Food Bank of the Rockies has opened a kitchen at its warehouse in Denver to prepare the meals it distributes each day in an effort to cut costs.
The organization estimates the addition will save it about $50,000 a year, which will allow it to provide about 200,000 more meals.
“Every dollar saved is four meals for us,” said Gwen Vogelzang, a spokeswoman for the food bank.
Food Bank of the Rockies officials say they have seen the demand for meals increase over the past several years during the economic downturn.
In the fiscal year that ended in July, the organization distributed about 39.4 million pounds of food — up from 35.7 million the year before. That was about 83,000 meals a day. Officials anticipate the food bank will provide 41 million pounds by the end of the current fiscal year.
“It goes up every single year,” Vogelzang said. “Saving $50,000 with our kitchen is a big deal for us so we can find ways to keep up with that growing demand.”
The organization distributes food to a network of more than 1,000 agencies in parts of Colorado and Wyoming. About 42 percent of the people it serves are children.
After a trial to test equipment, the kitchen officially opened in early September. The organization, which had previously outsourced its food preparation to a catering company, is staffing it with a chef, an assistant chef and a group of volunteers.
The kitchen is preparing food for the organization’s children’s programs, as well as its board and staff meetings. Officials anticipate it will prepare more than 1,600 hot meals, about 1,300 packaged meals and 2,000 snacks for children each day.
The kitchen is one of two major initiatives Food Bank of the Rockies has kicked off recently. Last year, it launched a mobile pantry program, which brings meals to areas that the organization has identified as food deserts. Officials plan to have up to nine trucks go to 35 sites each month.
Vogelzang said Food Bank of the Rockies sees an increase in donations during the holidays but that the demand remains constant.
“We would really love to see that carry over to the January, February months when it’s not on people’s radar as much,” she said.
