Dec. 3, 2025
Aurora, CO – This fall, the Community College of Aurora (CCA) received a Community Food Grant to purchase and distribute local, fresh and culturally or spiritually relevant foods in our communities. The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) and Provecho Collective awarded CCA the $10,000 grant after years of the college’s increasing efforts to promote food security. Earlier this week, the Office of Student Advocacy distributed over $3,300 in food boxes purchased with the grant money to CCA students.
CCA is deeply honored to receive the Provecho Collective Community Food Grant for a second time,
said Beau Green, CCA’s Executive Director of Student Advocacy. Our students often carry complex responsibilities outside the classroom, and we are committed to ensuring they have the support they need to thrive academically and personally. We are grateful for this partnership and proud to continue strengthening the well-being of our students and the Aurora community.
CCA received the grant because of its status as a food pantry, buying and receiving food and donations that the Division of Student Success makes available to students and employees on campus. The grant requires the food boxes that CCA provides to include local, agricultural products and products that hold cultural significance for Indigenous First Nations people or for other cultural groups.
This year’s State funding comes at a pivotal moment for Colorado communities,
shared Joël McClurg, executive director of systems for Provecho Collective. As we work to ensure there’s food for all, today and tomorrow, food pantries and food banks are often the first place people turn when times get tough. This season, grant funds are helping us provide food boxes filled with nutritious, Colorado-grown food to nourish students and their families, reduce stress, and support their focus on school. They help families and individuals weathering life’s storms by connecting them to nourishing food close to home.
Since 2023, CCA has made significant efforts to promote food security. CCA implemented Foxy’s Mobile Market in Feb. 2023 to regularly distribute free, fresh food at all three of CCA’s campuses. Later that year, CCA earned the Colorado Department of Higher Education’s (CDHE) “Hunger Free Campus” designation. National recognition followed in Feb. 2025, when CCA received the Swipe Out Hunger designation. Earlier this fall, CCA received a $5,000 grant from the Food Recovery Network and a full year of individualized technical assistance to enhance and expand its food recovery and hunger-relief initiatives.
Individuals interested in learning more about CCA’s student support services, including food security resources, emergency assistance, advocacy, and holistic student care, can visit the Division of Student Success webpage for more information.
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.
Contact:
Courtney Butler
Executive Director of Strategic Communications and Special Initiatives
Strategic Communications and Alumni Engagement
P: 303-340-7201 | E: [email protected]