Food Security Fund

At the beginning of remote learning for our students, together with the district, we identified the greatest need for our most vulnerable families during this time – food security. In light of the COVID-19 outbreak and with DPS’s decision to have an extended spring break starting on Monday, March 16, we knew that many families would need extra support during these challenging times. Together with the district, the DPS Foundation is working to rally behind our school community to leverage DPS’s already existing resources to help fulfill the food security needs of our families.

Update: We are no longer actively fundraising for this fund. Thanks to generous support, we are providing lunches for adults in need through the day before school starts on August 16.

The need:

  • Many of our children rely on school meals during the school day. Currently, nearly 64% qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch each day.
  • With existing funding, the district will provide breakfast and lunch to any child 18-years-old and younger. These Grab-and-Go meals can be picked up at sites geographically distributed throughout the city.
  • We know that if a child lives in a food-insecure home, the adults in the home are likely also in need of this essential basic need. Additionally, the food shortage and increased food prices will acutely impact the most vulnerable families and set them back even further.

Where the funding goes:

  • Your contribution to the Food Security Fund supports adults in need.
  • The funds will go directly to supplies and materials, not staffing, as this is leveraged by the existing operations of the Department of Food & Nutrition Services of DPS.

Some benefits of this approach:

  • The Grab-and-Go meals will allow families to take meals away from the meal sites to be consumed elsewhere, thus allowing for social distancing.
  • DPS will not be taking donations on-site or collecting any money from any participants at the drive-up locations to minimize the spread of germs.
  • With food deserts, families already have less access to grocery stores.

The DPS Foundation made a commitment to this early on so that under so much uncertainty our families would have one less thing to worry about.

To make your contribution go even further, we worked with philanthropic partners who pledged their support to activate broader community giving to help us reach this goal together. We are a community. The heart of our communities depends on Denver Public Schools. Denver Public Schools depends on all of us.

This donation is tax-deductible and could qualify for an employer match. Check with your employer for eligibility. We will be closely monitoring the greatest need during this ever-changing situation and responding to new needs.

We accept gifts from donor-advised funds (DAF). To complete the form, reference Denver Public Schools Foundation/Food Security Fund. Our address is 1860 Lincoln St. 10th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Our Tax ID is 84-1224325. Please notify us of your pledge via email at info@dpsfoundation.org.

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions page for further details.

Donate to DPS Foundation area of greatest need to create a powerful impact for our students. We know there will be other needs to support our students.

This effort is supported by our community and powered by our generous sponsors. Thank you to all of our philanthropic partners and individual donors for their support.

1860 Lincoln Street, 10th Floor
Denver, Colorado 80203-7301
p: (720) 423-3553
f: (720) 423-3968
e: info@dpsfoundation.org

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