Rocky Mountain (Food) Drive

Colorado is a popular travel destination all year round, thanks mostly to the majestic Rockies, which are as breathtaking now — when it's crisp and sunny — as they are in the snowy winter. If you're visiting the state and are an off-the-beaten-track shopper, it's worth checking out arc Thrift Stores, a network of 19 charity shops all over Colorado that benefit people with developmental disabilities. As well as helping a great cause, chances are you'll happen upon some great (and cheap) finds.

It's particularly timely to mention arc Thrift Stores at the moment. Earlier this year, arc collected food for the needy for six weeks at all its branches. This food drive happens annually  — it's been going on since 2000 — and received donations this time around from a whopping 60,000 households. (It helped that arc made it easy, encouraging people to bring non-perishable food when they stopped by to drop off clothes or other donations.) This Saturday, the food (112 tons worth) will be donated to Volunteers of America's City Harvest Food Bank in Denver. The food (some of which is pictured, packed for distribution) will be donated to 75 local shelters and food banks, all for free.

And if Colorado brings to mind swanky Aspen hotels and posh celebrity ranches, it's sobering to know that 15 percent of the state's households are "food insecure" — in other words, they teeter closely towards going hungry. Maybe that's not the first thing you think about on vacation, but if your summer travels include time in Colorado, it's added incentive to stop by a branch of arc and support the fundraising work that's done each year.