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building A new home for food access

We Don’t Waste’s new Food Recovery Hub represents a new phase of growth for the organization, a bigger and better home for food recovery and distribution. Not only can we house more food, but we can also welcome more of our community with dedicated spaces for student engagement, nutrition and food waste education, and volunteering.

Our vision is that Everyone will have access to nutritious food when they need it and the ability to engage with their local food system.

a capital campaign for the purchase of a new building

more space = more food for all

Food-insecure families in Denver need food, and they need it now. As the largest independent food recovery organization in the state, we must grow our space to meet the increasing levels of food insecurity in our community.

Food access is a key component of physical and mental health, and has a major impact on long-term health results. The Food Recovery Hub brings our community closer to our goal of food recovery for all.

“Good food is your source of energy. It takes you through the day. You aren’t thinking about your empty stomach or how tired you are. You can make it through the day.”

Manuela

Mobile Food Market Participant

“We hear from our community that the fresh fruits and veggies are popular and more culturally-appropriate for our clients, instead of the canned food that is normally found at food banks, so thank you for being a source of that for our program.”

Project worthmore

Recipient Agency

“We are so lucky to have the donated food from We Don’t Waste. The food program has transformed our agency. Our clients/residents are able to have access to an amazing selection of healthy, clean and wide variety of foods.”

Hope Communities

Recipient Agency

“Without We Don’t Waste I wouldn’t be able to feed myself. I’m on disability and depend on the food at the markets to get protein and vegetables. Food is so expensive now and food stamps don’t cover everything I need.”

Gregory

Mobile Food Market Participant

Ways to contribute to the campaign

  • Cash, Card & Check
  • Donor-Advised Fund
  • In-Kind
  • Legacy Gift
  • Have a different way to give? Just let us know!

We are 75% of the way to our $9 million dollar goal!

As a leader in the space of food recovery in Denver, We Don’t Waste is uniquely positioned to solve the issues of food insecurity and food waste.

THERE IS NO TIME TO WASTE.

Our Capital Campaign Committee

Tom Halverson

Committee Co-Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer, CoBank

Joe Vostrejs

Committee Co-Chair, Founder/Principal, City Street Investors

Paulo Andre

CEO, Kiewit Meridiam Partners

Jeremy Bronson

Owner, Occasions Catering

Rhys Duggan

President, CEO, & Managing Partner, Revesco Properties

Russell Gruber

Owner/Broker, Gruber Commercial Real Estate Services

Gary Moore

Community Volunteer/Advocate (former Owner, Materials Handling Equipment Company)

Kevin Preblud

Chief Operating Officer and Partner, EXDO Group

Michael Richards

Retired Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, DCP Midstream Partners

Mary Vostrejs, M.D.

Pediatric Primary Care, Denver Health

our vision for the future

Located in Denver’s Northeast Park Hill neighborhood, the 30,000 square-foot Food Recovery Hub will be three times the size of our current space, with 3x the storage space, 3x the freezer space, and 2x the cooler space. More food in our doors means more food out to our partner agencies and food deserts around the Greater Metro Denver area.

Increased food distribution

Onboard new partners

We Don’t Waste currently works with 100+ nonprofit partner agencies for food distribution, with more than a few dozen agencies on our waitlist. Much of the food we recover is distributed to local nonprofits that provide this food for free to various communities through food pantries, grab-n-go groceries, warm meal centers, and more. By having the space to recover and store more food, we can bring on more partners for distribution, and increase food security across Denver.

more mobile food markets

There are more than 50 food deserts in the Denver metro area. We Don’t Waste works to combat this issue by establishing farmers market-style food distributions that offer free produce, protein, baked goods, snacks, and more. This allows us to bring food access to the communities that need it the most. With more capacity, we can bring our Mobile Food Markets to more neighborhoods.

Expanded PROGRAMS and new opportunities

demonstration kitchen

Want to know how you can reduce food waste at home? Maybe you’re a decent cook, but need to learn a thing-or-two about proper food prepping. And exactly which parts of a carrot are edible? Our new industrial kitchen will allow us to provide hands-on learning experiences to community members looking to learn more about nutrition, food waste reduction, and upcycling food.

classroom

Whether you lead a class of 30 first-graders or an office of 50 employees, you can get involved in food recovery! Improved volunteer spaces and a brand-new classroom will allow the We Don’t Waste team to host large groups for field trips and community events. There is so much more to do and so many ways to get involved in Colorado’s food system!

Volunteer Space

The new Food Recovery Hub allows the We Don’t Waste team to host more groups at once, with dedicated spaces to accommodate staff and volunteer groups comfortably. With accessible and thoughtfully designed spaces, it will be like a second home to anyone who comes through our doors.

Garden

With nearly an acre of land adjacent to the food hub, our community will be able to participate in the entire lifecycle of food. From planting seeds, to harvesting, to creating fertilizer through composting, visitors will be able to witness and support the growth cycle of edible foods (and even take some home)! This space also offers flexibility as the organization continues to grow.

EVERYBODY EATS

So let’s make sure every Coloradan has access to food when they’re hungry!

A Proven recipe for success

Since 2009, we’ve distributed

220,129,039

Servings of Food

(That’s a lot of full bellies!)

which resulted in

89,434,336

POUNDS OF CO2e PREVENTED

eating food instead of wasting it protects our ATMOSPHERE from carbon emissions.

Learn more about We Don’t Waste’s impact.

READ OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCOUNTABILITY.

Take a virtual hard hat tour

Larger spaces designed for our programs will allow us to engage with our community in new and exciting ways!

Classroom

welcome center

Office collaboration space

distribution center

Why is there no time to waste?

+OUR LEASE WAS UP & WE HAD OUTGROWN OUR SPACE

+ MORE SPACE MEANS MORE FOOD RECOVERED

+ INCREASED NEED FOR FOOD ACCESS AND A GROWING STAFF TO SUPPORT

+ The price was right & Interest rates were low

+ WE CAN CUSTOM-BUILD IT TO SUPPORT OUR PROGRAMS

+ protection of our trucks (garage, gate, security)

+ We build the space to be more sustainable (solar, compost, etc.)

+ we have land for future expansion


“A new home for food access”

What’s the timeline?

Fall 2022

Acquired the Building

2023 through 2024

Move-in and Remodeling

fall 2024

Renovations completed

we’re buying instead of renting

Buying a building was a necessary next step for We Don’t Waste. Through your support of this Capital Campaign, we will be able to pay off the mortgage on the building and save money in operating costs in the future. Owning allows us to immediately build equity, and we will no longer have to pay leasing costs. This frees up funding for present and future aid for our community!

enterprise zone program

The Enterprise Zone Contribution Tax Credit provides a tax credit to Colorado taxpayers (individuals and organizations) that contribute to targeted enterprise zone (EZ) projects. 

We Don’t Waste’s new facility was designated an EZ project in December 2022. When taxpayers (individuals and organizations) make a certified contribution, they can claim:

• 25% of a cash donation as a state income tax credit

• 12.5% of an in-kind donation as a state income tax credit (Gifts of stock are classified as in-kind)

We are committed to sustainability

Building a new facility creates the opportunity to make our everyday operations even more sustainable. An enclosed garage helps maintain indoor temperature control. Composting can happen on a larger scale. We can use solar power for energy. Even during the renovation process, any construction materials that can be reused are donated locally for use in future construction projects.

F.a.q.

Where is my donation going?

100% of your donation to the No Time to Waste Capital Campaign will go towards the purchase, demo, remodeling, and completion of the new Food Recovery Hub. By the end of the Capital Campaign, we will have retired our debt on the property and will  have furnished the facility with all of the necessary equipment to grow our programs.

Why was the purchase of a new building necessary?

Food insecurity has been steadily rising as a result of increasing food prices, the economic impacts of COVID-19, the recent recession, and the reduction of benefits like SNAP (just to name a few of the many reasons). In order to increase the number of food recipient agencies we serve and expand our Mobile Food Market program, we will need to recover more food. With <50% of the recovered food being fresh, we needed greater freezer and cooler space and more racking for nonperishables.

With the influx of food donors onboarded in 2021 and onward, it was clear we had outgrown our space. More food could be recovered and distributed if we could store it safely.

Are there any tax benefits for giving?

Yes! We Don’t Waste was granted Enterprise Zone program status for the No Time to Waste Capital Campaign in December 2022. When taxpayers make a certified contribution, they can claim:

25% of a cash donation as a state income tax credit or 12.5% of an in-kind donation as a state income tax credit (gifts of stock are classified as in-kind)

Check out more information on the Enterprise Zone program here.

When will the building be completed?

Operations began in the new Food Recovery Hub in 2023. All additions and remodeling of the space should be complete by the end of 2024.

Can I make an in-kind donation?

Yes! Please contact our Development Team for more information on ways you can support the No Time To Waste Capital Campaign.

Please note that in-kind donations are eligible for a state income tax credit due to the No Time to Waste Capital Campaign’s designation as an Enterprise Zone program.