They range from seasoned all-weather campers to a family of Venezuelan refugee newcomers wearing shorts who wandered up to VOA’s mission downtown at 2877 Lawrence St. recently – as temperatures plunged to 25 degrees. They were among the tens of thousands who found hot meals and a place to stay at VOA facilities around the state. The Venezuelans got warmer clothes, coats, and gloves.

Needs are increasing due to “the current times in Colorado and everywhere else in the United States,” VOA vice president Faustine Curry said on her way to a Christmas party with low-income seniors at VOA’s Sunset Towers on Larimer Street. “Costs of living are high. Inflation is high.”

“We have a waiting list for our Meals On Wheels programs for elderly residents who can’t easily go out. We have waiting lists at many of our affordable housing facilities.  A lot of people are looking for a place to start their lives moving in a positive direction.”

VOA’s capacity to help its clientele is increasing, too.

A  faith-based organization, VOA was founded in 1896 by Maud Booth and her husband, Ballington, who established VOA’s westernmost mission at the time in Denver at that Lawrence Street site. The facility was renovated last year. VOA’s priority has been helping older adults, children, families, and military veterans. Driven by 400 employees on an annual budget of $40 million, VOA now operates 42 facilities around Colorado, promising “a hot lunch for anyone who needs food.” The facilities provided help, including temporary housing, counseling, and other guidance, for more than 100,000 clients this past year.

Construction contractors are scheduled to break ground this month on one of VOA’s most ambitious projects to create a full-service temporary housing complex – done in partnership with the city of Denver using $17.7 million in city bond and federal funds. Launched under former Mayor Michael Hancock, this project jibes with Mayor Mike Johnston’s priority of ensuring shelter for the city’s growing population of homeless residents. Construction crews are scheduled to replace the former 1960s-era Aristocrat Motor Hotel at 4855 W. Colfax Ave., near the Xavier Street intersection, with the five-story VOA Colorado Theodora Family Hotel — a place with underground parking for up to 150 non-paying guests in 60 rooms.

The design incorporates a grassy courtyard space envisioned as a safe zone where children can play. The hotel is scheduled to open in the spring of 2025.

A public elementary school nearby can accept the children, Curry said. “Children need to be in school.”

Guests will receive hot meals delivered from VOA’s central kitchen facility in Commerce City.

The idea is for temporary stays, as brief as possible, she said. VOA’s strategy for decades has been based on the idea that, once basic needs are met, people can pursue personal goals and improve their quality of life.

“Faith-based” doesn’t exclude guests, Curry added. “We are accepting of anyone.”

Facility supervisors do enforce behavioral rules. “At our new family hotel, we would love to be able to support and help more families. They need to hold up their end of the deal, which is to not use drugs and work to progress themselves forward. Then they can use our case services to get their lives into the next step – a successful plan to find permanent housing.”

Volunteers of America Colorado

Address: 2660 Larimer St., Denver, CO 80205

Number of employees: 400

Founded: 1896

Number of clients served in 2023: more than 100,000

Annual budget: $40 million

“It was very traumatizing,” Sadler said of the midnight fire about a year ago. “I would have dark moments of depression. We cried it all out in San Antonio and then we left.”

Left for Denver, where Sadler’s brother and sister-in-law live. Soon after arriving in the Mile High City, the 38-year-old mother of kids ranging in age from 10 to 18 was referred to Jewish Family Service, a 151-year-old human services organization based in southeast Denver, for help finding work and a home.

Jewish Family Service, which is part of The Denver Post’s Season to Share program, found Sadler’s family a place in Lakewood to rent, and the organization covered the $1,750 rent out of the box. But Sadler said she has been covering a larger portion of it every month over the last year and plans soon to take on the burden fully.

“I’m really confident now. I know I’ll be able to pay my rent,” she said. “If you’re not willing to put in that much, you’re not going to prosper.”

Jewish Family Service serves an average of 32,000 people a year across more than 30 programs ranging from mental health support to aging services to housing stability to a refugee resettlement program. Last year, the organization helped 68 Afghan evacuees, finding them safe housing and matching them with “cultural mentors” to teach them to grocery shop, navigate public transportation and enroll in Medicaid.

“Our numbers have skyrocketed because of all the migrants coming into Colorado,” said President and CEO Linda Foster. “We serve everyone in need, regardless of their religious beliefs and circumstances.”

Jewish Family Service also has a food pantry that Foster said has been getting heavy use of late.

“Food insecurity is huge,” she said. “The first thing you have to do to help people is get food on the table and a roof over their heads.”

For Sadler, that roof is a home in Lakewood. She has landed a job working for Catholic Charities and is feeling stable in a way she hasn’t in years. She credits that to Jewish Family Service.

“They actually care and they take the time to see what your family needs,” she said of the organization. “They are in it for the right reasons.”

JEWISH FAMILY SERVICE

Address: 3201 S. Tamarac Dr., Denver, CO 80231

In operation since: 1872

Number of employees: 185

Annual budget: $19.6 million

“We see every child,” DeSpiegelaere said. “We’ve never turned a child away.”

That holds true regardless of a family’s ability to pay for medical services, from routine check-ups, vaccines and nutritional guidance to behavioral and mental health care. Every Child Pediatrics primarily sees kids who are uninsured or on Medicaid, offering a sliding scale for the cost of care comparable to each family’s income. (Kids with insurance are also welcome at its clinics.)

As the needs of this population have grown, so too has the organization. Founded in 1996 as a single clinic in Denver, it has since grown to 12 locations across the state. That includes eight on school campuses — where Every Child Pediatrics operates health centers — so that doctors and nurses can meet with kids where they’re already spending time.

DeSpiegelaere estimates more than 57,000 children regularly receive medical care from Every Child Pediatrics. That ranges from newborn support in hospital maternity wards to young adult services for those in their early 20s.

But DeSpiegelaere knows that support isn’t always needed solely in a doctor’s office, so the nonprofit employs what he calls “care navigators,” who work with families to help meet their other essential needs, whether that’s access to transportation or household supplies.

“We screen everybody for the need for services, and then we have full-time navigators at every clinic to make sure we can meet with families, we can call families, we can navigate their referrals,” DeSpiegelaere said. “Then we actually partner with agencies that provide free diapers or free strollers, and we physically go get those resources and deliver them to families.”

That was especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic when fewer patients traveled to medical offices. In 2020, Every Child Pediatrics quickly activated a telehealth program and rolled out an ambulance to use as a mobile office to reach kids in rural areas.

With the ongoing affordable housing crisis and the recent influx of migrants, DeSpiegelaere expects Every Child Pediatrics will continue to be a go-to health care provider.

“It’s unfortunate I think the need is growing, but also we are here to grow with that need,” he said. “There’s only one limitation on our ability to grow. That limitation is, do we have community and donor support to fuel that growth?”

Individuals who donate to Every Child Pediatrics can support the wide range of aforementioned services through its Care for Every Child Fund, as well as ancillary ones like school supply drives or individual clinics. The organization provides robust data reporting, so donors know their dollars go exactly where intended if there’s a specific facility to program they’d like to support, DeSpiegelaere said.

Every Child Pediatrics also offers volunteer opportunities and corporate partnerships that enable locals to support its mission.

“We are the largest safety net clinic for children in Colorado,” DeSpiegelaere said. “We have a place for everybody that wants to be part of our mission to come on and join us.”

Every Child Pediatrics

Address: 9197 Grant St., Suite 100, Thornton, 80229 (headquarters)

Number of employees: 130-150

Annual budget: $12 million

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox.

You only need to see the past results of The Denver Post’s annual Season to Share campaign to know our readers support their communities. The Denver Post Community Foundation is so grateful to live in such a generous community – our subscribers are making a difference for our neighbors in need with their donations. More than 50 metro Denver nonprofit organizations focusing on children and youth, health and wellness, homelessness, and hunger will benefit from this year’s campaign. If you are able to share, donations will be accepted through December 31.

Our community also supports The Post’s commitment to journalism by subscribing and participating in our opinion forums by writing letters and guest commentary submissions.

Dedicated journalists across this city work to inform readers on the issues that most affect Coloradan’s lives. Recent projects include regional VA hospital workers reporting issues of delayed or canceled care for veterans, and the ongoing in-depth coverage of the Colorado River’s shortage and its effects on agriculture, recreation and growth.

From crime to education, The Denver Post’s reporters and editors work with passion and commitment to keep the state informed.

When Denver Post reporter Meg Wingerter notified the public that about a dozen kids were waiting at Children’s Hospital for a pediatric liver transplant, readers did not disappoint. The hospital credits Wingerter’s story almost exclusively for inspiring selfless Coloradans to step up despite the hurdle of having a portion of a vital organ surgically removed. Every child in need will receive a transplant this year.

“We have just been overwhelmed by the generosity of the Denver community,” Dr. Amy Feldman told The Post. So are we.

Reporters worked over the weekend alongside lawmakers to report on a special session to solve the looming property tax crisis when the 30% to 40% average increases were estimated for Colorado homeowners’ property values. From the failed Proposition HH ballot issue to local officials examining mil levy rates, it is good to see that the hardship is recognized as being more important than the flood of tax dollars pouring into government budgets.

Democrats did a good job of crafting legislation that immediately reduced property taxes. We appreciate the effort to also bring tax relief to those who are less likely to own property via an expansion of the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit and an equalizing of TABOR refunds.

However, Democrats could have worked across the aisle — acknowledging instead of rejecting almost immediately some of the good ideas Republicans offered — for a smoother three days of work. Republicans, had they been offered a token of participation, would have been far less likely to use delay tactics to stretch the session into the Thanksgiving week.

A small but important example was the bipartisan legislation to increase a property tax break called the Homestead Exemption for seniors, disabled veterans, and the surviving spouses of veterans with disabilities. The expansion would not have been cheap — the fiscal note estimated it would cost almost $100 million a year — but lawmakers made a similar expenditure with the Earned Income Tax Credit and the $30 million provided to rental assistance programs. Thank you, Rep. David Ortiz and Rep. Ron Weinberg for setting a good example. And especially to Ortiz for his service to this nation in the U.S. Army.

Denver’s Imam Muhammad Kolila and Rabbi Joseph Black wrote a commentary for our pages together, uniting during the devastating Israel-Hamas war to show there is no limit to love and service in the name of peace.

If these two faith leaders can call for unity and peace today, we know no issue is too intractable. We urge everyone to read their words.

There is so much to be grateful for in this state and nation — our generous communities, our freedom of the press, our veterans, our liberties, and our peace and tolerance. Nothing is beyond our ability as long as we unite for a common cause.

One player went the wrong way, nearly scoring a touchdown for the other team. Another was skipping far from the main fray. There was an injury timeout when a boy tripped over his untied shoelaces.

It doesn’t look much like literacy instruction, but it’s a vital part of Scholars Unlimited’s approach to bringing kids who are struggling with reading up to grade level, said Jennie Merrigan, the program’s senior director of programs and learning, as she watched about half of the participants at Sheridan School District’s Alice Terry Elementary play during their “enrichment block” on a Monday in November.

After zipping around the school gym for about 45 minutes, that group would go work on a computer program breaking down reading concepts, while the group currently doing their lessons in the cafeteria would get to run. On other days, they might do an art project or dance.

“Kids think they’re just playing,” she said.

Denver-based Scholars Unlimited, previously called Summer Scholars, has been offering literacy help to kids who are behind on reading since the early 1990s. In 2000, it started offering daily after-school programming, and now operates in 10 schools in the Denver area.

Last year, 396 children attended the after-school program, and 475 attended the summer session. More than 80% of kids qualified for free or reduced-price lunches, and the vast majority are children of color.

The majority of participating children who weren’t reading at grade level at the start of the 2021-2022 academic year still weren’t at the end, but the number of children who were meeting grade-level expectations increased 17%, while an additional 5% were scoring above grade level. A larger percentage of participants showed improvement in specific skills, such as vocabulary.

While half of the group at Alice Terry Elementary was playing flag football, the others were working their way through computer programs that try to make concepts like alphabetical order and letter sounds into games. If a student isn’t getting a concept, a cartoon apple on their screen turns red, notifying the staff, Merrigan said.

“Our staff can say, ‘OK, this kid needs a little more support,'” she said.

Social and emotional learning has become an increasingly important part of the program, in addition to literacy skills, said Abenicio Rael, Scholars Unlimited’s president and CEO. The organization is looking for funding to hire social workers to bounce between programs and supplement whatever mental health help students are getting from their schools, he said.

While the group doesn’t have its own mental health professionals at this point, it does try to have one staff member for every 15 students, so kids feel the adults know them and are comfortable asking for help, Rael said. Though the youngest students were only toddlers when the pandemic hit, they’ve also been affected and need support, he said.

“They need that adult relationship and they need to feel safe around an adult,” he said.

Scholars Unlimited

Address: 3705 E. 40th Ave, Denver, CO 80205

In operation since: 1993

Number of employees: 13 full-time office staff, 50 on-site staff during program hours

Annual budget: About $2.5 million

Number of clients served: More than 870 children participated in after-school programs and summer sessions last year

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.

Hawrylyshyn, who had depression and anxiety, began using drugs in high school and engaged in self-harm. Her parents, who weren’t sure what to do, sent her to a wilderness therapy program in Utah and then a therapeutic boarding school in Montana.

But it was Denver Health’s Substance Abuse Treatment, Education and Prevention program — or STEP — that offered Hawrylyshyn the consistency she said she needed with weekly therapy appointments and regular drug screenings.

“It really started from realizing I deserve better for myself and I deserve to feel good about living,” Hawrylyshyn said.

STEP provides substance use treatment to adolescents and is in at least 10 school-based health clinics in Denver Public Schools, said Crystal Potter Rivera, executive director of the Denver Health Foundation.

Substance use and overdose deaths have increased among Colorado teens in recent years.

STEP also has seen an increase in the number of adolescents seeking its services, said Dr. Mario Lintz, the program’s medical director.

“It’s become a new harsh and real reality in the work that we do,” he said.

Families are able to seek treatment via STEP themselves, but teachers also help with outreach if they suspect a student is struggling with substance use disorder, Potter Rivera said.

“Interrupting substance use is important at any phase of life,” Potter Rivera said. “But particularly when we are looking at youth — younger people — this is a really critical way to get to what is a life-long problem.”

The STEP program provides incentives, such as stickers, for patients who receive clean drug screenings and show up to therapy. The incentives have helped more adolescents reach abstinence, Potter Rivera said.

Hawrylyshyn said she received money through a VISA gift card that she used on self-care items, such as face masks, candles, nail polishes and books.

“It gives people a sense of freedom and it gives us a chance to do something nice for ourselves,” she said.

Hawrylyshyn said that once she began taking the STEP program seriously and showing up for appointments consistently she realized “this is actually worth it.”

“The only way you can get better is if you want to get better,” she said. “Life is so much more worth living in the present than using substances.”

Denver Health’s STEP program

Address:  660 N. Bannock St, Pavilion L, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80204

In operation since: 2003

Number of employees:  22

Annual expenses: $1.3 million (hospital-based)

Number of clients served: 2,529 patients in 43,525 visits since 2017

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get health news sent straight to your inbox.

“I make new friends here every day. I get snacks and play games,” said Ivory, an 8-year-old attending the Arthur E. Johnson Boys and Girls Club at 3325 West 16th Ave. in Denver on a Tuesday afternoon in October.

The nonprofit has offered Denver-area children a safe place to hang out after school since 1961. Children interact with peers and adult staff, explore potential interests and build new skills. Bouncing back from the pandemic, the nonprofit revamped or added seven locations this fall, bringing its total number of locations to 25.

The program reaches about 28,000 kids in Denver, Aurora, Arvada, Brighton, Commerce City, Lakewood and Westminster, and has a goal of growing to 30 spots in the not-so-distant future.

“We want to keep growing as the needs grow,” said Lauren Kamm, vice president of marketing and communications.

The standard club model is to host children from ages 5 to 18 after school Monday to Friday during the school year. About 18 of the 25 programs are located within schools, and the rest are standalone, like the Arthur E. Johnson location near West Colfax and a location supported by the Denver Broncos in Montbello and another one built by the Suncor Refinery in Commerce City.

More locations are providing early morning programs for younger children and about 18 locations run summer programs. Families pay a nominal fee per child and teens can get in free. Many continue to come, serving as an inspiration to the younger kids.

About nine in 10 of the participants qualify for reduced lunch programs and half of the kids are from households that earn $30,000 a year or less, Kamm said. Having an affordable and safe place to leave their children while they work into the late afternoon or evening is a big draw for parents.

Kids like Ivy in turn also enjoy being able to hang out in a safe place where they can have fun and explore interests, Kamm said.

Those interested in competing in athletics can join in supervised pickup gains or participate in sports leagues. More creative types can pursue arts and crafts options. Reading assistance and other after-school mentoring are available and there has been an added focus on science, technology, engineering and math or STEM.

The Crown Institute out of the University of Colorado, collaborating with the Pixar movie studio, developed an interactive digital application with the input of Denver-area club members called Inside U. It is designed to help kids learn about their emotions and how to handle them.

Other programs teach lessons on living healthy lifestyles and a popular one focuses on character development and leadership skills, including public speaking.

In January 2022, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Denver Mental Health Program launched at all the locations, with 11 full-time mental health staff able to hold one-on-one sessions and social-emotional learning groups.

Older participants are taught how to apply for college and prepare a resume and about nine out of 10 seniors active in the program graduate high school, Kamm said.

Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver

Address: 2017 W. 9th Ave., Denver, CO 80204
Number of employees: 300
Annual budget: $26.2 million in fiscal year 2022

The two were brought together through the program Denver Kids, a partnership between Denver Public Schools and the Rotary Club of Denver that works to keep students on track to graduation and possibly a post-secondary education.

Norman, 14, is a freshman at Rocky Mountain Prep SMART and in his second year with Denver Kids. Bui is an educational and social, emotional and learning counselor who has regular meetings with Norman and is available at other times. They sometimes play catch at lunch time and in the summer.

“For my first year of Denver Kids, Mr. Dat helped me when I needed help on my schoolwork presentations. When I needed help, I could always go to him, be able to text him,” Norman said. “It’s helped me a lot through school, grades and all of that.”

Guidance and help from counselors like Bui is among the services and programs Denver Kids offers students in the Denver school district. When the organization was founded in 1946, it was called Denver Boys and the focus was to support boys who had left school during World War II to help provide for their families.

Denver Girls was started in 1970 and merged with Denver Boys in 1993. Rotary Club members are still heavily involved, Denver Kids CEO Jay Grimm said. Several are on the board of directors, are donors and serve as mentors.

“The program has definitely changed since 1946, from being predominantly white, young men to now being a really diverse community,” said Grimm.

About 97% of the students are on free or reduced lunch and are people of color. Students are referred to the program by school personnel and counselors. The program expects to serve 1,000 students this year.

Denver Kids spokeswoman Bailey Bounds said the organization’s money comes from foundations; government grants; corporations; special events; individual donations; and significant in-kind support from DPS, including office space, access to students and schools and technology support.

Michelle Maldonado, the organization’s vice president of development, said students referred to Denver Kids might be struggling in school or could be a grade or two behind. She said the program takes a holistic approach to the student’s academic success and social and emotional growth.

“They may have attendance or behavior issues,” Maldonado said. “With some support, intervention, prevention, kind of addressing what those individual’s needs are, they can really thrive.”

Each student is paired with an educational counselor. Other staff can provide guidance about colleges or other post-secondary programs and financial aid and scholarships. About a third of the students are the first in their family to graduate from high school and about two-thirds are the first to pursue post-secondary education.

The program offers a year of supportive services after a student graduates.

Denver Kids participants had an 86% on-time graduation rate for the class of 2022. That exceeded the DPS rate by nearly 15 percentage points for the same population of students: those on free or reduced lunch.

The program is voluntary. Parents or guardians must give their OK for students to participate. The educational counselors will work with parents and caregivers to help them understand and navigate the school system.

An aspect of Denver Kids that has been around since the beginning is a volunteer mentor program. Interested adults go through training and are matched with a student. Grimm said a mentor can be one more adult in a child’s life who shows interest and provides support.

Maldonado said Denver Kids needs more mentors. Only 10% to 15% of the students are currently matched with volunteers.

“These are folks who are providing more enrichment opportunities, maybe outside of schools, on the weekend,” Grimm said, “just to see what potential is out there and see things they’ve never seen before.”

Denver Kids

Address: 780 N. Grant St., Denver, CO 80203.

In operation since: 1946

Number of employees: 32

Annual budget: $3.47 million

So the increased focus and fervor for homelessness and housing issues by city and state officials is appreciated, if a little delayed.

“What I will say is, 25 or 30 years ago, this issue was very urgent to us,” said Cathy Alderman, chief communications and public policy officer for Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. “It’s our mission to provide lasting solutions for homelessness, and what we haven’t seen is the city, state and federal government really recognize the crisis that we were living with every single day.”

That’s starting to change, Alderman said, through efforts such as Denver Mayor Mike Johnston’s emphasis on housing and homelessness and the state making one-time financial investments.

“We’re seeing people say, ‘We need to do all of this stuff right now,’ and we agree,” Alderman said. “We agree if we had started doing all of this stuff right now, 25 years ago, we might not have the crisis we have today.”

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless has both a broad and deep reach on the issues facing people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, serving people across a variety of programs.

The organization’s 53,000-square-foot Stout Street Health Center provides a full range of health care to more than 22,000 people every year. The center provides all services in the same building, so patients can receive primary care, see a dentist, go to the eye clinic and treat mental health and substance use disorders in the same place and often during the same visit.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless provides housing through more than 2,000 units, ranging from studio apartments to townhomes, and helped more than 4,300 households find housing in the last year.

And then there’s the Fort Lyon Recovery Program, which offers housing and support for people recovering from substance use disorders for up to two years; the Renaissance Children’s Center, which provides care for children ranging from infants through school-aged; and additional programs to support Native Americans, veterans and people living in rural areas.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless also regularly collaborates with organizations like Urban Peak, which serves young people experiencing homelessness.

Urban Peak President Christina Carlson said the coalition has been a relentless advocate for people experiencing homelessness.

“As they’ve grown over the years, their impact has grown and they are cutting edge at knowing what is working locally and nationally and are such leaders in this space,” Carlson said.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless will mark its 40th year in 2024 and has an eye on expanding services even further, Alderman said.

That includes new housing options, such as remodeling the former Clarion Hotel at 200 W. 48th Ave. to turn it into Renewal Village, a 216-unit transitional and supportive housing facility.

While a large part of the coalition’s funding comes from federal, state and local governments, individual donations are particularly useful because they don’t come with the same requirements and restrictions, Alderman said.

“It helps us launch new initiatives and purchase new buildings. It helps us build up reserves and have cash on hand to take advantage of opportunities government funding doesn’t allow,” Alderman said.

It also helps to know that the community supports the work of coalition, Alderman said.

“I hope we can use this new energy and resources to make meaningful change, to really start resolving homelessness in a meaningful way and working to prevent people from falling into the cycle of homelessness,” she said. “It’s going to take all of us screaming out that urgency, because people are dying outside, and to me, that’s not the society and community we want to live in.”

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

Address: 2111 Champa St., Denver, CO 80205

Number of employees: 800

Annual budget: $100 million

Clients served last year: More than 20,000

Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.

The park is also the site of weekly food distribution tables set up by Kaizen Food Share, which offers brightly colored, “culturally responsive” produce that reflects the backgrounds of people who gather to receive it.

“This helps a lot, especially if SNAP has run out for the month or you haven’t gotten your paycheck,” said Fato, whose last name has been withheld in the Food Bank of the Rockies campaign in which she’s featured. “Especially if you have kids — they always want to eat!”

Kaizen is a Hunger Relief partner of Food Bank of the Rockies, one of the nonprofit recipients of financial support from The Denver Post Foundation’s Season to Share campaign. The majority-refugee population in which Fato lives depends on Food Bank of the Rockies and its partners to provide this service that’s foundational to every other aspect of her life.

With sharply increased food insecurity across diverse communities, Food Bank of the Rockies is also depending on public support to meet its own needs. Over the last year, Food Bank employees have seen the overall costs of living and food-inflation restrict access to not only affordable, healthy meals for families, but Food Bank’s ability to acquire it.

“More people are having to make a choice between putting food on the table and paying other essential bills,” said Erin Pulling, president and CEO of Food Bank of the Rockies. “We’ve seen a huge increase in the number of people we’re serving over the last 12 months.”

A few months ago, expanded emergency benefits from SNAP, or food stamps, ran out of their COVID-19 phase, combining with a downturn in the amount of USDA or government-commodity food Food Bank receives. Food Bank purchases and distributes 15 truckloads of food every week, which costs about $1.5 million per month. With the recently closed, COVID-era benefits in place, it was closer to $300,000 or $400,000 per month, Pullman said.

“It’s tough to sustain this level of food purchasing, so we’re really just depending on the generosity of the public,” she said.

As noted, the increases come during a time when Food Bank of the Rockies and their nonprofit peers are ramping up efforts to provide food that reflects the 20 different languages spoken each week at New Freedom Park, for example. That includes not only buying the right produce, but training workers and volunteers to work with the language and cultures of the people receiving it.

“It’s a strategy that really just comes down to more community engagement,” Pulling said. “We’re looking at how to benefit people where they live (and) working with more agricultural partners and local sourcing. We want to serve our clients in a way that’s familiar to them.”

Food Bank of the Rockies was recognized by Feeding America for its efforts to provide printed materials in a variety of languages while training workers for “cultural competency” to interact with clients, whether those clients are seeking Somali, Vietnamese, Russian or Mexican staples.

“It’s been tremendously popular, here and around the country,” Pulling said of the trend. As a result, current efforts at Food Bank of the Rockies are focused more on monetary donations than produce or dry and canned good donations, since those can work together for greater effect.

“For people wanting to help, we’ll happily take donated food, but a more efficient way is donating (money) because we can leverage the power of our existing food and turn a dollar into three meals,” she said.

Food Bank of the Rockies

Address: 10700 E. 45th Ave, Denver, CO 80239

In operation since: 1978

Number of employees: 230 (includes Colorado and Wyoming)

Volunteers: We have 18,000 individuals volunteer in a typical year across our four distribution centers

Annual budget for FY23: $156,282,052

Number of clients served: 367,685 (includes Colorado and Wyoming)