Using old parking meters scattered around Denver’s downtown and canisters at King Soopers cash registers, the city’s fight to end homelessness garnered more than $84,000 in donations from the unique fundraising campaigns.
Denver suburbanites donated the bulk of nearly $23,000 collected at metro-area King Soopers stores in a two-month appeal that company executives on Tuesday said they’d match dollar-for-dollar.
Meanwhile, people slipped 16,411 coins totaling about $2,000 in the past month into three dozen special parking meters planted along sidewalks from Civic Center to Lower Downtown, Denver public works officials said.
In addition to the coins, each of the 36 meters has a $1,000 yearlong sponsor. The meters were unveiled March 5.
All of the money benefits homeless programs through Denver’s Road Home, Mayor John Hickenlooper’s 10-year plan to end homelessness.
“This is so awesome,” said Dana Smith, spokeswoman for Mile High United Way, the financial steward of Road Home donations.
The 77-store fundraiser began in February after King Soopers president Russ Dispense saw people living under the bridge just in front of the supermarket chain’s Denver headquarters.
The most donations came from the chain’s Broomfield store at 120th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, where customers gave $1,788. A store in Highlands Ranch was second with $1,164 in donations.
Denver stores – there are 13 in the city limits and five at its borders – accounted for $5,657, according to King Soopers officials.
“This just goes to show that not only do those in the city believe homelessness is an important issue, but other communities as well,” King Soopers spokesman Trail Daugherty said.
The meter project is modeled after one in Baltimore. The idea is for people to feed the meters rather than dole it to street panhandlers.
“There are many who don’t live in Denver but who come to Denver for work or play, and the issue of homelessness impacts them too,” said Jamie Van Leeuwen, director of Denver’s Road Home. “This helps us reach out to everyone with awareness of what needs to get done.”
Staff writer David Migoya can be reached at 303-954-1506 or dmigoya@denverpost.com.
