Giving Back To Nationally and locally To Boulder Colorado Community
Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I noticed lots of Facebook posts about being Thankful. I am grateful for so much: great clients, a thriving real estate career, the opportunity to give back. Two organizations topping my list: Community Food Share and OWU. I’ve invested time and money for these two causes.
I’m a board member for Ohio Wesleyan University’s alumni council. This is a great honor and frequently a good deal of work. But it also lets me go back to my college roots twice a year. All in all, a fun rewarding opportunity.
Locally, I headed up the Boulder Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices food drive this summer. We raised nearly a $1,000 and 900 pounds of food for Community Food Share. In the big picture, that was a drop in the bucket.
Community Food Share just released their 2016 numbers. The food bank of Boulder/Broomfield raised $2,107, 736 dollars and distributed millions of pounds of food.
Beautiful Hungry Boulder
It is easy to overlook, but nonetheless true. There is hunger in our community. CFS feeds 47,000 people annually. This group includes people in need of one time assistance, others that visit weekly, and some that try as hard as they do, just come up short. It’s not merely civilians. This month’s Community Food Share newsletter tells a moving story of a local soldier returning for another tour of duty and grateful his family will be cared for while he is on deployment.
Community Food Share doesn’t help just one sort of person. Nor do they serve every one the same food. CFS is all about dignity and self choice. Consumers arrive and enter a grocery store like experience. Select 2 of these or three of that, abundant and delicious choices abound so that those in need can shop for what they want, selecting from a wide variety of options, and not merely receiving a bland box.
If you have the opportunity, be sure to visit Community Food Share, tucked away on 650 S. Taylor Avenue, Louisville, Co 80027. Call for hours at 303-652-3663.
The food bank helps those in need. Everything from the family desperately in need of food right now, to those simply thankful for the assistance and even families depending upon weekly sustenance. There are military personnel in need of a little extra food for their family while on tour, the homeless and hungry, as well as families working diligently and still coming up a little short in a hot economy.
Community Food Share assists a wide variety of people in Boulder.
Visit Broomfield/ Boulder Community Food Share!
Visiting the massive, state of the art facility is really enlightening. It is not merely a warehouse. CFS stores fresh vegetables, massive hundred pound bags of rice for redistribution, utilizing a clean room to repackage large consumables into family friendly servings. There is a refrigerated goods section with automatically opening doors. Multiple bays allow simultaneous deliveries. It feels like one part Costco, one part Goodwill, one part of state of the art Boulder Co.
BTW, it isn’t just canned food and boxes of cereal. CFS set big goals this year and shattered them all. Protein rich options and fresh produce were two of the biggest food groups offered.
- Fresh Produce Goal: 25%, Actual 32%
- Protein Goal: 37%, Actual 44%
Big Events All Year Round
The “Tee Up” Against Hunger gold tournament raised $106,000 this year. Thirty Foursomes descended upon the refurbished (post flood) Coal Creek Golf Course on September 2nd. And my own Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Boulder office participated in the 2016 Corporate Challenge.
Our signature event included an Ice Cream truck from Sweet Cow, face painting and the food drive. Great time had by all.
Get Involved Locally
And easy solution of course, drop me a line. I’ll be happy to connect you with the right people or opportunity. CFS is always looking for protein and carbs, so I can recommend some foods you can purchase at Costco to drop off. Or, I can put you in touch with the right people to make a cash donation. In 2016, Community Food Share distributed 9,100,000 pounds of food.
Additional Articles Recommended by Realtor Bob Gordon
Read up on our Community Food Drive, visit beloved local grocer Alfalfa’s, dine out over the holidays – share your suggestions for posts I can write in the future. Check out some of my favorite spots: Zolo’s, coffee along Pearl Street, breakfast in Boulder.