GPHC Command Central: 15 Tons Of Food Last Year
All Signs Point To A Busy 2023 In Our Pantry
By Lori Midson
Executive Director, GPHC, Inc.
For more than three decades, I wrote about the Denver restaurant scene, documenting openings and closings, conducting hundreds of chef interviews and reporting on salacious shakeups. When COVID-19 struck, my career all but sank. Restaurants shuttered entirely or were closed for months. There were lockdowns.
Every story I did manage to squeak out was inevitably punctuated by the horrors of the pandemic and increasing hunger statistics, a direct result of health concerns and job losses. According to an April 2021 survey from the a statewide nonprofit Hunger Free Colorado, Denver’s food-insecure population increased from 11 percent to 33 percent during the pandemic. And food banks, as you can imagine, went into overdrive — including Greater Park Hill Community’s own emergency food pantry.
Our free food pantry was, and is, a lifeline for the more than 1,500 individuals and families who rely on us every year to support, sustain and nourish them. Many of our clients, most of whom are Park Hill residents, live on fixed incomes and struggle to pay their monthly bills, perhaps now more than ever given inflation and surging costs of food staples.
Some of our clients live alone, while others are single parents with young children. Many more are large, extended families under one roof. We offer them all quick relief in the form of free groceries, and we do so with minimal red-tape hurdles. On average, a one-person household receives 19 pounds of grocery staples each time he or she shops our pantry. In 2022, that equated to 342 pounds of food for one person based on 18 visits per year.
In total, our pantry distributed approximately 30,000 pounds — or 15 tons — of food last year. To put that into perspective, 15 tons is about the same as a fully loaded school bus, or four hippopotamuses, or five grizzly bears.
And our food assistance doesn’t end with our emergency pantry. In November of last year, we distributed upwards of 5,600 pounds of food during our annual Thanksgiving giveaway. During Colorado’s growing season — June through October — hundreds of neighbors gather at our free farm stand to stock up on fresh produce donated by local farms and gardeners. By the time our farmstand ended in 2022, we’d distributed more than 6,000 pounds of fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit.
We also offer a weekend snack food program that supports the Boys and Girls Club of Metro Denver. Our annual Garden in a Box giveaway plants the seed (so to speak) for amateur and low-income families to grow their own vegetables at home. Each person receives seedlings, seeds, planting instructions and other tools to make their garden grow.
What does this all mean as we head into 2023? It means we’re gearing up for a super-busy year with respect to our food programs and services. We’re increasing our number of yearly pantry visits from 18 to 24, and we’re also investing in more fresh food — including meats, eggs and bread — to give to our community. And . . . we’re also looking for a few volunteers, especially to help staff our emergency food pantry. If you have availability on Mondays and/or Wednesdays, between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., I’d love to hear from you! We provide onsite training, and you’ll be in the company of some truly amazing and committed volunteers who are passionate about nourishing our community.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please send an email to director@greaterparkhill.org or submit a volunteer form at greaterparkhill.org/join-us/volunteer/.
I hope 2023 brings heaps of hope, optimism, peace, spontaneity, happiness and fun into your lives. And thank you for being a part of ours. Happy New Year to you all!
Current Pantry Needs
• Kid-friendly snacks
• Canned chicken, tuna and salmon
• White rice
• Dry cereal
• Oatmeal
• Coffee
• Tea
• Boxed potatoes (all varieties)
• Frozen potatoes, including hashbrowns and French fries
• Frozen vegetables
• Canned fruit
• Dish soap
• Shampoo
• Razors
Out of respect for our clients and to ensure we follow food-safety protocols, we cannot accept any expired or opened food packages. Thank you for your understanding. Donations are accepted on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to noon at 2823 Fairfax St.
Donors
Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church
Dahlia Campus Farms and Gardens
Dank-Colorado
Messiah Community Church
MIle Hi United Way
Park Hill Congregational UCC
Park Hill Dental Arts
Park Hill United Methodist Church
PHC Mixed Use LLC
Duffy Charitable Gift Fund/Schwab Charitable
St. Thomas Episcopal Church
Abigail Dice
Adrienne Hill
Alan and Leslie Levine
Alice Mansfield
Amy Barrett
Amy Harris
Anne & Joe Frank
Annie and David Pratt
Anthony and Christine Caruso
Barbara Berryman
Barbara F Dey
Ben Sachs and Debra Knapp
Bernadette Kelly
Beth and Jim McBride
Beth Wright
Betsy and Geoffrey Post
Bill Juraschek
Blair Knicely
Bobbi Gillis
Brian Kelly and Nanci Young
Bryan Saunders and Kate Swan
Cara DeGette and Mark Silverstein
Cathy Bauchwitz
Charles A Miller
Chris and Erin Nielsen
Chris Brown
Christine and Daniel Allen
Christine Dupont-Patz
Chuck and Robyn Jacobs
Craig Reiter
Dan Robinson
David and Patty Roush
David Pyle
Deborah and Ralph Round
Devin Nelson
Devon Brocke
Dirk and Carol McDermott
Donald Jurkoic
Dorothy Todd
Duane and Jean Gall
Elizabeth Harris
Erica Gutierrez
Erin Donovan
Estelle and Charles Bennett
Frances Koehn
Frank and Jan Tapy
Frederica Crews
Georgia and Woody Garnsey
Harriet Mullaney
Harry and Gail Doby
Henry Bootz and Maria Flora
Henry Hine
Inga Calvin
James Aubrey
James Klett
Janet Fairs
Jasmine Brubaker
Jay Deaner
Jay Epperson
Jeff and Mayzie Mayfield
Jeffrey and Karen Roberts
Jenna Cruff
Jennifer Calderone
Jenny Dyer
Jessica Pearson
Jodi Haller
Josh Gipper
Judy Wolfe
Kait Speth
Karen L. Johnston and T. Shane Sutherland
Karen Ortiz
Kate Percival
Katherine DeGette
Kelly Cooper
Kelly Hudson
Kirstin Koszorus
Lisa Haddox
Liz and James Cameron
Lola and Arlen Hershberger
Marian Frank
Marty and Arna Caplan
Mary Gerwin
Mary Green
Mary Jo Starmer
Mary Salsich
Matthew and Elizabeth Spohn
Mike Miller
Nancy Brauer and Jeffrey Kent
Nancy Connick and Diane Jankowski
Nancy Downs
Nancy Watzman
Natalie Hengel
Oliver and Helen Wolcott
Pamela Greenberg
Pamela Hoggins
Patricia Mead
Patty Lalich
Paul and Linda Redstone
Paula Hoffman
Peggy Cuciti
Penny Ashley-Lawrence
Phil and Teresa Campbell
Polly Wirtz and Gary Klein
Princess Gray
Randy & Babette McQueen
Rosemary Aitken and Judy McWilliams
Ruth Steiner
Sally Ortiz
Sara Carlson
Sarah Speicher
Sebbie Coleman
Shanta Harrison-Sullivan
Sharlene Truax
Sharon and Joe Little
Sharon Lundahl
Shaylisa Turner
Simon and Elizabeth Hambidge
Simon Blamires
Sophie Milam
Stephen and Laurel Mohr
Sue Wofford
Susan & Paul Riederer
Susan Klann
Thomas Bradley
Thomas Korson
Tim and Sally Kennedy
Todd & Renee Hopkins
Todd Cooper
Tom and Carol Odwyer
Tomsyck Kingel Family
Tracey MacDermott and Heather Shockey
Troy and Jessica Lerner
V.T. Kalba
Veronica D’Annibale
Wendi Torres
Wendy Emerick
William G Reinhardt
Volunteers
Ann Torgerson
Nichole Barnes
Henry Bootz
CJV Real Estate
Emily Clark
Harry Doby
Carolyn Dooling
Maria Flora
Brittney Henderson
Noni Horwitz
Joel Hunter-Pirtle
Vera Kalba
Bernadette Kelly
Nina Kuhl
Roberta Locke
Linda Lovell
Sheila MacDonald
Darren McKinnis
Dru O’Rourke
Elizabeth Post
Mark Pressey
Carole Robertson
Deb Rosenbaum
Shoshi Shaw
Lindsay Wadman
Nikki Wiederaenders