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.”
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We are 80% of the way to our $6 million dollar goal!
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
Sherry Johnson
Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, CoBank
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
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.
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.
Since 2009, we’ve distributed
Servings of Food
(That’s a lot of full bellies!)
POUNDS OF CO2e PREVENTED
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
Fall 2022
Acquired the Building
2023 through 2024
Move-in and Remodeling
fall 2024
Renovations completed
F.a.q.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.