Food to Power

Big thanks to El Paso County Conservation District and El Paso County CSU Extension for putting on a great series of classes on growing and caring for apple trees in our region! We are so excited to have planted two heritage apple trees from the Montezuma Orchard Restoration Project.

This Saturday, June 20th, 1-4pm! Join in on some shared skills, entertainment and great vibes! Hosted by kangaroo coffee and lovely humans from our community! ☕️🫶🏽

Thanks to El Paso District and El Paso County Extension for putting on a great series of classes on growing and caring for apple trees in our region! We are so excited to have two heritage apple trees (compliments of the Montezuma Apple Restoration Project) here at the Food to Power Farm! Keep an eye on El Paso County Conservation Dist and CSU Extension for future classes and opportunities!

Need veggie transplants? 🌱 Stop by the Food to Power Farm at 1090 S Institute St. from 8am-12pm, Wednesday thru Saturday and ask for Laurenn or Fred. $5 for a tomato or pepper transplant, while supplies last! 🍅🌶️ Cucumbers, tomatillos, and zucchini available next week 🪴

☺️Today we want to highlight one of our community compost partners: Phelan Gardens!

🍎Phelan Gardens is a family owned greenhouse and garden center, and has housed one of our drop-off stations since December 2023. We encourage you to go check them out for any gardening and plant needs!

🌞Since then the Phelan Gardens drop-off station has been able to divert about 24,523 pounds of food scraps! That's almost 12.5 tons of food scraps that have been turned into healthy compost for community gardens!

🤝A big thank you to Phelan Gardens for their continued partnership with us!

😄We're excited to share that we recently finished our spring compost givebacks!

🤝There was a total of about 15,000 lbs of nutritious compost that we gave back to our compost members! That means happier and healthier community gardens and soil!

🍓Interested in becoming a compost member? We offer curbside pickup AND drop site locations throughout the city for your food scraps! Additionally, all compost members are eligible to receive 3 free bags of compost (15 lbs!), with the option of extra bags available for purchase!

🪱Click this link to learn more or sign up for a compost membership: https://foodtopowerco.org/compost

🌞It's finally getting warmer and operations are picking up here at the hub!

🤝If you're looking for volunteer opportunities, we'd love for you to join us! You can volunteer with us in our Farm, Compost, and Food Access departments!

🌱Farm volunteering will involve planting, harvesting, etc. and usually takes place on Saturday mornings!

🐛Compost volunteering has moved to Thursday mornings where you can join us for pile builds, compost bucket cleaning, and more!

🌽Lastly, you can join the food access department for our weekly No-Cost grocery programs every Tuesday!

😄Interested in volunteering? Sign up now using this link: https://foodtopowerco.org/volunteer

Recently, Colorado has joined 22 other states in proposing restrictions for SNAP and what consumers can buy.

The "SNAP Healthy Choice Waiver" aims to restrict the purchase of artificially sweetened drinks such as soda, sweet teas, sports drinks, and more, as a way to improve the health of those using SNAP benefits.

With the rising cost of healthy, nourishing meals and a lack of resources, most people are left with food choices that are quicker, more convenient, and less fulfilling. The reality of this waiver is that it turns its attention to policing the choices of the community rather than addressing the larger systems of food injustice that affect us all.

Over 82,000 El Paso County residents rely on SNAP benefits, and even more including people who aren't able to receive benefits but still struggle to afford healthy food.

"That is not a health policy. That is poverty management dressed up as public health." - Patience Kabwasa, Executive Director of Food to Power

Read more about the SNAP Healthy Choice Waiver at https://pikespeakbulletin.org/featurednews/no-benefits-from-colorados-proposed-snap-restrictions/

😁A few weeks ago, a group of students from Kansas University joined us for a few days of community engagement here at Food to Power!

🌱During their time, they worked closely within the Compost and Farm department, with Al and Shane, to take on some tasks such as compost bucket washing, pile building, and more!

🍓We are so grateful to have been given the chance to host these students for a few days!

🤝If you'd also like to get involved here at Food to Power, join us by signing up to volunteer with this link: https://foodtopowerco.org/volunteer

🎬 Whatcha doing this weekend? Join us ✨

THIS SATURDAY, April 4th at 10:30am a FREE screening of Make a Circle — a powerful, moving film about the childcare providers who shape our youngest children's lives, and who are fighting for the dignity and recognition they deserve.

Make a Circle follows early childhood educators as they weave magic in their classrooms, navigate real struggles at home, and rise together in collective action at their state capitol — demanding fair pay and a childcare system that truly values their work. It's a love letter and a rallying cry, all at once. 💛

This screening is part of Rocky Mountain PBS's Everyday Democracy: Stories that Build Us series, and we are proud to host right here at the Hillside Hub!

📍 1090 S. Institute St., Colorado Springs
🕥 April 4th | 10:30am
🍳 Brunch included
💬 Community conversation to follow
🎟️ FREE & open to the public

Come eat, watch, and think together with us about whose labor gets valued — and what it means to truly care for one another.

👉🏾 Register here: https://www.rmpbs.org/events/colorado-springs-make-a-circle