At a recent Open Table dinner at Heart of Steamboat United Methodist Church, a hungry construction worker was clearly enjoying and appreciative of a hot meal that Thursday evening.

Becky Slamal, part-time staff member at the church, said the worker had not had much to eat that day — besides a convenience store doughnut at breakfast and a granola bar or chips for lunch — and he was thankful for a large meal

The longstanding free Open Table dinners offered to the public have attracted everyone from younger ski area employees to senior citizens, all seeking sustenance and often social interaction, Slamal said. The dinners — which take place 5-6:30 p.m. Thursdays — provide an average of 160 meals each week September through April.

Slamal estimated one-third of the diners may be attending for food budgetary reasons.

Holy Name Catholic Parish has hosted free community dinners 5:30-7 p.m. Tuesdays for many years, averaging 110 diners weekly. Church leaders estimate some 20% of the diners may attend due to financial hardships.

Participants also include a number of area seasonal workers, said Jen Trujillo, communications assistant at the church.

The Methodist church leadership stepped up to help in another area of community food insecurity. Although the two LiftUp of Routt County food banks in Steamboat Springs and Oak Creek are the primary avenues for food assistance, those food bank hours are limited. So, the Methodist church, along with the Routt County Food Security Watchdogs group, identified the need for an emergency location to pick up free food and personal care items.

In August 2023, the Methodist church started hosting the Blessing Box, which is located in a colorfully painted, bear-proof box outside the south front entrance of the church at Eighth and Oak streets in downtown Steamboat. The Blessing Box is a 24-hour backup option stocked with shelf-stable foods for people in immediate need until they can make it to a LiftUp Food Bank. So far, the Blessing Box has provided more than 4,400 individual items for community members, said volunteer Alicia McCarthy.

“The people we serve at the Blessing Box are a variety, from individuals to families, both young and old who visit the box at all hours of the day and night,” McCarthy said. “We have not had anyone overuse or abuse the use of the box.”

The Blessing Box started as an experiment, but since it opened, the box has proven well-used and sustainable with the help of volunteers. $250 of food is ordered each month by the church from Food Bank of the Rockies. Starting this fall, the church invites community members to donate items or help fund the Blessing Box. Donors are asked to review the specifically needed items listed online at HeartofSteamboat.com/blessingbox.

Requested items can be dropped off inside the church lobby by the front office for volunteers to sort, store and keep the outside Blessing Box organized and stocked. The ministry stems from the Bible verse Matthew 25:35: “For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”

All donated Blessing Box items must be nonperishable, able to withstand heat and cold, unopened in the original sealed package, unexpired and readily edible with no additional ingredients or preparation needed.

Hayden Congregational United Church of Christ, located at U.S. Highway 40 and East Jefferson Avenue in Hayden, also has an outdoor Blessing Box.

The box format is posted on the sign, “Take what you need, bring what you can, above all, be blessed.” Church volunteers say the box, which is supplied by individual donors and church contributors, is well-utilized, especially since the LiftUp Food Bank in Hayden closed a few years ago.

LiftUp Executive Director Sue Fegelein and members of the Food Security Watchdogs focused on data collection this year to examine the cost of living, family size and community meal provisions in Routt County.

“What we found, after many different approaches to measuring nutrition and food security, is that there is still around 25% of a meal gap, and it may be hidden through the resilient and hard-working individuals that are carrying on, despite needing extra support,” said Routt County Assistant Manager Melina Bricker, a Watchdogs member.

Fegelein said the Watchdogs study showed a current need in Routt County for 1,505,556 meals per year for those who are food insecure. Local organizations provided 1,125,020 of those meals in 2023, so the gap or shortage is estimated at 380,536 meals or 25%.

“With such a high cost of living in Routt County, many people may be able to feed their families but will be short on rent, utilities and other critical bills,” Bricker noted. “We also need to recognize that many families are working and need at least two incomes to support themselves.”

Fegelein emphasized that many people in Routt County may not realize they are eligible for food resources because LiftUp serves people in need of assistance but who earn up to 300% of the poverty level. The 2024 base federal poverty level in Routt County translates to earning $2,600 gross maximum per month for a family of four or $1,255 gross per month for one individual.