Denver committee advances 13 Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids grant resolutions

The Denver City Council Health and Safety Committee on July 1 voted to advance a block of 13 grant resolutions to the full council that would fund community food‑access and nutrition education projects under the Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids program. The request was presented by staff from the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, and the motion to move the block to the council floor was made by Council Member Jamie Torres and seconded by Council Member Amanda Sawyer.

The resolutions implement spending from a voter‑approved local initiative, commonly called Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids (HFDK). “This initiative was established by a resident‑led ballot measure approved in February 2018,” said Mikaela Mullins, program associate for the initiative. The ballot measure (referred to in the presentation as Measure 302) authorized a 0.08 percent sales tax increase — about a penny on a $10 purchase — to create a special revenue fund for healthy food access and food‑based education for Denver youth.

The program’s mandate and fiscal timeline were a central focus of the presentation. Stephanie Briggs, contract compliance administrator for HFDK, told the committee the tax began collecting funds on Jan. 1, 2019, and that ballot language requires the funds be distributed…