2023 Giving Guide: Nonprofits Supporting Kids

For 15 years, Colorado Feeding Kids has been providing easy-to-prepare, vitamin-fortified meals and family meal boxes to local food pantries, school weekend backpack programs, churches and seniors in need. To date, we have produced and distributed more than 9 million meals to the hungry. All of our meals are packaged by volunteers at our Englewood warehouse; we are always looking for more volunteers to help us pack meals at our bimonthly packing events! We have also provided meals to those affected by natural disasters, including sending our meals to Houston after Hurricane Harvey, to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and to Colorado firefighters battling wildfires. Every bag of food contains enough to feed a family of six. We are an all-volunteer 501(c) (3) organization that receives no government funding, relying solely on donations and volunteers. At a time of such need, your donation on Colorado Gives Day will help us continue to help children, families and seniors in our community.

720-560-2354

Photo courtesy of Ben White

Invest in Kids

Invest in Kids (IIK) works to ensure that every Colorado child has a strong start in life. Serving more than 14,000 children and families annually through its three evidence-based programs—Nurse-Family Partnership®, The Incredible Years®, and Child First®—IIK helps improve the health and well-being of young children in under-resourced areas across all 64 Colorado counties. Invest in Kids raises funds to support its three programs and the nurses, teachers and social workers who work alongside families in these programs every day. Looking ahead to 2024, IIK is enlisting sponsors and participants for its 25th annual Jane-A-Thon ski-a-thon event, set for March 1-2 at Mary Jane Mountain in Winter Park.

303-839-1808

Roundup River Ranch

Roundup River Ranch enriches the lives of children with serious illnesses and their families by offering free, medically supported camp programs that provide opportunities to discover joy, friendships and confidence. Annually, hundreds of children coping with cancer, blood disorders, organ transplants and other serious conditions benefit from Roundup River Ranch’s intentional and empowering year-round programs—completely free of charge. Located 2 1/2 hours from Denver near Gypsum, along the Colorado River, Roundup River Ranch is proud to be a member of SeriousFun Children’s Network, founded by Paul Newman. Special events planned for 2024 include the A Taste of Camp gala to be held in May in downtown Denver. Colorado residents who contribute to Roundup River Ranch may be eligible to receive up to a 50 percent state income tax credit through the Colorado Child Care Tax Credit.

Photo courtesy of Nathan Dumlao

Children’s Diabetes Foundation

Established in 1977 by Barbara and Marvin Davis, the Children’s Diabetes Foundation serves as the fundraising arm of the Barbara Davis Center for Diabetes. The center is one of the largest research centers in the world, specializing in Type 1 diabetes research and care for more than 7,600 people. Among those, more than 40 percent are uninsured or underinsured. “With your help,” executive director Dana Davis says, “we can help keep patients healthy and one day find a cure.” Davis adds that the foundation’s holiday wish list includes monetary donations that will be used to fund critical patient programs and gift cards from local businesses to bestow upon food-insecure patient families. The extreme costs of supplies and insulin take a heavy toll on families affected by Type 1 diabetes. Donate to families in need so they don’t have to choose between buying life-saving insulin or being able to afford their rent.

303-863-1200

Kiwanis Club of Southeast Metro Denver

For over 100 years, Kiwanis International Clubs have been improving the world one child and one community at a time. The Kiwanis Club of Southeast Metro Denver’s (SEMD) signature project is supporting the prevention of youth suicide in Colorado. Pediatric mental health was recently declared a crisis by Children’s Hospital Colorado, and each year since 2017 around 100 children and teens have died by suicide in Colorado. Kiwanis SEMD hosted its second annual Pints & Pinots for Youth Suicide Prevention Fundraiser in May 2023. Over the past two years, SEMD has donated $45,000 to Second Wind Fund, a local organization that provides no-cost mental health treatment to Colorado youth at risk of suicide. Other local nonprofit organizations supported by Kiwanis SEMD include Colorado Feeding Kids, Clothes to Kids of Denver and the Ronald McDonald House.

 303-549-7044