Our Programs
How We Serve Our Community
At Nick's, our work is designed to do more than provide temporary support. It focuses on reducing everyday pressure on households, responding to real community needs, and creating consistent access to food and essential items in ways that protect dignity and choice.
Some initiatives launch alongside our stores, while others can begin earlier through community partnerships, pop-up distributions, and local events. This allows us to start serving communities immediately while continuing to build toward full store operations.
Our approach centers on practical, direct support. This includes access to essential items like diapers and formula, reliable grocery options through subscription boxes, prepared meals for those in need, and community-centered events that bring resources and people together.
All of this is designed to work alongside our stores, not separate from them. Together, they create a system that supports both access and stability, whether someone is shopping in-store, picking up a box, or attending a community event.
At the core of everything we do is a simple belief: access to food and basic needs should be consistent, reliable, and treated with dignity.
Food Access
Subscription Grocery Box
To extend food access beyond the four walls of the store, Nick's offers a Subscription Grocery Box Program, a weekly or biweekly service designed to provide families with consistent access to healthy, essential groceries at an affordable price. This program is built to support working households, SNAP recipients, and community members with transportation or scheduling challenges.
Each box is priced at $45, but contains a retail minimum of $95 to $105 worth of groceries, making it a high-value, cost-efficient option for families seeking to stretch their food budgets. Boxes can be purchased using SNAP (EBT) benefits, and participants enrolled in the Double Up Food Bucks program can use those matched dollars specifically toward the produce portion of the box. This effectively doubles the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables a household can receive for the same cost, helping families increase their intake of nutritious, seasonal produce without spending more.
Double Up Food Bucks not only increases food security, but also supports healthier eating habits and reinvests SNAP dollars into the local food economy. By integrating the box program with these benefits, Nick's is able to make high-quality, nutrient-dense groceries more accessible to customers who need them most without compromising on variety, quality, or freshness.
"Nick's Subscription Grocery Box isn't just a food box; it's a weekly investment in health, dignity, and community."
What's in the Box
- ✓ A seasonal assortment of fresh produce
- ✓ Fresh bread, milk, eggs, and butter
- ✓ Three rotating grocery staples such as flour, yeast, pasta, rice, or beans
The mix is curated to reflect the season, local availability, and household versatility, helping customers prepare real meals with real ingredients. Subscribers can choose to pick up their box weekly or biweekly, depending on their needs.
Community Connection
Monthly Farmers Markets
Hosted in the Hub parking lot, Nick's Monthly Farmers Markets serve as community-centered events that combine affordable local food access, small business incubation, nonprofit engagement, and resource sharing. These markets strengthen local food systems by providing a no-cost platform for farmers, artisans, commissary kitchen producers, and mission-aligned partners while ensuring consistent access to fresh, affordable goods for the community. Vendors who create products in Nick's commissary kitchen participate as part of their incubation pathway, using the market to test products, build customer bases, and move toward in-store placement.
To support reliability and operational smoothness, each market follows a structured setup, staffing model, and vendor process.
Key Features
- Free Vendor Spots
- All vendor spaces will be free of charge, ensuring that local farmers, food producers, artists, small-scale entrepreneurs, and commissary kitchen vendors can participate regardless of financial capacity. This lowers barriers to entry and strengthens grassroots economic growth.
- Community Meal or Soup Kitchen
- Each market will include a free or donation-based community meal using ingredients from local farms, Nick's surplus, and bulk staples. These meals foster connection, reduce waste, and support dignified food access for all attendees.
- Nonprofit Collaboration & Resource Sharing
- Nonprofit partners are invited to host booths offering educational materials, health screenings, public services, and resource referrals. Each market functions as a centralized access point for food, support services, and community information.
- Affordably Priced Goods
- Vendors are encouraged to offer products at or below standard market prices, maintaining affordability and ensuring accessibility for low-income households without compromising vendor viability.
- Fundraising Component
- Each Farmers Market will include optional fundraising opportunities such as donation stations, raffles, or item sales that benefit a rotating local cause or internal Nick's initiative such as the Energy Assistance Program or Baby Days.
- Commissary Kitchen Vendor Integration
- Producers who create goods in Nick's commissary kitchen are given guaranteed booth access and priority placement. This allows emerging entrepreneurs to test products, build a customer base, and progress toward in-store placement under Nick's incubator model.
"By providing a no-cost, welcoming platform for commerce, community-building, and service access, our Monthly Farmers Market program embodies the values of equity, sustainability, and mutual aid at the heart of our mission."
Infrastructure
Commissary Kitchen
Nick's Nonprofit Grocery will include a shared-use commissary kitchen designed to support small business development, expand food access, and strengthen community food systems. This 2,000 square foot commercial-grade kitchen will serve as a production space for store-prepared foods and as an incubation hub for local food entrepreneurs, cottage food producers, and community chefs.
The kitchen provides affordable access to a fully licensed facility without high rental rates, hidden fees, or long-term commitments. This model intentionally removes common barriers to food entrepreneurship, creating opportunities for low-income community members, BIPOC producers, and others who have historically been excluded from commercial kitchen spaces. Users also receive practical support that includes permitting guidance, food safety training, packaging and labeling assistance, pricing support, and connections to grant-funded entrepreneurship resources.
Producers will have opportunities to sell their items directly inside Nick's stores, allowing them to reach customers, test products, and build brand recognition without separately securing retail space. The commissary kitchen also supports internal programs by producing meals for weekly hot meal donations, preparing ready-to-eat grocery items, and assembling components for subscription grocery boxes. It is a core space for events such as Baby Days, seasonal cooking programs, and waste recovery efforts.
By investing in this kitchen, Nick's is investing in community talent and local food equity. The space functions as both an economic development tool and a cultural foodway preservation space, connecting producers and families through food, skill-building, and shared opportunity.
"A shared kitchen where entrepreneurs lift each other up, where community support is baked into the walls, and where small businesses take their first steps forward."
Family Support
Baby Days
This monthly program provides free essential baby supplies such as formula, baby food, diapers, and wipes to any families in need. Through partnerships with local nonprofits and community diaper banks, and community donors, we make these items accessible in a supportive, non-stigmatizing environment. As the program grows, we aim to expand collaborations and increase our reach to ensure no parent has to choose between food and their baby's care.
"As our Baby Days program strengthens support for new and expecting parents, Nick's is equally committed to meeting families with compassion during the most difficult moments of early parenthood. This commitment extends beyond food access and into dignified, community-supported pathways for healing and remembrance."
Grief Support
Cuddle Cot Sponsorship
To expand our maternal needs programs further, we are launching a Cuddle Cot sponsorship program.
The Nick's Cuddle Cot Fundraising Program provides Colorado hospitals, birthing centers, and rural medical facilities with Cuddle Cots. These specialized cooling bassinets allow grieving families more time to say goodbye to an infant who has passed away. They create the emotional space families need to hold, photograph, bond with, and honor their baby in a private and unhurried way. For many parents, access to a Cuddle Cot has a profound impact on the grieving process and becomes an important part of their healing.
Each Cuddle Cot costs between $3500 and $5000 dollars, and many rural hospitals or underfunded facilities cannot afford them. Through fundraising events, partnerships, and community donations, Nick’s works to ensure that every family in our service region has access to this compassionate resource regardless of income or location.
"Dignity is not just how we live, it is how we are cared for in our hardest moments. Every family deserves that care."
Direct Service
Weekly Hot Meals
At Nick's Nonprofit Grocery, we believe everyone deserves a hot, nourishing meal served with dignity and cultural pride. Our Weekly Hot Meal Donations program operates out of our on-site commissary kitchen, where we prepare and serve fresh, wholesome meals to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity while reflecting the diverse cultures of the communities we serve.
Meals are thoughtfully prepared to be both nutritious and culturally relevant, creating a sense of familiarity and respect rather than one-size-fits-all support. This program is designed to meet immediate needs while also building connection, offering a consistent, welcoming space where people can access food without barriers, judgment, or compromise.
"This program is more than just a meal, it is an act of love, an invitation to belong, and a commitment to food justice rooted in cultural inclusion, sustainability, and care."
Seasonal Support
Holiday Meal Box
Nick's Holiday Meal Box Program provides complete, culturally relevant holiday meals to households experiencing food insecurity in both Gilpin County and Denver. Held during Thanksgiving and Christmas, the program distributes fully curated meal boxes that allow families to prepare a home-cooked holiday dinner at no cost. Each box is thoughtfully built to reflect different cultural traditions and dietary needs, with three options available: a traditional holiday meal box, a Latin holiday box, and a vegetarian box.
Each meal box includes a full set of ingredients rather than partial items. Traditional boxes include proteins such as turkey or ham along with sides like potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, and pantry staples needed to prepare a full meal. Latin holiday boxes may include items such as hominy, masa, corn husks, and ingredients commonly used in dishes like tamales or pozole. Vegetarian boxes provide plant-based proteins, grains, fresh produce, and complete sides to ensure a balanced meal. Wherever possible, boxes also include basic cooking items like oil, spices, and simple preparation guidance so families have everything they need to cook without additional cost or barriers.
"A holiday meal is more than food. It is tradition, memory, and connection. Every family deserves to experience that without barriers."
Sustainability
Store Waste Reduction & Recovery
Sustainability is central to Nick's mission. The Store Waste Reduction and Recovery Program reduces landfill waste, supports community food access, and strengthens environmentally responsible retail operations across all Hubs and Markets.
- Food Recovery and Redistribution
- Edible but unsellable items are diverted through a structured recovery process. Produce with cosmetic imperfections, near-date items, and safe overstock will be redirected to two programs: the Hot Meal Donation program and the Subscription Grocery Box packing team. Staff follow established guidelines to determine what is safe for redistribution and what must be composted.
- Composting and Circular Systems
- Non-edible items are collected daily and placed into a designated compost staging area at each Hub. Compost is transferred into a commercial compost dumpster and picked up weekly by a local composting service. Nick's will also collaborate with environmental nonprofits to support education and community engagement around composting and waste reduction.
- Reusable and Refillable Options
- Nick's prioritizes refillable and bulk systems in all possible departments including household cleaners, body care items, and pantry staples. Customers are encouraged to bring clean reusable containers or use sustainable alternatives available in-store. Clear signage and staff support help customers understand how to participate in refill programs.
- Training and Staff Engagement
- All team members receive training on sorting procedures, safe food recovery, compost separation, and the appropriate handling of bulk refill systems. Volunteers who assist with the Hot Meal Donation program and Markets also learn how to identify recoverable items and reduce avoidable waste during community events.
- Waste Tracking and Continuous Improvement
- Each Hub conducts regular waste audits that track pounds diverted to meal programs, pounds composted, landfill tonnage, and the number of recovered meals supported. These audits identify new reduction opportunities and allow Nick's to report progress to the community, grant funders, and sustainability partners.
- Program Impact
- The Waste Reduction and Recovery Program reinforces Nick's commitment to environmental stewardship, responsible resource management, and community access. By reducing waste at every point in the store's operations, Nick's strengthens food equity while contributing to cleaner ecosystems and more resilient regional food systems.
"Waste is not just an environmental issue, it is a systems failure. At Nick's, we turn excess into access."
How To Get Involved
Getting involved with Nick's means being part of something that directly impacts your community. Whether you volunteer your time, support a program, partner with us, or contribute to our fundraising efforts, every action helps expand access to food and essential resources while strengthening the systems around it.
How to Get Involved