Food Access in Summit County:
Ensuring everyone has a plate at the table.

Food access in Summit County is stronger when it is coordinated. Summit Food Alliance unites the county's food organizations so every neighbor can find what they need, and every resource goes further.

Countywide Coordination

~

Partner Organizations, One Table

~

Food Access + Awareness + Funding

~

Summit County, CO

~

Countywide Coordination ~ Partner Organizations, One Table ~ Food Access + Awareness + Funding ~ Summit County, CO ~

Our Mission

The Summit Food Alliance unites Summit County's food system to strengthen collaboration, secure sustainable funding, and expand awareness of food access. 

Our Vision

A Summit County where everyone has reliable access to fresh, healthy food.

One County.
Every Neighbor.
One Table.

Summit Food Alliance is the collaborative backbone connecting Summit County's food access organizations. We are not a food pantry, and we do not compete with the organizations doing the frontline work. We are the table where they sit down together, aligning strategy, reducing duplication, and making sure no neighbor falls through the cracks. When our organizations work together, every neighbor in Summit County is better supported, and our whole community thrives.

This Is Summit County, Taking Care of Summit County.

Summit County's mountain communities are some of the most beautiful places in Colorado. They are also some of the hardest places to afford to call home. Seasonal employment, high housing costs, and a single interstate highway carrying nearly every pound of food into the county make food access a real, close-to-home challenge, one that affects more of our neighbors than most people realize.

For years, local organizations worked tirelessly, and mostly separately, to fill the gaps. Then something shifted. During the pandemic, these organizations began coming together out of necessity, sharing resources and information to meet a need bigger than any one of them could carry alone. That early collaboration planted a seed. Summit Food Alliance is what grew from it, not a new food program, but the table where the county's food organizations align funding, close gaps, and let the community's voice, especially those with lived experience, guide the work.

However You're Showing Up, There Is a Place for You Here.

  • You do not have to figure this out alone. Whether it is a hard stretch or an ongoing need, there are neighbors ready to help. Find the resource that is right for you, no shame, no red tape.

  • We are here to amplify your work, not duplicate it. Join a table where your specialized expertise makes the whole ecosystem stronger, and where funding strategies get aligned instead of competed over.

  • Your investment or your time strengthens the entire food system, not just one organization. See what collective impact looks like in Summit County, and how far a coordinated dollar can go.

What Coordination Makes Possible: Donor & Funder Impact

What Happens When Summit County's Food Organizations Work Together.

Summit County's food organizations are already doing the work. Here is what it looks like when they do it side by side.

XX

Partner organizations at one table

XX

Neighbors reached across partners, per year

XX

Surplus food rescued

XX

Funding aligned or shared

Your investment strengthens the entire food system, not just one organization. Because our organizations coordinate, your dollars go further, and your neighbors feel it.

Current project: [project name and one sentence on what it does and what it needs]. [Optional goal and progress line.]

Built on Six Beliefs.
Not Revolutionary, Just Rare.

  • We are stronger together. The power of this work lives in the connections between organizations.

  • Resources and access are distributed based on need, not organizational size.

  • Every neighbor deserves respect and support without shame.

  • We build systems that outlast any single grant cycle.

  • Lived experience guides every decision we make.

  • We see neighbors, not statistics.

Meet the Alliance

Summit Food Alliance brings together organizations already doing essential work across the county, including FIRC, Smart Bellies, CAFE Food Rescue, Meals on Wheels, and local faith communities. Each organization brings its own expertise and its own neighbors it knows best. Together, they cover more ground, close more gaps, and make sure fewer people fall through the cracks between programs.

Ready to Help Build a Stronger Food System?

Whether you need support, want to partner, or are ready to invest, there is a seat for you at this table. One county, working together, is how every neighbor gets what they need.

Let’s Talk.

Whether you are looking for food support, represent a partner organization, or want to fund or volunteer with the Alliance, we would love to hear from you.

Hear from our Community

"The Meals Program provides food that is freshly prepared with nutritious, wholesome ingredients. The meals are not only healthy and satisfying, but they also taste really good. It’s wonderful to have access to meals that are both nourishing and delicious."

— Summit County neighbor

“

"Our partnership with the Meals Program makes a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve. Fresh, nutritious, and delicious meals are prepared with care, providing not just nourishment, but dignity and support to our community."

— Partner organization representative

“

"We are proud to help fund this valuable community resource and the only program of its kind in Summit County. For homebound individuals, access to a fresh, nutritious, and delicious meal can make all the difference. For some, this may be their only complete meal of the day, making this program an essential source of nourishment, care, and connection."

— Local funder

“