The Denver Foundation has activated its Critical Needs Fund to help food pantries coping with rising demand and declining donations.

The goal: to raise at least $500,000 to help food banks distribute food to a growing number of needy families. Requests for assistance are up 25 percent to 38 percent at metro-area pantries.

The Colorado Health Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, the Donnell Initiative Fund, and Denver Foundation donor-advised fundholders have contributed to the fund to address hunger this winter.

In a sign of the times, Denver Foundation board chair Rich Lopez reported that kids asked him for food, in addition to toys, when he stood in as a bilingual Santa Claus at Boulder's Santa House at the start of the holiday season.

For more information on donating to the food fund, go to

denverfoundation.org or contact Sarah Harrison at 303-300-1790.