About Us

No family should go hungry.

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Metro Denver residents served annually
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meals provided annually from our food distributions
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hours of volunteering annually
Bienvenidos Food Bank opened in 1976 as an outreach program of the St. Patrick Action Center to serve the growing number of struggling Northwest Denver families. The program grew under the leadership of neighborhood activist Ellen Torres, who also helped to establish the Northwest Family Assistance Center. When the Action Center closed in 1998, the two organizations merged. Ellen continued to run the all-volunteer nonprofit until her death in 2001. Dedicated volunteers and friends came together and kept the program growing and thriving.

Since our founding, Bienvenidos Food Bank has provided Denver individuals and families with food assistance in a safe, welcoming place. Whether it’s at our storefront market, mobile pantry, or emergency food locations at schools and at other nonprofits, Bienvenidos is an essential source of fresh, healthy food for those in need. Through our partnerships with local grocery stores and other food providers, we are able to turn every $1 cash donation into more than $9 worth of food including fresh meat and produce!

Client Stories

Kenny

Kenny, 57, has lived in Northwest Denver his entire life. An estimator for the State of Colorado, Kenny picks up food for his 91-year-old mother ...
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Serpil

Serpil, 79, came to Bienvenidos after her monthly food stamps payment dropped to $23. When she came to the food bank, she says she had ...
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Mary Grace

For Mary Grace, the Bienvenidos Grocery Delivery Program has been a lifeline – especially during the peak of COVID. “Bienvenidos brings me everything I need,” ...
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Gloria

Gloria Ortiz has worked hard all her life. Born in Zacatecus, Mexico, Gloria emigrated to the United States as a pre-teen, joining her mother and ...
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Andrea

Andrea wanted a different life for her daughter, 4-year-old Ananiah-Michelle. Andrea, 35, grew up in a family where her parents were addicts. She ran away ...
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Katie & Evangelina

“It’s a blessing we can food for our family in these hard times.” Quote from Katie
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Misha

Misha’s rent went up 14% two months ago. Although she works as a secretary, she finds it’s hard to make ends meet. “I don’t always ...
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Ryan

Ryan, an electrical line worker, finds he can’t make it working 40 hours a week earning minimum wage. Bienvenidos helps. “The price of gas and ...
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Josephina

Josephina doesn’t have a car. She’s grateful Bienvenidos brings food to Quigg Newton Homes in Denver, where she lives with her granddaughter Mila, 5. “Food ...
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Michael

Michael calls himself a soldier and a survivor. A resident of Del Norte Veterans Apartments in Denver, Michael, 50, says he was in the U.S. ...
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Carmen

Carmen, 58, knows what it’s like to be hungry and alone. A native of Rota, Spain, Carmen was orphaned at a young age and never learned ...
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Angel

Angel, 40, works full-time as a Denver restaurant server to support her five children. She had more than $600 monthly in SNAP benefits to support her ...
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Frequently Asked Questions

For more than 46 years, Bienvenidos Food Bank has provided Denver individuals and families with food assistance in a safe, welcoming place. Whether it’s at our storefront market, mobile pantry, or emergency food locations at schools and at other nonprofits, Bienvenidos is an essential source of fresh, healthy food for those in need. Each year, Bienvenidos serves nearly 25,000 Denver residents and provides enough food for more than 400,000 meals.

Bienvenidos Food Bank opened in 1976 as an outreach program of the St. Patrick Action Center to serve the growing number of struggling Northwest Denver families. The program grew under the leadership of neighborhood activist Ellen Torres, who also helped establish the Northwest Family Assistance Center. When the Action Center closed in 1998, the two organizations merged. Ellen continued to run the all-volunteer nonprofit until her death in 2001. Dedicated volunteers and friends came together and kept the program growing and thriving.

Today, Bienvenidos has grown into a strong, independent, community-based nonprofit organization still focused on hunger relief. We acknowledge Denver continues to grow, change and gentrify, but that makes us more committed than ever to serve families who need food assistance.

Yes, Bienvenidos is a program of the Northwest Denver Family Assistance Center and received its 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 1989. Donations to Bienvenidos are tax deductible.

Bienvenidos Food Bank serves anyone in need. Our primary service area is Northwest Denver (zip codes 80211, 80212, 80204, and 80216), but not limited to those zip codes. Many of our families live in neighborhoods throughout Metro Denver. We also provide food to our community center partners, including Quigg Newton Homes, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Del Norte Veterans Housing, and more. Learn more about our hours of operation.

In 2022, Bienvenidos:

  • Served 25,000 Metro Denver residents, a 29% increase in people seeking food from the previous year.
  • Gave away more than 450,000 pounds of food, enough to make more than 400,000 meals (1.2 pounds per meal as estimated by the USDA). This food was valued at nearly $800,000.
  • Gave away up to 50 pounds of food to each family per visit (7.5 pounds per person per day recommended.)
  • Salvaged 180,000 pounds of wholesome food from grocery stores that would have been thrown away.
  • Tallied more than 3,600 volunteer hours.

We are a choice pantry, meaning that our clients “shop” for the food they want in a farmer’s market-style setting. Our food comes from Food Bank of the Rockies, the USDA’s The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), local grocery stores, and food drives organized and supported by our neighbors, including the USPS Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and the 9 Cares food drives. We currently supplement our fresh produce supply by purchasing needed fruits and vegetables from Colorado growers along with other food products produced statewide.

At Bienvenidos, we’re able to effectively leverage our relationships with our partners, while efficiently managing our food supply. We use funds received from grants and individual donations to help us purchase additional fresh produce and protein for our families. Our clients take home 50 pounds of food on average at each visit (7.5 pounds per person per day recommended).

According to Hunger Free Colorado, 33% of Coloradans lack reliable access to nutritious food. Twenty percent of adults reported regularly needing to cut back or skip meals because there wasn’t enough money to buy food. Sixteen percent of Colorado children don’t get adequate nutrition because their families can’t afford it. Learn more about hunger and food insecurity.
Your financial donation is the most powerful way to help. While we appreciate food donations and drives, we are able to leverage funds more effectively through our purchasing power. Learn more about how to donate and our volunteer programs.