on learning and growing. Every donation, no matter the size, makes a big difference for our students and their families.
The Denver Public Schools Foundation’s Food Security Fund supports our community in two key ways:
- Direct support to DPS schools: including those that operate their own food pantries or need resources like grocery gift cards to meet families’ needs quickly and compassionately.
- Funding directly to DPS Community Hubs: the district’s six centers that provide wraparound services to families, including access to on-site food pantries and essential household items.
The Need
The Food Security Fund was first launched in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, to help provide meals for students and families. Five years later, we’ve reopened the fund because food insecurity is once again on the rise across our community. With ongoing challenges like delays in SNAP benefit disbursements, government shutdowns, prices continuing to rise and with 62.8% of DPS students qualifying for free and reduced lunch, more families are turning to schools for help. Our schools are on the frontlines of this crisis — and we want to make sure they have the resources to support their communities right away.
The Growing Need in Our Schools
Since the end of October, we’ve seen a sharp increase in requests for food assistance. Schools across the district have submitted more than $200,000 in food funding requests, and while we’ve been able to support every school that has reached out, only a small portion of schools have received their full funding due to limited resources.
The most common request? Grocery gift cards. Schools tell us that gift cards are one of the most effective ways to meet food needs quickly — offering families both flexibility and dignity.
Making an Immediate Impact
To jumpstart this effort, the DPS Foundation made an initial $20,000 contribution to the Food Security Fund. Those dollars went directly to DPS Community Hubs, which provide wraparound support to families. The funds are helping to stock and sustain food mini marts within these hubs — places where families can access essential groceries and household goods at no cost. Donor support is making a tangible difference, ensuring shelves are full and families have access to what they need most.
Hear What People Are Saying About the Impact
Make a donation today and help us remove barriers so every DPS student can thrive — in school and in life.
Media Highlights
Sharing the Story of Impact
The work of the Food Security Fund has captured attention across Denver and beyond. See how local media have helped tell the story of the Food Security Fund and its impact across Denver Public Schools.
November 11, 2025
