Question: Where Can I Take That? Answer: To 2823 Fairfax Street
By Rebecca R. Born
Executive Director, GPHC, Inc.
I often hear people on Facebook or at the coffee shop wonder, “Where can I take that?” or “Will they take that?” This month I wanted to run down some of the things we take here at Greater Park Hill Community, Inc., and what we need in general.
Do you take expired food? No, we don’t. Most food has a “best before date.” We have some guidelines on how long we will hand out things past their best buy dates, but in general remember, if you wouldn’t eat it, we won’t give it out. With that in mind, if it’ll feed our compost pile, and will otherwise go to waste, we will be happy to open it up and dump it on in.
Do you take fresh food? Yes! We love fresh produce from the store or the garden, dairy, eggs, meat. You name it, again, if your family eats it, we can use it. We have fridges and freezers to keep everything fresh and safe.
Do you take homemade goodies? Unfortunately, we can’t.
Do you take open items? It depends. We do not take open food items like cereal or snacks. We do take open items that are not for human consumption and are easily dividable. This could include diapers, wipes, pet food, laundry detergent, etc.
Do you ever need large lots of items, like from Costco? Yes! Ziploc bags (quart or larger) for dividing up the above items and small paper bags for produce are always useful. Large containers of laundry powder would also be great.
Do you have any new programs going on? Yes! We have our Weekend Food Pack program starting soon. This is where we aim to meet the nutritional needs of school children over the weekend. We anticipate that we will have about 100 children participating this first year. For each week each child will receive: 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 snacks, 1 fruit, and 1 vegetable. We will also put in the makings of a family meal as well, like spaghetti and sauce, or black beans and rice. We anticipate that this will cost between $3 to $4 per week, per child. If you are interested in helping stock or stuff backpacks, let me know.
Please call me at 303-388-0918 or email director@greaterparkhill.org if you have any questions or would like to help. We are here at the office, at 2823 Fairfax St., Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Remember, your donations are tax deductible.