We are...

Unleashing our collective strengths through the regenerative power of food!

We are...

A collective of diverse individuals who actively participate in food systems in West Denver and Lakewood, often wearing many different hats. We eat food, grow food, produce and distribute food, prepare and share food, and celebrate cultural food traditions.

By gathering together around a big table to share food, ideas, and opportunities for collective action, we can nourish us all - our selves, our neighbors, our soil and ecosystems, and generations yet to come.

Origin Story

Sun Valley Food Access Collaborative

Our approach to inclusive, community-driven, regenerative food systems planning is rooted in Sun Valley. In 2016, Sun Valley Kitchen and Community Center (SVKCC), Earthlinks, and other key community anchors (including Fresh Start, Denver Urban Gardens, and leaders of the Sun Valley Resident Council) created Sun Valley Food Access Collaborative (SVFAC) to ensure that they and their neighbors would always have a seat at the table in redevelopment planning. Like SVFAC, we draw on the strengths of diverse community actors to create equitable, long-term solutions for food access from within the neighborhood, with support of local and regional allies.

Advancing Food Equity in West Denver

Throughout West Denver, many neighbors confront food insecurity as well as gentrification pressures. With the advent of the City of Denver's West Area Neighborhood Plan process in 2019 (for Sun Valley, West Colfax, Villa Park, Barnum, Barnum West, and Valverde), and the development of the Food in Communities Program (Denver and Jefferson Counties), several SVFAC leaders recognized an important opportunity to connect with other leaders in West Denver and Lakewood to advance equitable, regenerative food system planning.

WDFAC launched in 2020. Its efforts complement the ongoing work of the West Denver Renaissance Collaborative, focused on housing affordability and business stability.

Our inclusive, regenerative approach

What do we mean by "regenerative"?

First, we believe in the regenerative power of all human beings - just like all living systems - to heal and create the world anew.

Second, we recognize that dominant approaches to economic development have impeded many people and places from unleashing this regenerative power. Food insecurity is one of the many symptoms.

Third, we commit to dismantling barriers and co-creating alternative structures that unleash our collective strengths through the regenerative power of food. Each of us is an active participant in our food systems - coming together around a big table, we can nourish us all - our selves, our communities, our soil and ecosystems.

Learn more about our vision, principles, and collective action here!