They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also requires a village for so much of what we depend on in our daily lives. And late last year, it took the entire village of Teller County to feed 3,000 of its neighbors.

In October 2025, families, couples, and individuals in Teller County temporarily lost Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits when the U.S. Congress failed to appropriate funding for the 2026 fiscal year. That’s when a host of organizations in Teller County jumped into action to create the Teller County Cares Food Initiative.

Spearheaded by the Board of County Commissioners and the Teller County Sheriff’s Office, the initiative was a “short-term preemptive measure to get out in front of a potential crisis to prevent it from becoming a catastrophe,” Tommy Allen, Public Information Officer for the sheriff’s office, wrote in an email.

Countless organizations, nonprofits, and everyday people from across the county banded together to ensure their neighbors had the food and groceries they needed through the holiday season.

The initiative fired up using the existing engine of the Teller County Food Alliance, which included the Community Partnership Family Resource Center, the Little Chapel Food Pantry, the Community of Caring’s Aspen Mine Center, and the Teller Senior Coalition, Allen wrote. He added that other core help came from the Community Cupboard of Woodland Park and Choices in Woodland Park.

With 30 drop-off centers in Teller County and two beyond, as well as food drives and a campaign for donations, the Teller County Cares Food Initiative provided a framework for the anticipated increase in food needs and distribution.

“This really was an all-hands-on-deck operation,” Allen said.

That’s why Allen filmed a video to memorialize the teamwork and compassion demonstrated in the community.

The documentary tells the story of the Teller County Cares Food Initiative, taking a deep dive into its creation and mobilization with snippets of experiences like that of Dan Williams, a Teller County commissioner.

“A guy that came through on the last food drive handed me $20, because we also collected cash for some of the commodities,” Williams said in the documentary. “And said ‘I was on food stamps, I was one of the guys you helped and now I’m paying I forward.’ You try not tearing up when that happens.”

To watch the full documentary, visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9wZn1cQ_b8