On June 27, 2020, uniformed Scout volunteers big and small jumped out of vehicles to help carry and weight 18,500 pounds of food. Falcon Scout Troop 149’s hard work and diligent effort to promote the event resulted in Fresh Start Center’s largest food drive to date! Fresh Start Center and the residents it serves greatly appreciate the troop’s eagerness to benefit others in the Pikes Peak and Eastern Plains communities.
Covid-19: Food Pantry Procedure Update-June
Now in our next stage of Covid-19 procedures, we are having clients come in for service. We ask that you:
1) Bring a facemask and a government-issued ID card.
2) Maintain 6 feet of distance between families to help keep social distancing in place. If our reception informs you that no further information is needed, please return to your car.
3) We will bring your food to the trunk/back of your vehicle.
Fresh Start Center will update as needed and do our best to continue to serve the freshest produce and foods.
Thank you for helping us serve and keep everyone safe. -Fresh Start Center
If you are in need of food, please visit our Contact page.
If there are any additional changes to our operations or ability to normally distribute food, we will announce it on this web page and on our social media channels.
We continue to follow guidance of the El Paso County Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
As citizens we can all follow their guidance to stay healthy and minimize the spread of COVID-19:
Wash your hands often with soap and water
Cover coughs and sneezes
Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects
Stay home if you feel you are sick and practice social distancing
Anyone who has questions about the Fresh Start Center’s operations or our response to the COVID-19 outbreak is asked to email admin@freshstartcenter.com, and a member of our team will respond in a timely manner.
Covid-19: Food Pantry Procedure Update
Due to the rising concerns of Covid-19, we are adjusting our service style. If you are a client coming to our location, we ask that you:
1) Remain in your car when you arrive.
2) Call us at 719-495-3123 to let us know your name and that you are on our campus. We will serve you in your vehicle to reduce the amount of face to face contact.
3) We will bring your food to the trunk/back of your vehicle.
Fresh Start Center will update as needed and do our best to continue to serve the freshest produce and foods.
Thank you for helping us serve and reduce potential issues. -Fresh Start Center
If you are in need of food, please visit our Contact page.
If there are any additional changes to our operations or ability to normally distribute food, we will announce it on this web page and on our social media channels.
We continue to follow guidance of the El Paso County Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
As citizens we can all follow their guidance to stay healthy and minimize the spread of COVID-19:
Wash your hands often with soap and water
Cover coughs and sneezes
Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects
Stay home if you feel you are sick and practice social distancing (e.g. not attending gatherings of more than 10 people, avoiding contact with others)
Anyone who has questions about the Fresh Start Center’s operations or our response to the COVID-19 outbreak is asked to email admin@freshstartcenter.com, and a member of our team will respond in a timely manner.
Covid-19
At this time, there is NO change to the Fresh Start Center’s operations. We are continuing to operate under normal conditions. If you are in need of food, please visit our Contact page.
If there is any change to our operations or ability to normally distribute food, we will announce it on this webpage and on our social media channels.
We continue to follow guidance of the El Paso County Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control.
As citizens we can all follow their guidance to stay healthy and minimize the spread of COVID-19:
Wash your hands often with soap and water
Cover coughs and sneezes
Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects
Stay home if you feel you are sick and practice social distancing (e.g. not attending large gatherings, avoiding contact with others)
Anyone who has questions about the Fresh Start Center’s operations or our response to the COVID-19 outbreak is asked to email admin@freshstartcenter.com and a member of our team will respond in a timely manner.
Spring time?
I know that at times, it may not seem like it, but we are getting a few tastes of spring! As of this post, we have several seedlings sprouting up to 4 inches tall getting ready to make their way to our starter greenhouse to get a little stronger before heading out to the on-site raised beds. We are pumped as this should be a phenomenal year to teach urban farming practices to our families, bring students out to help connect them to where their food comes from, all while producing fresh foods for the families we serve! Check out our social pages at https://www.facebook.com/freshstartcenter/ or https://www.instagram.com/freshstartcenter/ for regular updates with photos, and leave us a comment!
We are underway with the planning aspects of our Boy Scout Troop 149 food drive which will start right around Easter. This event is an awesome show of how a group of people can come together and get results through hard work and dedication. Last year, they were able to collect 15,000 pounds of food and with the growth in the area, we are excited to see what they can do this year!
We are still humbled everyday by the work we are able to do while knowing we are serving the greater good which we are so thankful for. We love the support we receive from our neighbors and supporters which keeps us alive! Thank you!
Fresh Start Center receives $2,500 grant from Big Lots Foundation!
We are extremely to announce our gratitude to the Big Lots Foundation, and their partnership with Fresh Start Center to allow us to further our mission of providing nourishment to the food insecure families we!
The Big Lots Foundation provides philanthropic support to those seeking support with Hunger, Housing, Education, and Health. With this grant, we will be able to help provide nutrient rich foods to help fuel households by eliminating hunger, allowing individuals to focus on other issues or priorities present.
We are truly grateful to partner with such a great company, please check out Biglots! website and support their locations as they reinvest in their local communities!
Colorado Garden Foundation Awards $15,000 to Fresh Start Center
We are truly grateful for our partnership with Colorado Garden Foundation, and for all their support in fulfilling our mission!
Funds from this grant will help us to expand our garden site, allowing us to grow thousands of pounds of fresh food annually. This food will be distributed to food insecure families across our service area. The Colorado Garden Foundation provides grant funding to organizations across Colorado for horticulture related projects. The foundation also provides scholarships for students interested in entering the horticulture field.
They truly are an amazing foundation, and we are so thankful for their support. Check out their website for information on their garden shows and more.
Fresh Start Center Receives $6,500 Grant To Purchase Local Produce
LARGEST GRANT DISBURSMENT IN ONWARD! A LEGACY FOUNDATION HISTORY
“ Children in poorer communities are about 1.7 times more likely to struggle with obesity than their middle class peers. This is not just a case of bad food decisions, this is a case of not having any other choice because of whats available to them. Through this grant, thousands of families will have access to these amazing foods, and will have a more opportunity to make those healthy choices. We are incredible grateful for Onward! A Legacy Foundation!” - David Edson, Executive Director.
For Coloradans experiencing hunger, our statewide network of food banks and food pantries provides an access point for emergency food resources. Over the last three years, pantries across the state have been collecting feedback from clients. The surveys have consistently found that there was a mismatch between what foods are available and foods customers want and need to maintain a healthy, balanced diet; specifically PROTEIN, FRESH PRODUCE AND DAIRY. With that feedback in mind, The Food Pantry Assistance Grant is a product of Hunger Free Colorado’s efforts to increase access to healthy foods for all Coloradans. During the 2018 Legislative Session, Hunger Free Colorado worked with the Joint Budget Committee to secure funding in the state budget to be used for the purchase of Colorado Proud products. Because of the benefit to not only visitors of food pantries and banks, but also farmers and Colorado’s local economy, the funding was strongly supported. Onward! is honored to have been chosen as the fiscal agent for the Food Pantry Assistance Grant.
We are grateful to Hunger Free Colorado, the Colorado Department of Human Services, and our state’s elected officials for the work being done to address hunger in Colorado. To bring this grant benefit full circle, Hunger Free Colorado looked at Colorado's vibrant agricultural sector with a strong system for identifying foods grown, processed, and packaged here in Colorado through the "Colorado Proud" program (run by the Colorado Department of Agriculture). With Colorado farmers, ranchers and food businesses in search of new markets and food pantries and banks in search of high-quality, fresh protein, dairy, and produce for their clients the FOOD PANTRY ASSISTANCE GRANT is a new tool to support producers, consumers, food banks and pantries alike. Awards: The Food Pantry Assistance Grant review committee of six individuals from across the state of Colorado was busy at work after the Christmas holiday reading 75 grant applications totaling $1.6 million in requests. While $500,000 in state funding for both Cycle 1 and Cycle 2 only touches these requests, Onward! A Legacy Foundation is pleased to award $326,000 in funding to 70 food pantries and food banks across the state.
Fresh Start Center has an unwavering desire to bring high quality, fresh, and nutrient dense foods to families that would otherwise not be able to afford them.