A Food Security Initiative

Mountain Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (MCFNS)

Purpose & Values

MCFNS believes food and nutrition security is a human right that can be best delivered through a regional approach that provides sustainable food access, education, and storage to ensure the health of our region.

Our Values:

Accessibility – we advance affordable, attainable, and culturally responsive strategies.
Regionalism – we practice a systems approach that values and responds to the individual needs of our communities to achieve scalable and sustainable solutions.
Equity – we advance food production and distribution strategies to those who are marginalized.

Why this Initiative is Needed

Produce on a picknick table with people in the background.

We need a regional strategy to address food and nutrition insecurity.

We advance affordable, attainable, and culturally responsive strategies to bring more access to the people. We practice a systems approach that values and responds to the individual needs of our communities to achieve scalable and sustainable solutions. We advance food production and distribution strategies to those who are marginalized to improve equity. We partner together intentionally to achieve a greater collective impact for our region.

Goals & Strategies

MCFNS has created a 3-yr Strategic Plan (2023-2026) to accomplish the following goals:

Nutritious food will be accessible to 100% of individuals who need it, in their community.
Increase the percentage of food sourced from Colorado-based businesses, and organizations annually.
90% of those served by the MCFNS partners annually will report “high satisfaction” with the quality, consistency, and cultural responsiveness of their experience accessing food
50% of the region’s annual funding request for food sourcing and distribution will be done through collaborative initiatives among MCFNS partners by 2026.
Expand community partnerships for securing volunteers, funding, and food sourcing to meet regional food system needs.
Maximize enrollment in federal nutrition programs such as SNAP, WIC, and federal school lunch programs.

Download the Strategic Plan Details

Structure & Partnerships

How MCFNS is organized

Convening & Coordinating: West Mountain Regional Health Alliance

Governance: Mountain Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (MCFNS)

Each MCFNS partner contributes to governance. At Initiative Work Sessions partners work together on the direction and strategic goals of the alliance by actively participating to bring solutions and resources to the table.

Governance Partners

Committees

Committees are comprised of partner organizations that make up the wider MCFNS group and are dedicated to improving services and advocating and raising awareness on behalf of clients and partner agencies.

Committee Types

Programs and Services

These partners lead the process of monitoring and evaluating existing performance against programmatic goals outlined in the strategic plan and identify and recommend best practice strategies for strengthening and/or expanding offerings across the region.

Programs and Services Committee Partners:

Pitkin County Human Services - Chair
Food Bank of the Rockies
Lift Up

Funding

These partners identify and pursue collaborative funding opportunities for supporting MCFNS initiatives, including backbone administration.

Funding Committee Partners:

Food Bank of the Rockies - Chair
Garfield County Human Services
Valley Meals and More
Harvest for Hunger

Outreach and Engagement

These partners develop and guide the implementation of best practice strategies for engaging those experiencing food and nutrition insecurity in the regional system of services that best supports their needs.

Outreach and Engagement Committee Partners: