July 22, 2026
Aurora, Colo. – The Community College of Aurora (CCA) received a $2,500 grant and will participate in the national Food Recovery Network (FRN) Community College Grant Cohort. The college is one of few institutions to participate in the grant program for the third year in a row, earning national recognition for its ongoing commitment to reducing food waste, expanding food access, and supporting student success. The grant program provides technical assistance and funding to strengthen CCA’s food recovery efforts while helping address food insecurity throughout the community. CCA first received the grant in 2024 when FRN launched the program, highlighting a strong and sustained partnership.
Our continued partnership with Food Recovery Network demonstrates CCA’s commitment to supporting student learning and success by ensuring their foundational needs are met,
said Dra. Reyna Anaya, CCA’s Vice President of Student Success. This grant provides CCA with an opportunity to expand our food recovery program, promote food security among our students, and contribute to a more sustainable campus. We are honored to be part of the grant cohort for a third year and look forward to continuing to reduce hunger and waste alongside the other institutions in the network.
Through its partnership with FRN, the college has incorporated food recovery into its broader food security strategy, creating new opportunities to recover surplus food from campus events and local restaurant partners. Rather than allowing nutritious meals to go to waste, these partnerships redirect excess food to students and community members experiencing food insecurity. This grant will enable the Division of Student Success to expand these food recovery efforts, increasing access to healthy food while further reducing food waste.
The grant period runs from July 15, 2026 to June 30, 2027. During that time, CCA will measure success by tracking how many pounds of edible food are saved from unnecessary disposal. FRN will also provide individualized technical assistance in acquiring food donations, avoiding systemic food waste, and improving CCA’s food recovery program.
The grant program is the result of FRN’s data analysis showing that two-year community colleges across the country are more likely to exist in areas where food waste disparities exist. After years of focusing most of their food recovery efforts on four-year universities, FRN’s Community College Grant Cohort shifts the focus to geographical areas where the work makes a greater impact.
While community colleges are essential lifelines for their communities, they are frequently under-resourced compared to four-year universities—meaning staff and student volunteers are often stretched thin. FRN’s grant program actively addresses this funding disparity by injecting crucial financial support and tailored technical assistance directly into these critical hubs,
said Regina Harmon, Chief Executive Officer of Food Recovery Network. We are grateful that our community colleges come back year after year and for the ongoing partnerships that are helping this program grow.
CCA is one of about 250 colleges and universities in the network, and the college’s continued participation reflects years of intentional investment in student basic needs. Beyond this latest grant, the college has received several recent recognitions for its commitment to food security, including:
- The Colorado Department of Human Services and Provecho Collective awarded the college a Community Food Grant last winter because of its status as a food pantry. The opening of the Wellness Den at the CentreTech campus gave a permanent home to that pantry.
- Since early 2023, Foxy’s Mobile Market has regularly provided free food at each of CCA’s campuses, often with the support of local sponsorships.
- The college earned the national Swipe Out Hunger designation for significant steps taken to address hunger among students.
- CCA also recently earned the statewide Basic Needs Campus designation for the services and resources it provides to support basic student needs, including food security.
These achievements reflect CCA’s holistic commitment to student well-being. As the needs of today’s learners evolve, CCA continues to ensure that access to nutritious food and essential resources remains a cornerstone of student success. Students and community members can learn more about available resources by visiting the Student Advocacy webpage.
About the Community College of Aurora
The Community College of Aurora (CCA) provides high-quality instruction and student support services to Aurora, Centennial, and Denver, Colorado. With a vision to aspire to be a college where every student succeeds, CCA is the most diverse college in the State of Colorado. Focused on creating social and economic mobility for its students, the college offers courses on three campuses, online, and through its high school concurrent enrollment programs. For more information, visit www.ccaurora.edu.
About Food Recovery Network
Food Recovery Network is the largest student-led movement recovering surplus food and ending hunger in the U.S. FRN unites more than 8,000 college students, food suppliers, farmers, and local businesses across the country to fight climate change and hunger. By recovering surplus food from across the supply chain and donating it to local hunger-fighting non-profits, FRN has successfully donated more than 20 million meals, saved more than 3.05 billion gallons of water, and prevented over 9,000 metric tons of CO2e.
Contact
Courtney Butler
Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Special Initiatives
Strategic Communications and Alumni Engagement
P: 303-340-7201 | E: [email protected]