Aspen food pantry expects visits to double this year

In a period of economic uncertainty, rising cost of living and interruptions in federal food assistance programs, Hunger for Harvest’s Aspen food pantry is preparing for a particularly busy year.

Harvest for Hunger is a charitable organization committed to food rescue and reducing food waste, operating several self-service food pantries in Snowmass, Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. Last year alone, the non-profit rescued over 162,000 pounds of food, sourced through partnerships with grocery stores, hotels and bakeries between Aspen and Carbondale, according to its website. 

“We see about 100 people a day at the Aspen pantry alone,” Harvest for Hunger’s Executive Director Gray Warr said. “In six months, we saw 12,000 visitors … this year we expect that to double.” 

Warr spoke at public comment during a recent April 14 Aspen City Council meeting to give an update on the increasing demand expected for local food pantries in light of being awarded a 2026 municipal grant — the organization was approved for $25,700 from the city.

“Last year, we had 26,000 visitors to our pantries … we outgrew our space in about three months,” he said. 

The funds will go to continuing the Aspen pantry’s operations, purchasing roughly $1,100 worth of food on average weekly from the Foodbank of the Rockies, buying gas and supplies, supporting staff and 141 local volunteers and more.

“We are very grateful to live in a community that helps take care and support us all,” he said. 

The Aspen pantry is self-serviced and open nine hours a day, allowing patrons the flexibility to go before, after or during work.

“I believe the popularity of Harvest for Hunger is due to our stigma-free, self-service pantry model, which allows patrons to shop with dignity in an environment without judgement or data collection,” Warr said.  “We believe that if someone is hungry, they should have access to food — no questions asked, no one looking over their shoulder.” 

Currently, one in every eight Coloradans are experiencing food insecurity, according to the Foodbank of the Rockies. With hunger levels at a more than 10-year high and recent significant reductions to federal SNAP food assistance programs, the need for food assistance is only expected to increase over the coming months. 

As a direct response to increasing demand, the Harvest for Hunger Aspen pantry will be expanding and moving to a larger space on the main floor of the Pitkin Health and Human Services building, which it already calls home, on Aug. 1. 

“We are excited and deeply appreciative to Pitkin County for recognizing the growing need and taking meaningful action to address it by providing us with a larger space,” Warr said. 

The Aspen pantry is currently located at 405 Castle Creek Road, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.