We were lucky to catch up with Jodi Cooper recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jodi, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

When Americans hear the word hunger, we often think of famine on far-away continents and commercials asking for support. But many of our neighbors here at home struggle with food insecurity and the negative health outcomes it causes.

According to the 2021 Colorado Health Access Survey (CHAS), Coloradans in every county report not getting enough to eat.

As a result, Feed The Kids – Rockies works to supply hungry families with food donations. Community volunteers donate Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches or nonperishable ‘Snackbags’ that help supply children, school food pantries and local shelters with immediate food.

Our wonderful local Givers drop their food donations off to my porch in Broomfield, Colorado each Tuesday. The food is distributed the same day to those in need. We love teaming with Corporate partners, neighbors, and anyone that feels like providing a snack to hungry fellow humans, any week!

Jodi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Especially during the pandemic, I often wondered about those nearby struggling with hunger. After verifying with local food pantries and schools, and learning they’d be glad to accept community food donations, I posted a signup page. Ever since, Feed The Kids – Rockies has gratefully received scores of Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches and nonperishable ‘Snackbags’ from wonderful community volunteers, business teams, and local sponsors each week.

Feed The Kids – Rockies is unique in that we transact in donated food, dropped off seamlessly to my front porch by volunteers. Cash donations are immediately converted into purchased food and donated. Plus, every week’s food dropoffs are pictured on social media, ensuring quality and integrity in our interactions. We consistently recognize our Givers in our weekly Facebook & Instagram posts.

The best thing about our 501c3 nonprofit organization is the intrinsic satisfaction mentioned by Food Givers after they donate their time for people. Local volunteers understand that hunger can happen unexpectedly, like our experience with those impacted by the Marshall Fire.

Feed The Kids – Rockies provides immediate ways to improve the lives of hungry people in Northern Colorado by scheduling weekly opportunities to drop off food donations to my porch in Broomfield. Join us any week and help nourish needy families!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Enhancing Feed The Kids – Rockies social media presence is an ongoing effort, achieving hundreds of long-term Facebook members. We’ve learned that Volunteer recognition increases repeatable donations, and has been the key to sustaining and growing group membership and ultimately, more food for hungry people.

Joining related local groups and sharing content locally has proven successful in social media growth. Seasonality data indicates an increase in page views, group membership and overall food donations during our post-Halloween candy-giveback week.

Lastly, I developed a complementary page titled ‘North Denver Food Scene’ allowing for cross-postings to further encourage giving and awareness for Feed The Kids = Rockies.

Any advice for managing a team?

Cross-functional teams tend to enjoy the most success. Sharing information, developing each other’s strengths, and recognizing valuable behavior are key to positive team momentum.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.feedthekidsrockies.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feedthekidsrockies/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.feedthekidsrockies.org/
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/feed-the-kids-rockies

Image Credits
Taken by Feed The Kids – Rockies