Creative Ways to Give Back
The volunteer-led Greater Park Hill Community does many things for our neighborhood, from staying abreast of zoning changes and lobbying on Park Hill’s behalf, to publishing the Greater Park Hill News. Perhaps most visible to many though are the services we provide via our Emergency Food Pantry.
For the last year, the GPHC Emergency Food Pantry, at 2823 Fairfax St., has operated under new procedures for our “client choice” program, where clients are able to choose the foods they most prefer or need.
During that time, we have served almost 800 families with a three-day supply of food, and an additional 55 families with a Thanksgiving basket and turkey to feed 206 people. The clients are gracious, sometimes uncomfortable about asking for help, but always appreciative that GPHC is there for them in their time of need. We treat each client with respect, and strive to give them personalized service. I am proud of what has been accomplished though this program with the help of very dedicated weekly volunteers.
Our Pantry of course, could not exist without the support of our Park Hill neighbors and churches to supply the majority of our food. Last year, more than 14,000 pounds of food was donated locally, with our largest contributors being Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and Park Hill United Methodist Church. There are many individuals to thank as well, who have found some very creative ways to give back to GPHC.
Some examples:
Sue Mountain-Morgan turned her birthday into a “food-raising” challenge. Rather than receiving presents, Sue encouraged giving to others. She has created an annual canned food drive at her workplace in Stapleton, and challenged other nearby offices as well to collect the most food in an annual battle she calls the “Food Fight.” A.F. Williams Family Medicine, Victory Couriers, and A Wild Smile Pediatric Dentistry together collected 1,299 cans for this year’s “Food Fight” (up from 942 cans last year) that was shared among Greater Park Hill Emergency Pantry, The Agape Project, and Project Angel Heart/ Metro Care Ring. GPHC received more than 350 pounds of food from this drive. Thank you, Sue, for thinking of others!
Lulu Fickres is another resident who asked for food donations in lieu of presents – for her 10th birthday. Her friends and neighbors responded, adding many cans to help stock our shelves. Brad Parks and sons Nathan and Aidan helped gather food from their neighbors on the 23rd to 28th blocks of Bellaire Street, for their annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day food and toiletry drive in January. Thank you to the Parks’ neighbors who have participated in this great community event.
Sean and Denon Moore of Cake Crumbs Bakery have always been strong supporters of GPHC. They began selling blue “Park Hill” T-shirts, with $2 from every sale going to GPHC. We’ve just received a check for $176 from T-shirt sales so far. Thank you, Cake Crumbs customers for your support! If you’d like to purchase a shirt, stop by Cake Crumbs at 2216 Kearney St.
Lastly, the Girl Scouts of Troop #3573 solicited donations of cookies to our food pantry from generous local donors who were willing to buy an extra box to help those in need. The Troop brought GPHC 150 boxes of various cookies to distribute, to pantry families who may not ordinarily be able to afford desserts. Volunteer students from Colorado Academy helped us process and distribute other recent donations as part of a service project.
We are appreciative of everyone who has helped contribute to the success of GPHC, but I challenge you: what occasion can you turn in to your own food drive? Our pantry is still desperately in need of canned fruit – pears, peaches, applesauce etc. We also need canned ham, chicken, and beef stews for protein. We have freezer space for meat, bread, and dairy. We can take donations anytime Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and we appreciate your creative support.
This summer, GPHC will be expanding our efforts to provide fresh produce through the “Produce for Pantries” program. As you plan and cultivate your gardens this spring and summer, we encourage you to plant an extra row for an area food pantry, including GPHC, or at least know that we are a resource if you find yourself with a plethora of zucchini or tomatoes and you don’t want extras to go to waste. We’ll be publishing more about this program in the coming months – stay tuned, and thank you to those who supported our emergency pantry with fresh produce and dairy last year.
Finally, I encourage you to get involved with GPHC as one of Denver’s oldest and largest registered neighborhood organizations. Meetings are held on the 1st Thursday of each month, except July and December. Please attend and consider volunteering to get involved with issues that will have an impact on our neighborhood.
Thank you for being a part of our vibrant Park Hill Community. Happy Spring!