Food Bank of the Rockies says it is a rare luxury to introduce a new food program at a time when food costs have increased 32 percent on average, donations are down and demand is up 20 percent.
The food bank and Ameristar Casino Black Hawk are working together on Totes for Hope to provide food-filled canvas bags each month for a year to 50 low-income seniors and disabled residents of Denver’s Westgate Apartments. Totes for Hope is already running at 11 sites, eight serving children and three for seniors.
“It’s very welcome,” Mary Vonner said of her bag stuffed with bananas, canned vegetables, oatmeal and other foodstuffs. “Every cent I can save helps.”
Vonner, a 56-year-old Westgate resident, suffered a traumatic brain injury and is disabled by a resulting movement disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease.
“We’re seeing many people asking for help for the first time, average people who now can’t make it without a little help,” food bank spokeswoman Janie Gianotsos said.
And the food bank, which serves 312,000 people a year in northern Colorado and Wyoming, has been losing donors, including retailers that can no longer afford to donate surplus food, Gianotsos said.
Ameristar donates about $10,000 in food and cash to the food bank yearly, said corporate spokeswoman Heather Leigh. This includes 500 to 700 pounds of surplus food from its buffet tables each week.
The casino makes no attempt to market its casinos to food recipients, Leigh said. Food bank spokeswoman Gwen Vogelzang agreed there was no such motive.
“It just feels so good to do this. We get more out of it than they do,” Leigh said of the contributions. “Our employees want to be proud of the company they work for.”
Garth Johnston, 72, was grateful.
“It was an excellent mixture of food,” Johnston said of his bagful. “It filled a lot of holes in my cupboard.”
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
