Denver, CO (March 5, 2024)—CAI has been awarded funding from the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment to evaluate the work of more than 40 direct-service agencies that receive grants through Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids. This 10-year publicly funded initiative was created in 2019 to ensure that youth and families in Denver have access to healthy food and food education.
As the evaluator, CAI will convene the Healthy Food for Denver’s Commission, policy makers, agencies, and affected families and youth to contribute to the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan to measure the impact of the Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids initiative in reducing persistent disparities in access to nutritious food in Denver. This work will include the creation of key strategic performance measures and the development of a robust database that gives grantees, CAI, and Healthy Food for Denver’s Kids Commission access to real-time, actionable data on their activities and services.
Additionally, CAI will provide focused training and technical assistance in evaluation to help grantees assess and improve outcomes and engage their community in evaluation efforts to ensure that their programming reflects the voices and needs of the communities they serve. CAI will present findings annually to project members, the Commission, grantees, the interested public, and the broader public health community.
“We are thrilled to partner with the City of Denver and contribute to their commitment to reducing childhood hunger. We are looking forward to applying our expertise in evaluation, community engagement, and performance measurement to help the city achieve its vision,” said Lindsay Senter, CAI Vice President of Research and Evaluation. “We’re excited to begin this partnership and are confident it will lead to strategies that will create real improvement in the lives of those who are most in need within Denver’s communities.”