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Insurance enrollment, free youth therapy and meals, vets remembered THERESA BAER
KIDS FOR COLORADO GIVES Colorado Gives Day is Tuesday, December 7. As part of the annual day of giving to Colorado nonprofits, parents can teach their children the joy of charitable giving. Through the Kids for Colorado Gives site, www. KidsforColoradoGives.org, kids can learn “What is a nonprofit?” and “Why do nonprofits need donations,” do activities in the free Giving Kit, and search and donate to causes that most interest them in their community. To donate, children need to ask their parents/caregivers to purchase a Giving eCard and send it to them. Once they have a Giving eCard, the kids can search for nonprofits by name/keyword or by cause and then donate. COLORADO HEALTH INSURANCE ENROLLMENT NOW OPEN Colorado residents can now enroll in health insurance for 2022 through Connect for Health Colorado, the official health insurance marketplace for Coloradans. The American Rescue Plan provides financial help for health insurance and makes health coverage offered through Connect for Health Colorado more affordable. Open enrollment runs annually from November 1 through Jan. 15. During this time, anyone can enroll or make changes to their health insurance. However, for coverage to begin on January 1, action must be taken by December 15, 2021. To learn more and enroll, visit www.connectforhealthco.com. FREE PREPARED MEALS IN GREELEY AND LOVELAND The Colorado Food Cluster (www.coloradofoodcluster.com) provides free fully prepared meals for Colorado children and youth in families that are having a hard time during the 14
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current public health crisis. Meal boxes are free to any student 18 and under and each box includes seven breakfasts, seven lunches and fourteen snacks, plus milk and orange juice. Currently, deliveries are made within 20 miles of Greeley, and expanding soon to new areas. No proof of income is required–only basic information about parents and their student. Thompson School District families can pick up a KidsPak bag at Loveland Public Library, 300 N. Adams Avenue, or Berthoud Community Library, 236 Welch Avenue. Each bag contains enough food for six meals and families with more than one child are eligible for two bags each week. In Loveland, snacks are also available to all youth ages 0–18 (up to grade 12) during all business hours, in the library teen space.
If you are experiencing food insecurity or know someone who is, additional resources are available at Food Bank of Larimer County, www.foodbanklarimer.org, or Weld Food Bank, weldfoodbank.org. FREE THERAPY SESSIONS TO ALL COLORADO YOUTH Funded by the Colorado Department of Human Services Office of Behavioral Health, the I Matter program (www.imattercolorado.org) is a “temporary behavioral health services program to provide access to mental health and substance use disorder services for youth, including addressing needs that may have resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic.” The program provides up to three free
