Exciting News!

Mesa County Blueprint to End Hunger Released

After three years of meeting and planning, the Mesa County Hunger Alliance has developed its own comprehensive action plan to address hunger here in Mesa County. Our local efforts have been inspired by the statewide Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger and build on the strengths and assets here, including a strong commitment to inter-agency collaboration and entrepreneurial solutions to address hunger.
The Mesa County Blueprint to End Hunger lays forth a vision, goals and action steps to better address the emergency and short-term food assistance needs of our community. Hunger is an issue in Mesa County, where one in eight adults is considered “food insecure,” not sure where their next meal will come from. Over half of children in School District 51 qualify for free or reduced price lunch, a federal measure of hunger and poverty.
The Mesa County Blueprint to End Hunger was formally released on June 24th at a celebration event at the Community Food Bank. Mesa County is the first county in Colorado to develop its own hunger action plan. Erin Ulric of the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger Program Office in Denver complimented Mesa County for being a pioneer in the state on this issue. County Commissioner Janet Rowland, City of Grand Junction Mayor Chuck McDaniel and other local leaders spoke about the goals in the Blueprint and various projects underway to improve and strengthen hunger relief efforts. Members of the Mesa County Hunger Alliance direct service organizations and government entities were on hand in matching t-shirts to distribute the plan and answer questions of the media and the public.
Local planning efforts were supported with generous grants from the Colorado Health Foundation. Our Community Foundation provided staff support and facilitated the planning process and prepared the Blueprint document.
To read about the launch event, click here.
Read the rest of the issue here.