Generosity Filled the Shelves
GPHC Update by Robyn Fishman, Executive Director
This month’s front page article is all about our GPHC Emergency Food Pantry, but I wanted to share some additional thoughts from a more personal angle.
I recently saw a movie called A Place at the Table about American families facing food insecurity. Food insecurity is defined as not knowing where the next meal will come from. The movie profoundly affected me, and made me grateful to know that the work of GPHC Emergency Food Pantry allows us to relieve even a tiny fragment of that problem.
One child profiled in the movie was an 11-year-old from western Colorado, who said she can’t concentrate on learning because her stomach hurts and she’s so hungry that sometimes she just starts daydreaming about her teacher being a giant banana. It is impossible to learn with that kind of distraction, and it’s difficult to grow properly when healthy foods are not affordable or readily available.
In the past few months, it has been inspiring to see how the Park Hill neighborhood has come together to help address this kind of need. Right now in the pantry, the shelves are fully stocked entirely with items donated from Park Hill area churches, schools and residents – an impressive feat. Fifty pounds of food and $20 was donated thanks to the thoughtfulness of young Ruth Gamble, who asked for food donations instead of presents for her 10th birthday party. Brad Parks organized a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day food drive among his neighbors around the 2600 block of Bellaire Street. Odyssey School students collected, delivered and sorted more than 600 pounds of food. In February, Park Hill Elementary held a food drive in conjunction with a “Pajama Day,” designed to raise awareness about the needs of homeless families who might not have a place to sleep at night or sufficient food to eat. 500 pounds of food was collected, which was sorted at GPHC in part by students from Colorado Academy, led by teacher and Park Hill resident Dani Meyers. Local churches continue their regular donations, including Blessed Sacrament, and food collected at Park Hill United Methodist’s Chinese New Year celebration.
We won’t always be so well-stocked, though. Food and monetary donations are always needed, and volunteers are appreciated, so that we can continue to offer assistance to those in need. If you would like to volunteer at the Food Bank of the Rockies, or already do, you can earn credit through their “VIP” program for GPHC to buy food in the future. Call me at 303-388-0918 for more information.
Exciting things are ahead for the GPHC Emergency Food Pantry. For the second year in a row, volunteers will plant and cultivate a garden in the backyard of the GPHC building, using free seeds and transplants from Denver Urban Gardens. This will help supply some all-too-rare fresh fruits and vegetables for the pantry clients, in the heart of Park Hill’s “food desert.” GPHC is also a participant in Ample Harvest, which connects pantries to local growers with a surplus. If you find zucchini overwhelming your garden this summer, please consider donating it to GPHC.
I would like to express my gratitude to all the generous donors and volunteers who have worked so hard to make the GPHC Pantry reopening possible. Thank you Park Hill!