SAN LUIS VALLEY — Spark the Change Colorado’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) in Alamosa County has recently partnered with Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado to recruit older volunteers to assist with efforts tin combating food insecurity in our community.

Nancy Harris, the Manager of RSVP in Alamosa County, says of this new partnership, “Spark the Change has been in communication with the food bank since 2021, when the Care and Share Distribution Center in Alamosa started preparing its location to serve the Southern part of the state. I am thrilled to collaborate with the SLV Development Director of Care and Share, Meagan Smith, to assist with the local organization’s volunteer needs in 2024 and beyond.”

Volunteers are needed each month to help Care and Share pack and distribute food to neighbors in need throughout the Valley.

Food packing duties include unpacking food boxes, organizing tables, and packing food into plastic bags each month at the food bank distribution center in Alamosa.

Duties include packing produce and bread, delivering food to clients in their vehicles, and light cleanup of trash, and this volunteer opportunity happens monthly at the Ski-Hi Complex in Monte Vista. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact Harris at [email protected] or 303-867-0868.

RSVP of Alamosa County is a program of Spark the Change Colorado’s Empowering Aging work. Spark is a volunteer center that inspires, engages, mobilizes, and empowers individuals and organizations to become a driving force for good through the work of talented volunteers.

Powered by AmeriCorps Seniors, Alamosa’s RSVP matches older adults who are willing to help with local organizations on the front lines of meeting community needs. Spark the Change Colorado believes that folks aged 55 and up have much to contribute to our community through volunteer engagement.

The current focus of the local RSVP program is addressing food insecurity, which makes Care and Share an ideal partner. Spark the Change’s RSVP is a program of AmeriCorps Seniors. Each year, AmeriCorps Seniors engages more than 200,000 older adults in volunteer service through its Foster Grandparent, Senior Companion, and RSVP programs, enriching the lives of the volunteers and benefiting their communities.

RSVP pairs thousands of Americans aged 55 and older with organizations making change in communities across the country. Consider staying active and making a difference in your community by serving as an RSVP volunteer today at Care and Share or at one of the program’s other local volunteer stations. For more information, contact Harris.

volunteers who share in that mission, they were able to distribute 18.9 million meals. This year marks Care and Share’s 50th anniversary of helping communities with food insecurity.

With the addition of the SLV distribution center last year, Care and Share will now have the ability to reach more neighbors in need in more areas, “We look forward to serving Southern Colorado for 50 more years!” says SLV Development Director, Meagan Smith.

For more information, contact Meagan at [email protected] or 719-695-4333.