Honoring Truth,
Sharing Abundance:
A Call to Support Food Banks

Thanksgiving has always been complicated. For many Native and Indigenous peoples, it is not a celebration of abundance but a reminder of displacement, broken treaties, and survival in the face of historical and ongoing injustice. Acknowledging that truth is part of our responsibility as lawyers, and as Coloradans, committed to justice and equity.

At the same time, this month remains an opportunity to act in the spirit of gratitude and community care. Across Colorado, too many families are struggling with food insecurity, made worse by the rising costs of living, the end of COVID-19- era financial support, federal inaction on programs meant to reduce poverty, the Government shutdown, and active litigation surrounding SNAP payments. For these folks, the question this season is not what to serve for dinner, it’s whether dinner will happen at all.

Food banks and pantries throughout our state are working tirelessly to meet this need but are stretched thinner than ever. They are lifelines for working families, seniors, and children, but even lifelines need support. As members of the legal community, we know that justice doesn’t stop at the courthouse door; it also lives in whether our neighbors can meet their most basic needs.

This November, we encourage every DBA member to support their local food bank and to do so in the way that makes the biggest impact. While many of us instinctively reach for a can of soup or box of pasta to donate, cash contributions go further. Monetary donations allow food banks to:

• Buy in bulk at wholesale prices, stretching every dollar up to five times farther than retail.
• Provide fresh and culturally relevant foods that reflect the diversity of the communities they serve.
• Respond quickly to changing needs and fill gaps where supplies run short.

This Thanksgiving — as we hold space for the truth of our shared history — let’s embody its most generous spirit: gratitude expressed through action. Whether you give, volunteer, or organize a firm-wide food drive, each effort brings us closer to a community where no one goes hungry and everyone is seen.

Resources:

2-1-1 Colorado: Where to Find a Food Pantry

Find Help: Where to Find a Food Pantry

Feeding Colorado 

KGNU: Food Banks and Other Resources in the Denver Metro Area