About Us
About the Community Alliance
The Community Alliance is a program of CSU that increases food and nutritional security of people on the Western Slope of Colorado. Through our farm-to-foodbank program, we increase people’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables. We also help people, especially youth, eat that food through our hands-on, experiential farm-to-school program. The Community Alliance program is a collaborative partnership between community organizations and the staff, students, interns, and volunteers at the Colorado State University Western Colorado Research Center and the Tri-River Extension Office.
To learn more about how we work, visit the tabs under our Impact Page.
Mission Statement
Working together, we increase access to, knowledge of, and joy around fresh, nutritious foods so people can build healthier lives.
Vision Statement
A Western Colorado community where all people can access healthy food, learn how it is grown and can be prepared, and experience how it tastes straight out of the fields, orchards, or gardens.
Check out this video to see Community Alliance in action!
Our 2024 Staff
Karmen Lillard
Karmen Lillard has a passion for agriculture and it shows. She is our Ag Learning Spaces Manager, a position funded by the Morgridge Family Foundation. She has been busy this spring in our greenhouse growing vegetables, flowers, and herbs to plant in our vegetable fields and Service Learning Garden. These fields are used as educational spaces for K-12 students and interns who are exploring careers in agriculture. All the food grown will be harvested and directed to hunger relief organizations. Karmen applies her unique experience in adult outdoor education to help provide volunteers and visitors with educational experiences while at the Research Center.
Tori Johnson, photo credit Jeremy Poland
You’ll recognize Tori Johnson from years past. Tori is our Agriculture Literacy Instructor, which is a position funded by the Morgridge Family Foundation. She combines her love of farming with her exceptional abilities to connect to students. Tori has been busy this spring building the Service Learning Garden and Hoophouse for learning and teaching students in our orchards, fields and gardens. In the fall, we look forward to seeing more of Tori with our volunteer crew.
