9Cares Colorado Shares and King Soopers have launched a summer food drive to provide one million meals [2] for Colorado families.
The initiative addresses a critical gap in nutrition for youth when school is not in session. Roughly one in seven school-aged children face food insecurity during the summer months [4].
Shoppers at King Soopers grocery stores can participate by rounding up their total purchase to the nearest dollar. According to organizers, a $1 donation provides three meals [1]. The drive is active now and runs through June 15, 2024 [3].
Proceeds from the campaign support local agencies across the state. One such partner is the Weld Food Bank, which recently received a $45,000 check from the previous holiday 9Cares drive [5].
This seasonal effort focuses on the specific vulnerability of children who rely on school-provided breakfast and lunch programs. By leveraging a high-traffic retail partnership, the program seeks to mobilize community donations to meet its million-meal target [2].
“One in seven school-aged children face food insecurity during the summer months.”
This initiative highlights the systemic 'summer gap' in food security, where children lose access to federally funded school meals. By partnering with a major retailer like King Soopers, the program converts small, frequent consumer transactions into a large-scale relief fund, shifting the burden of seasonal hunger from individual families to a community-supported model.
