Food Bank of the Rockies (FBR) is a nonprofit organization that solicits, collects, and distributes food to those in need of assistance. It is the largest hunger relief organization in the Rocky Mountain region, distributing upwards of 178,000 meals every day. Food distribution in Western Colorado had begun to outpace the capacity of the distribution facility in Palisade well before COVID, but the pandemic heightened the need for a larger space. Therefore, FBR relocated to a new distribution center in Grand Junction to increase distribution volume by 48% in the Western Slope over the next four years.

The NMTC loan is being used to: Cover increases in operating costs at the new Western Slope facility, including food purchases and payroll. Benefits of the project to the community: Creation and retention of 38 full-time permanent jobs (96% will be quality jobs & 100% will be accessible to low-income persons or residents of low-income communities). The facility will distribute 16 million pounds of food and serve 50,400 low-income individuals annually. Quality jobs offer wages in excess of the local living wage and/or employer-sponsored benefits.