SerpApi.Org
A Denver father who once spent months homeless with his three sons now relies on a free, twice-weekly grocery program in the Sun Valley neighborhood to help feed his family, as the effort marks more than a decade of serving one of the city's lowest-income communities.
James Manning goes to the Sun Valley Kitchen and Community Center's no-cost grocery program with his sons, Jayden, James and Isaiah, to pick up fresh produce, pantry staples and hot meals.
"It's very good food, very much needed and greatly appreciated," Manning said.
Manning said he ended up homeless with his children about 13 years ago after taking custody of them and being unable to keep them with him during a mental health crisis.
"I went on to the streets with my children," he said. "We were on the streets for about 90 days."
The family eventually was referred through a Denver shelter program to Sun Valley, where Manning has raised his sons for nearly 13 years.
"I'm just extremely grateful and gracious, and my children are precious, so I want to try to do the best I can for them," Manning said.
The no-cost grocery program serves 50 to 60 households every Wednesday and Saturday, reaching an estimated 120 to 150 people, according to Nick Talarico, executive director of Sun Valley Kitchen and Community Center. The program began about 11 years ago and is one of the center's best known offerings, he said.
"This is how we provide community to our neighbors: is gathering them at the table and ensuring that they're able to have healthy and delicious meals," Talarico said.
The grocery bags include fresh produce sourced through partners such as Denver Food Rescue, along with bread, eggs and pantry staples like butter and toilet paper, Talarico said. Sun Valley is historically one of Denver's lowest-income neighborhoods, and most residents live in Denver Housing Authority or other subsidized housing, he said.
The program is supported in part by Healthy Food for Denver's Kids, a city grant initiative created to address food insecurity and expand access to nutritious food for children and families. Denver voters approved the sales tax-funded initiative in 2018,. The program has since distributed more than $100 million to more than 100 organizations, including nonprofits, public schools and city agencies, said Lauren Howe, the program's supervisor.
"Food insecurity remains widespread in Denver," Howe said. "In 2025, more than one in three adults reported cutting or skipping meals because they didn't have enough money for food."
Howe said the funding is especially critical in the summer when children lose access to free school breakfast and lunch programs.
"Now that we're in the summer, programs that provide free lunch and meals out of school is critical," she said, adding that community partners like Sun Valley Kitchen help bridge that gap.
Howe said the grant program has taken on added urgency as federal food assistance faces cuts.
"Healthy food for Denver's kids remains even more critical, especially in this time where federal programs are being cut, eligibility is getting squeezed, and so families are depending on this free food access now more than ever before," she said.
Talarico said the funding has allowed Sun Valley Kitchen to grow from two staff members to six full-time employees over 11 years and to hire young people from the neighborhood, paying out more than $200,000 to youth employees who help run its food programs. The organization is also planning to build an urban farm at the Rude Rec Center with additional grant funding, he said.
"Not only are we able to purchase food, but now will actually become food producers through this grant opportunity," Talarico said. "So, it's really exciting."
For Manning, the consistency of the program has made a lasting difference as he raises his sons alone.
"It's vital," he said. "Without it, I would be struggling way more than I am right now."
Manning continued by saying, "I'm just trying to raise my boys and do the best job that I can as a single father."
