Denver & Boulder

– Noa Mazur 

We started off the day by heading to the Food Bank of the Rockies. Hanna Jones, a worker at the food bank, spoke about food insecurity in Colorado and showed us different statistics on it. She also explained the difference between a food bank and a food pantry, which I had never learned about. A food bank stores food, unlike a food pantry that passes the food out. In addition, she described the process of getting the meals to those in need. As well as explaining where the food they get originally comes from. Following our discussion, we got a short tour of the food bank, where I saw the biggest refrigerator I have ever seen. Seeing people coming together to make a difference was also really special. Watching all the volunteers and workers in action inspired me to want to be a part of it.

Afterwards we went to Boulder, where we stopped for lunch at Pearl street. 

Following Pearl Street, we did yoga. The yoga instructor had us go into different positions, such as downward dog and cat stretch. Yoga was very pleasant after 10 days of being on the bus for hours and having heavy discussions. Overall, it was a very peaceful and stress-free experience. 

After yoga, we had a short discussion on the murder of Matthew Sheppard. Matthew Shepard was murdered in 1998 due to his sexual orientation. He was beaten while tied to a fence outside of Laramie, Wyoming, and left to die at age 21. Although we have progressed since 1998, we still have a long way to go to prevent these sorts of hate crimes and work on the safety and inclusiveness of the LGBTQ+ community.

We then drove two hours to Laramie, Wyoming, where we made a quick stop for dinner before getting back on the road for another 2.5 hours to the hotel, where we would get some well-deserved sleep.