April Is Earth Month

Giving Thanks To Our Mother, And Everyone Else

By Sierra Fleenor

Executive Director, GPHC, Inc.

Forget about Earth Day. Here at GPHC we’ve declared April to be Earth Month. (You don’t have to actually forget about Earth Day.) What Earth Month means to us is that we’ll be hosting sustainability-focused events and cooking classes, sharing information about bees and other pollinators, and generally cleaning up the neighborhood.

Check out page 11 for descriptions of activities and classes. Follow us on Facebook at @GPHCDenver, and online at greaterparkhill.org/sustainability/earthmonth

In May we will hold our third annual Garden in a Box Giveaway, a program that provides low-income and novice gardeners with everything they need to grow their own 4×4 vegetable garden. We are in need of specific seeds and seedlings, as well as pots for those who don’t have garden beds. If you’re interested in donating or want to learn more about the program, contact us at info@greaterparkhill.org or 303-388-0918

Stocking food, serving people

With so much afoot, we are eternally grateful for volunteers who make our regular programming possible. Our food programs continue to provide nutritional support to our neighbors in need. We have many volunteers to thank for their time and energy that they have spent sorting and stocking food, delivering Weekend Food Program bags, serving clients – and more than I can even spell out here.

We couldn’t do any of our vital work without the tireless volunteers who show up week after week. Thank you each and all.

As always, we’d be remiss if we didn’t also thank the team of volunteers who support the Greater Park Hill News, including bundlers and blockworkers. If you’re reading a newspaper that was delivered to your home or business, you have a blockworker to thank. If you’d like to join these newspaper volunteers, with a commitment of as little as 20 minutes per month, email newspaper@greaterparkhill.org.

We are lucky to have so many volunteers who give their time and energy to GPHC, but we still need a few more. Can you help us with our Weekend Food Program, the upcoming Garden Walk in June, the Fourth of July Parade, the Home Tour and Street Fair in September? If so, please be in touch. You can reach us at info@greaterparkhill.org or 303-388-0918 to learn more about these volunteer opportunities.

What we need: Fresh and frozen

Another group of supporters of GPHC includes our donors! Thank you to the individuals, families, students, businesses, and faith communities who support our Food Pantry and Weekend Food Program. From shelf-stable foods to fresh items to frozen meals, every donation you make goes directly to a neighbor or student in need in our community.

Our food programs have ongoing needs and we accept any donations. For our food pantry we are particularly in need of canned peaches, mixed fruit, applesauce, and any other cans or jars of fruit. We also always need canned meats especially tuna, chunk chicken, Vienna sausages, and spam. We could also use ramen, rice, dry mashed potatoes, oatmeal (large canisters), sugar, and black eyed peas.

Our clients rarely have access to meat and dairy through our pantry, so donations of fresh or frozen meat and dairy are always appreciated. We can distribute any fresh and frozen items, so keep that in mind, especially as we enter the growing season. (Hint, hint.)

Our clients do frequently request hygiene products, including deodorant, razors, body wash, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and baby wipes. We distribute both regular size and travel-sized hygiene items. We also need toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent (in smaller containers, if possible), and dish soap.

For our weekend food program we currently need individually-wrapped cereal bars, individual servings of instant oatmeal, individual cereal bowls, and regular-sized boxes of kid-friendly cereals.

Call us, visit us, get involved

We also accept financial donations for our food pantry and weekend food programs, as well as the other programs we offer. If you’d like to make a donation, visit our website at greaterparkhill.org or call our office at 303-388-0918

Donations can be made at GPHC’s office (2823 Fairfax St.) Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. We also accept donations of non-perishable items at the Park Hill Branch Library and Cake Crumbs during their regular business hours.

We cannot distribute expired items, so please check the expire dates before making a donation.

If you have any questions about our work or how to get involved with GPHC as a volunteer or donor, check out our website, give us a call, or drop by our office at 2823 Fairfax St. during the office hours detailed above.

Volunteers

Janey Alpert

Jason Barth

Barb Cavender

Jack Farrar

Claudia Fields

Harold Fields

Tas Frashure

Adrienne Hill

Noni Horwitz

Erika Hutyra

Megan  Jamison

Rod Leman

Debra Lovell

Tracey MacDermott

Chuck Nelson

Mike Quigley

Alison Rabinoff

Mary Salsich

Tammi Scroggins

Heather Shulman

Shane Sutherland

Sue Weinstein

Donna Westmoreland

Jeannie Willis

Donors

C Benoit

David Gauthier

Daniel Glenn

Lyle Hansen

Ellen Hokanson

Harriet Mullaney

Anne Sunderwirth

Karen Timmons

Helen Wolcott

AARP Queen City Chapter #995

Blessed Sacrament

Cake Crumbs and Patrons

Cure D’ Ars

Dahlia Campus for Health and Well-Being

Dank Dispensary and Clients

Denver Food Rescue

Food Bank of the Rockies/9 News Cares

Messiah Community Church

Montview Presbyterian

Park Hill Congregational

Park Hill Library and Patrons

Park Hill United Methodist

Re/Max Cherry Creek

St Paul Lutheran Church

St. Thomas Episcopal Church

Temple Micah