The market’s last day, for now, was Thursday, April 28.

Food insecurity has been a major issue during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Food Bank of the Rockies found the need for food in its service areas increased by upwards of 80 percent.

Last spring, Hunger Free Colorado, a statewide nonprofit that connects people to food resources, published a survey that found 33 percent of Coloradans are struggling with "food insecurity or lack of consistent, reliable access to nutritious, culturally relevant food." The survey also found that about one in six children are not getting proper nutrition.

“A lot of people are upset about our closing because they rely on us,” Watts. “They're here, you know, twice a month. I hate that all these people that we've been serving for all these months … are not going to have a place to go or, you know, it's going to be more difficult for them to get food.”

While the groceries at Food Connect Colorado are free, there are some restrictions: shoppers need to make an appointment to visit the market (shoppers who had an appointment scheduled for May and/or June will receive a cancellation notice via email, the organization said). Shoppers must also live within certain zip codes and can only visit twice a month. More information is available here.

The organization recommends following its Facebook page for further updates.

“We're going to still continue to try to make a new home somewhere else,” Watts said. “I'm still hopeful that we'll be able to do that. I'm hopeful that something will come through in the next few months.”

Brian Willie is the Content Production Manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can contact him at brianwillie@rmpbs.org.

Kyle Cooke is the digital media manager at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach him at kylecooke@rmpbs.org.