Get A Tax Deduction In Patch Holiday Food Drive In Jeffco

JEFFERSON COUNTY, CO — The cumulative effect of 39 weeks of historic joblessness and business failures because of the coronavirus pandemic is as plain as the bare cupboards in millions of kitchens across America: As many as 50 million people, including about 48,300 people in Jefferson County, don’t have enough to eat.

You can help by giving to Feeding America in Patch’s Holiday Food Drive.
Contributions are tax-deductible, so if you give now, you’ll be able to include your donation in your 2020 tax return.

The food drive runs through Dec. 31. For every $1 you give, Feeding America is able to supply 10 meals.

Many of the families experiencing food insecurity don’t qualify for federal nutrition programs, and they need to rely on their food banks and other hunger relief organizations to have enough to eat, according to Feeding America.

Patch and Feeding America teamed last summer to address the growing hunger crisis in America, connecting readers with the organization’s 200 member food banks that serve 60,000 food pantries and meal programs, and providing an easy way to donate money to help their neighbors.

Some of the places in metro Denver that will benefit are:

• The Food Bank of The Rockies
• Rose of Sharon Food Bank
• Northwest Family Assistance
• Metro Caring
• The Action Center
• Denver Inner City Parish
• North Denver Cares Food Pantry
• Denver Rescue Mission

Feeding America predicted last summer that 50 million people, including 17 million children, could face hunger by year’s end because of the pandemic.

To put that into perspective, about 35 million people in the United States struggled with hunger in 2019, according to the latest report on household food insecurity by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Households with children are the most vulnerable to food insecurity. Before the pandemic, more than 10 million children lived in food-insecure households.

Feeding America projects the food insecurity rate in Jefferson County will rise to 11.7 percent in 2020, up from 8.3 percent in 2018.

"We have seen a tremendous increase in need across Colorado and Wyoming as a result of COVID-19, and that need has been consistent since March," the Food Bank of the Rockies said in a statement.

"1 in 7 people and 1 in 5 children are facing food insecurity in Colorado. 1 in 6 people and 1 in 4 children are facing food insecurity in Wyoming. Our monthly food distribution volume has increased by 59% over the same period last year with some months more than 80% over pre-COVID-19 levels. And right now, we're distributing enough food to provide more than 250,000 meals daily. In October, we hit a new high and distributed 10 million pounds of food.

"Although the holidays will look a little different for most of us this year, with fewer opportunities to gather in-person with loved ones. But one thing that remains the same is the joy that comes from spreading holiday cheer. This year, with more people facing food insecurity due to the pandemic, your community needs your support more than ever. And a financial gift can go a long way. With as little as $1, we can provide four meals to people across much of Colorado and all of Wyoming," the statement read.

Feeding America says that 80 percent of its food banks — or 4 in 5 — are serving more people than they were at the same time last year. With the pandemic worsening during the holiday season, many people who never before worried about how they’d pay for a holiday meal are turning to food banks for the first time.

From the beginning of the pandemic in March, Feeding America distributed 4.2 billion meals — enough to provide every U.S. resident with breakfast, lunch and dinner for just over four days.

In the first four months of the pandemic, 4 in 10 people were first-time visitors to food banks, according to Feeding America.

How To Support The Patch Holiday Food Drive

Patch has teamed with Feeding America to help raise awareness on behalf of the millions of Americans facing hunger. Feeding America, which supports 200 food banks across the country, estimates that in 2020, more than 50 million Americans will not have enough nutritious food to eat due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. This is a Patch social good project; Feeding America receives 100 percent of donations. Find out how you can donate in your community or find a food pantry near you.