Local Advocacy

Member Campus Program - Care and Share works to increase the capacities of local partner agencies - such as food pantries and shelters - to provide sustainable responses to hunger, particularly in rural areas, and to build awareness of the issue of hunger in their communities.

Nutrition Education - Care and Share teaches practices of sound nutrition and health to young people, and family members when they can attend, including the makeup of a nutritious diet, how non-nutritious foods affect health, smart ways to shop healthy on a tight budget, and the importance of exercise. We aim to inspire healthy habits that create wellbeing and classroom-ready children.

Local Gardens - In 2009, Care and Share introduced an education/advocacy component that teaches young people how to garden and the importance of fresh and locally grown foods through growing vegetables in our 22,000 square feet of gardens. In collaboration with other community organizations, we also work to establish gardens in neighborhoods across southern Colorado. We also work with Farm to Table and local growers to bring fresh local produce into our food distribution chain and on to kitchen tables, all while supporting the southern Colorado farm economy.

State & National Advocacy

Because of our high profile in southern Colorado and our advocacy work on the Farm Bill, Care and Share was selected by Colorado Senator Michael Bennet to advocate for legislation he has introduced. Care and Share's previous CEO worked with Senator Bennet to demonstrate the importance of excluding combat pay for military families in determining eligibility for WIC and the National School Lunch Program. This provision is similar to the change we successfully advocated for in the recent Farm Bill as combat pay is no longer included in determining eligibility for SNAP. Deborah Tuck, current President & CEO of Care and Share, is committed to continuing advocacy efforts at the state and national level and is in the process of implementing a program to increase access to SNAP for eligible families in our service area.

Care and Share continues to work with the Colorado Food Bank Association to increase access to Colorado's food stamp program. We have been working with Rep. John Kefalas to establish a statewide poverty task force (HB1064) to address poverty issues and expect to be intimately involved as this initiative moves forward. The plan is to reduce the number of Coloradoans living in poverty by half by 2012, and to collaboratively address issues relating to poverty, nutrition programs, employment programs and self-sufficiency.