Food Sovereignty

Community Food Share and Urban Gardens Programs

Food Sovereignty is Commún’s first community-led program, providing opportunities for community members to access healthy, culturally relevant food with dignity. Food sovereignty means that our community is able to make choices about what we eat and how it was grown, how the earth and the people growing it are cared for, and to connect with ancestral agricultural roots and knowledge. Our community holds rich cultural food and agricultural traditions, and our humanity is honored and strengthened when we come together to share a meal, provide groceries to a neighbor, and grow food together in community.

History

Our food sovereignty program was formed in response to the 2020 pandemic. On March 17th, the day after the City of Denver shut down for public safety, Commún and our partners launched the first drive-through food share in our community, which has continued weekly since.

Around the same time, Commún partnered with landowners all over our community to increase access to land to grow food, knowing that local production would be an essential part of a resilient food future. With thousands of hours of paid and volunteer participation, the food sovereignty program has been continuously designed, delivered, and led by individuals and families who experience food insecurity, ensuring that this program is responsive to our community’s needs and cultural preferences.

As we grow out of our pandemic-era reactionary food program and towards a sustainable grocery store model, we continue to center the voices and leadership of community members most impacted by food insecurity.

Program Goals

Increase access to healthy, culturally relevant food for all community members in Southwest Denver and ensure that this food can be acquired reliably and with dignity

1.

Build and be active participants in a resilient and vital local and regional food system

2.

Food Share

Commún operates a weekly free food share in partnership with Wally's Food Rescue and Delivery, Kaizen Food Rescue, Food Bank of the Rockies, and East Denver Food Hub and an amazing group of staff, contractors and volunteers! We provide locally grown, culturally relevant food to over 2,000 community members each week. Anyone is welcome at the food share whether or not you have signed up prior to the event. Participation does not make you a “public charge” and your information will not be shared with anyone. 

    • Together with our dedicated team of community volunteers, we provide locally grown, culturally relevant food for over 2,000 community members each week through our food share. 

      1. Thursdays, 11:30am-1:00pm

      2. 2288 S. Tennyson St. Denver CO, 80219

      3. Anyone is welcome at the food share whether, or not you have signed up prior to the event. 

      4. Participation does not make you a “public charge”  

    • Food Deliveries: If you are not able to access our foodshare, we provide the option to sign up to receive a free bag of food delivered to your home. Please fill out this form each week. Delivery requests must be submitted weekly by 8:00pm on Wednesday. Delivery options are available for community members in surrounding zip codes who cannot access the Thursday food share. These zip codes include: 80226, 80232, 80227, 80236, 80219, 80223, and 80110. 

    • Other Food Resources:

      1. Hunger Free Colorado

      2. Kaizen Food Share

      3. Food Bank of the Rockies

      4. Plentiful

Gardens

Commún works toward food sovereignty—the ability for our community to determine what we eat and how it is grown. In addition to making healthy, fresh, culturally relevant food accessible through our free food share, we are also increasing access in our community to land, knowledge, seeds, and water for individuals and families to grow food that is self-affirming.

    • Commún increases access to land, knowledge, seeds, and water for individuals in our community to grow food that is self-affirming, healthy, and sustainably produced. Through a partnership with Denver Urban Gardens, 24+ community members grow food for their families and neighbors each growing season, activating 40 school and community garden plots in Southwest Denver. By growing food in gardens that otherwise are not fully utilized, we activate our outdoor spaces, make our community more beautiful and vibrant, regenerate the soil, and make the environment healthier through sustainable gardening practices.

      1. Commún gardeners are at: 

        1. Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy

        2. Doull Elementary School (come by and check out the new fruit forest!)

        3. Sabin World School

        4. Goldrick Elementary School

        5. Jan Marie Belle Community Garden

      2. In addition to 1:1 gardening access and support, Commún offers workshops throughout the season on topics such as soil health, planting, compost, integrated pest management, winter garden preparation, and seed saving. 

    • To find out more about Commún’s garden programs, attend a workshop, or to sign up on the waitlist for a garden plot, contact laura@commundenver.org.

Community Grocery

At our new community center on the Loretto Heights campus, the food share will transition into an equity-based grocery store, highlighting food from local producers and providing reliable, long-term food access and stability in our region.

    • We are designing a sustainable economic model for the store, working with local farmers to increase production for the end-product to ensure availability, affordability, and cultural relevance, and building leadership amongst disproportionately impacted residents to manage and direct the store’s function.

    • Anticipated opening in 2026, please stay tuned and come check out our operation on the Loretto Heights campus once we open!