Kids Aid is a community solution to "helping kids be kids."

In 2004, as he was dropping his daughter off at school, Mike Berry encountered a little girl that was crying on the playground. He discovered that she was cold, tired from sleeping in her car the night before, and hungry. This interaction planted the seed for Kids Aid and became something he couldn’t ignore. Mike wondered, “Why isn’t someone doing something about kids in our community going hungry?” Then he realized he was that someone, and so he got to work.

He started the program in his garage feeding ten children each week. Moving the operation to his office, employees and clients navigated around boxes of macaroni and cheese and sat on cases of peanut butter. Thanks in large part to Mike’s infectious enthusiasm, Kids Aid then ran a successful capital campaign in 2016 for its own (free and clear) warehouse to call home.

Kids Aid is now available in over 125 locations serving preschool through college-aged students, with approximately 175 volunteers proudly assembling and delivering an average of 3,000 bags a week.

Vision, Mission & Values

iStock 1207261035 web e1622244922428

When a child is hungry “being a kid” can be hard work. Kids Aid was created to provide food to hungry children within our community. Through the collaborative support of local schools, businesses and individual volunteers, Kids Aid is a community solution to “Helping Kids Be Kids.”

Our Vision

No child experiences hunger in Mesa County

Our Mission

To alleviate childhood hunger so kids can be kids

Our Core Values
  • We value kids, considering their needs first
  • We value human dignity, infusing compassion in all that we do
  • We value community partnership, prioritizing collaboration and joint solutions
  • We value clear and simple systems, increasing accessibility, efficiency, and responsiveness
  • We value community contribution, acknowledging all who support our mission and vision
  • We value connection, operating with gratitude and kindness

Staff & Board

Our crew at Kids Aid may be small, but we are mighty. We have one full time staff member, one part time staff member, and seven members of our board of directors. It is through the incredible care and coordination of each of these people that Kids Aid not only keeps being able to serve our community, but to be able to grow our programming and develop new ways to help children and families.

Tessa KaiserExecutive Director

Emilee PowellPresident
Harry WillsonVice President
Lucas FergusonTreasurer
Mike BerrySecretary
Crystal Garcia-Becenti
Board Member
Stephanie Mercer
Board Member
Millie Funderburk
Board Member

Community Partners

We highly value community partnership and community contribution, believing that together we are better. Together we serve more families, elevate our and our partners’ programs and practices, expand our reach to underserved populations, support our community’s health and wellbeing and ultimately, alleviate childhood hunger. Through our collaborative partnerships with individuals, organizations, businesses, and funders, we can do so much—and we are immensely grateful for our relationships.

Thank you all for your faithful support of Kids Aid!
1240 Partners, LLC
2h Mechanical, LLC
Abram and Ray Kaplan Foundation
Alpine Bank
Alpine Cable & Construction Inc.
American Lutheran Church
Appraisal Management
Asset Engineering
Autopaychecks, Inc.
Bank of the San Juans
Bernie and Mary Beth Buescher Charitable Donations Fund
Blythe Group & Co.
Bray & Company
Bray Commercial, LLC
Breckenridge Ale House
Burton Orthodontics
Caerus Oil & Gas
Caerus Operating, LLC
Canyon View Vineyard Church
Carpetime
Cars Helping Charities
Cendera Funding
Center for Spiritual Living
Chamberlin Architects
Charities Aid Foundation America
Christie Reece Real Estate, Inc.
City Of Grand Junction
Clough Family Foundation
Colorado Elks Association Charities, Inc.
Colorado Lions Foundation
Colorado Log Furniture Company
Colorado Mesa University
Colorado Sheet Metal Workers Apprenticeship & Training Fund
Community First Foundation
Community Hospital
Countertop Epoxy
Country Elegance LLC
Country Inn Motel
Credit Union of Colorado
Crossroads United Methodist Church
DA Davidson & Co.
David Tredway Woodworking Company
DaVita Dialysis
Debeque School District 49-JT
Downtown Vineyard Church
EC Electric
El Pomar Foundation
Elevate Kids
Enstroms
Faith Heights Church
Family Counseling Center
FCI Constructors, APC
First Congregational Church
First Light Home Care
First Presbyterian Church
First United Methodist Church
Food Bank of the Rockies
Fruita Lioness
Fruita Lions Club Raffle Fund
Fruita Rotary Club
Fruita Thrift Shop
Garden Village Affordable Housing
Gear & Associates Realty
Gears and Grinds LLC – Mountain Air Roasters
Give Lively Foundation Inc.
GJ Enterprises, LLC
Grand Junction Kiwanis Foundation
Grand Junction Rotary
Grand Junction Rotary Club Foundation
Grand Junction Seventh Day Adventist Church
Grand Valley Fleet Services Inc
Grand Valley Peace and Justice
Heartsong Montessori
High Country Beverage
High Desert Dental
Hilltop Community Resources
Housing Resources of Western Colorado
Idexx Laboratories
Invest in Others
Jewish Community Center Of Grand Junction, Inc.
JLT Drilling Fluid Consulting, Inc.
Junior Service League Of Grand Junction
Keller Williams, Colorado West Realty
Kiwanis Club of Grand Junction
Kohl’s
Kokopelli Real Estate LLC
Kroger
Land Title Guarantee Company
LD Sessions, LLC
Legacy Wealth Management, LLC
Mays Concrete, Inc.
Mercedes
Mercer Automotive, Inc.
Mesa County Sherriff’s Office
Mesa County United Way
Mesa County USBC
Mesa County Valley School District 51
Mesa Investments LLC
Midwest Veterinary Partners
Monument Baptist Church
Mountain Aire Medical Supply, LLC
National Christian Foundation Rocky Mountains
Newcomers Club
Oldcastle SW Group
OneHope
Pampered Chef
Petroleum and Mining Club
Plateau Valley School District 50
Primary Care Partners, Inc.
Redlands Lions Club
Redlands United Methodist Church
Renaissance Charitable Foundation
Rexel
Reynolds Polymer Technology, Inc.
Robert N. Gaby Estate
Robinson and Co Realty, LLC
Rocky Mountain Health Foundation
RSI Entech
Saint Matthew’s Episcopal Church
Sam’s Club #6360
Shelter Insurance: Carrie Konakis & Kerry Phillips
Sienna Creek Homes
Sorter Construction Inc
Sorter Construction, Inc.
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church/Ladies Fellowship
Stillwater Cowboy Church
STRIVE
Supporters of Jose Luis Chavez
Temple Buell Foundation
Texas Presbyterian Foundation
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
The Cranston Family Foundation
The Great Greek
The Kroger Co. Foundation
The Untouchables Custom Embroidery
Third Sector Innovations, Inc.
TIL Construction, LLC.
Timberwolf Welding, Inc.
Together Rising, Inc.
Towner Real Estate
Trailhead Institute DBA CFPHE
Triple S Steel Family Fund
U.S. Charitable Gift Trust
United Methodist Women – Crossroads Methodist Church
United Way of Mesa County
Vestafjell Lodge 6-146 Sons of Norway
Walmart #4491
Walmart Foundation
Walter Environmental Group INC
Western Colorado Community Foundation
Western Colorado Contractors Association
Western Healthcare Alliance
Western Slope Auto Company
Wheels of Faith Chapter 959
White Castle Roofing & Contracting INC.
Whitewater Building Materials
Wilson Family Foundation

News & Publications

To keep our community informed, we do our best to distribute an information-packed newsletter three times per year as well as postcards and email updates. For more frequent updates and current information, we use our social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter—to share updates about upcoming events, opportunities, and program changes. We’d love to keep in touch, so please follow us on your preferred platform!

For more in depth information about our organization, including current 990s, please visit our GuideStar Profile.