On July 1, the Summer 2025 cohort of the Advocacy Leadership Academy wrapped up its final session—and with it, we’re proud to celebrate the graduation of 12 emerging community leaders.
Over the past eight weeks, these participants built power together—growing their advocacy skills, deepening their understanding of policy, and expanding their knowledge around campaign strategy and power-building. They brought their unique perspectives and commitment to equity into every session.
For Coloradans of all identities, food is not just nourishment; it’s a celebration of culture, an expression of joy, and a tool for resistance and cultural preservation. For immigrant and LGBTQIA2+ communities, food has long served as both a lifeline and a love language—a way to hold on to heritage, resist marginalization, and cultivate community. There is no better place to witness that intersection than at the table.
Access to nutritious food is critical for young children and families, yet Trump’s 2026 federal budget proposal would slash benefits to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), particularly the monthly fruit and vegetable benefit for children and pregnant participants.
This Juneteenth, we celebrate the day that marked the end of slavery in the United States as well as reflect on the deep connections between racial justice and food justice. Join us in uplifting Black voices — applauding their leadership and successes, and honoring their resilience and perseverance in the face of ongoing adversity within and beyond our food system.
The 2025 state legislative session brought some notable wins, valuable lessons, and new momentum for our food justice movement. In our recap, you’ll see which laws were enacted, which were stalled, and what’s ahead as we continue building a policy and advocacy landscape rooted in equity and community power.
June 5, 2024
As an organization committed to transparency and collaboration, the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger presents its 2024 state legislative session review. Our team, through the Blueprint’s State Policy Committee, entered the session with many collective priorities. Join us in celebrating wins and reflecting on lessons learned as we all move towards a policy and advocacy landscape that’s fully accessible and working for the people of Colorado.
May 30, 2024
Our Connecting Food & Health Project Team is gathering sign-ons for a letter to the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy & Financing. It’s intended to show our support as advocates for a Regional Accountable Entity bid process that prioritizes: equity and inclusion, food and nutrition supports, and accountability and performance improvement in our state’s Medicaid program called Health First Colorado.
May 28, 2024
The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger has officially concluded its yearlong strategic planning and transformation process! Earlier this month, our Governing Council unanimously approved the Blueprint’s new framework and structure – and we’re ready to share a little more about what this means for our future (with more to come soon).
May 17, 2024
All over Colorado, farmers’ markets are starting to pop up with local growers ready to sell their farm-fresh produce! These markets are a vital part of our food systems, serving as a way for community members to access local, nourishing foods while also providing income opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and other producers.
May 15, 2024
House Bill 2024-1301, with a focus on time to eat and play in Colorado public schools, did not advance during the 2024 state legislative session. While the Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger and Nourish Colorado are disappointed in the outcome, both organizations will continue to advocate for time-to-eat policies in Colorado. Together, we plan to create our own opportunities to evaluate best practices and policies, which will kick off this summer with ample options for network input.
May 14, 2024
This month, the Blueprint recognizes Asian American, Native Hawai’ian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. It’s a time to reflect upon and celebrate the many contributions of the AANHPI community – consisting of culturally and linguistically diverse people representing many countries and islands of origin – throughout our nation’s history. It’s also a time to recognize the many challenges that these communities have endured and continue to face today in Colorado and beyond, including access to nourishing and culturally relevant food.
May 1, 2024
With equity as a core value, the Blueprint is committed to ongoing learning and self-reflection as an organization that’s regenerative and actively working to reverse historical inequities, particularly as it relates to food justice and sovereignty. Our team is kicking off an assessment to evaluate our internal processes and outcomes through an equity lens. Our first step in this process, identified by our team, prioritized co-crafting a broader equity statement with our land acknowledgment built into it.
April 30, 2024
The Blueprint, with support from the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment and Colorado Department of Education, updated its child nutrition story map this spring. The online resource was initiated by Workgroup #5 and made publicly available to help maximize federal child nutrition programs across the state. It maps out the current state of the Child & Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in Colorado.
April 29, 2024
The Blueprint and partners thank the Biden-Harris Administration for their recent announcement of 141 new bold commitments as part of the Call to Action for the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health. As part of their National Strategy on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, we hope the Administration will consider the unique needs of rural, frontier, and micro-communities, particularly their challenges to accessing federal funds.
April 18, 2024
The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger’s Microfunding Project Team is excited to announce that eight individuals and grassroots organizations will receive funding support as part of its microgrant initiative. Each will receive $3,000 to bolster their efforts to increase access to nutritious, affordable food in their local communities.
April 17, 2024
Beginning this year, the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (Summer EBT or S-EBT) program will provide eligible families with $120 per eligible student through a one-time payment, equating to $40 per month of summer break. Benefits will come in the form of pre-loaded cards that families can use to purchase groceries.
April 16, 2024
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced its final rule revising the food package for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). It emphasizes more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as well as presents a wider choice of foods from different cultures, with implementation happening over the next two years.
April 4, 2024
Denver City Council recently passed an ordinance requiring Denver restaurants to offer water or milk as the default drink options on kids’ menus. the Blueprint’s State Policy Committee was one of the organizations that endorsed the Healthy Drinks in Kids’ Meals strategy, expressing support for the recommendation to ensure the automatic beverage on children’s menus is a healthy one.
April 3, 2024
What’s happening and coming up at the Blueprint? We’ve brought together funders to work towards food justice in Colorado. Plus, we’re hosting a virtual tour of The Hunger Museum, a community workshop on nutrition and self-care awareness, and open office hours for your equity challenges and questions.
April 2, 2024
During the 2024 session, state legislators have introduced more bills recently. The Colorado Blueprint to End Hunger's State Policy Committee is actively involved in and tracking several of them. This includes the Healthy Food Incentives Fund, the Community Food Assistance Provider Grant Program, and legislation to address some of the funding challenges with Healthy School Meals for All.
March 21, 2024
Throughout the week of March 25, we will join community leaders, union members, and many others across Colorado in celebrating César Chávez Day on Sunday, March 31. This commemorative holiday recognizes the legacy of the national labor and civil rights activist on his birthday and promotes community service in honor of the Chicano and Mexican American efforts for labor rights.
March 13, 2024
The Blueprint’s Workgroup #2/3: Healthy Food Access in Communities launched a new microgrant program in 2023, awarding $30,000 to community members and grassroots organizations during its first round of funding. With support from the Colorado Community Health Alliance, they’re now pledging a total of $24,000 to support more small projects that aim to increase access to nutritious, affordable food in local communities. The application opens on Friday, March 15.
