Let’s start with some stats on two Northern Colorado counties.
County #1:
- Average Household Income: $75,562
- Unemployment Rate: 1% (one of the lowest in the country)
- Median Single Family Home Sale Price: $398,950
County #2:
- Residents living at or below federal poverty level: 14%
- Residents who are “food insecure”: 42,880
- School children receiving free or reduced-cost meals: 33%
Two very different communities, right? Wrong.
They’re both Larimer County. Fort Collins, the largest city in the county and the location of Blue Margin’s headquarters, is one of the fastest economic growth areas in the country. But like many communities, we struggle to feed those in need. Why? Because hunger is a silent epidemic. When you live in a vibrant, growing community, overlooking the hungry can be too easy. Hunger mostly lives behind closed doors, yet it affects millions of Americans.
That’s why Blue Margin Community Works volunteers at Larimer County Food Bank, helping reach those who live on the fringes of our community. It’s one of our favorite places to volunteer because the gift of healthy food is so tangible (though it can be a dirty job – we’ve been elbow deep in sweet potatoes, drowning in tears from sorting onions, and near frost-bitten from packing frozen chicken). When our work is done, we sometimes get to meet the families as they arrive to receive their bags of food. The impact is immediate, but our awareness of those overshadowed by the bustle of our city remains.
We invite you to roll up your sleeves and join us in supporting the Larimer County Food Bank.