Evergreen Christian Outreach knows its stores of holiday menu items will begin to fill closer to Thanksgiving, but right now the shelves are eerily empty.
“We have 35-50 families coming in here and we’re down to no cans of beans,” said Jim Shelton, the manager of the food bank at .
Shelton said it is typical for the food bank to reach a low point this time of year when they’ve depleted their summer stores but haven’t yet reached the time of Thanksgiving campaigns.
That’s why to show the community that the nonprofit is well-stocked on firewood, has freezers full of frozen food and is getting regular donations of fresh produce and bread from local grocery stores, but their non-perishables are frighteningly thin.
“Things are coming in and going out right away,” he said.
EChO will be participating in the , with volunteers handing out needs lists that typically nets nearly 3,000 pounds of food each day. This is also when grocery stores start seasonal promotions with sales that make it easier for shoppers.
“We’re just looking to get through the next three weeks,” Shelton said.
The nonprofit organization can buy food from Food Bank of the Rockies, which is what Shelton said has helped gotten the food pantry through the month. But he said the last time he was there, they were down to pinto beans in cans and one type of generic cereal, plus it requires cash, which they don’t have much of.
Jayne Norton, food bank manager for , didn’t emphasize as much of a lull at her pantry, but said they are putting the call out for holiday menu items for Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets.
In Golden, the Love and Logic Institute is hosting a drive for the Christian Action Guild’s food pantry Oct. 29-Nov. 12.
“We wanted to reach out to the community and do something for the community,” sales and marketing manager Mia Shaull said. She said her company was thinking of doing something closer to the holidays and decided on the early weeks of November to help fill the pantry’s shelves.
Mountain Resource Center is also participating in the 9Cares drive, but Norton said that food will likely go toward Christmas baskets because of the timing.
Both pantries are in constant need of personal care products, such as shampoo, soap, and personal hygiene goods.
“I think people naturally when they come to our pantry, they donate holiday stuff,” Norton said. “Toiletries and toilet paper are things you don’t really think about in the holidays.”
EChO is putting the call out for canned beans, hot and cold cereals, hearty soups, canned fruits and cleaning supplies.
“The message is,” Shelton said, “here’s the things we are really out of that we can’t wait for until Nov. 15.”
Josie Klemaier: 303-954-2465, jklemaier@denverpost.com or twitter.com/JosieKlemaier
To donate
Evergreen Christain Outreach’s immediate needs are: personal care products, canned beans, hot and cold cereals, hearty soups, canned fruits and cleaning supplies. For complete information on donating to EChO, visit
For Mountain Resource Center, which serves the Conifer area, call 303-838-7552 or visit .
For the , drop off or mail donations to the Love and Logic Bookstore, 2207 Jackson St., Golden, CO 80401 or call 1-800-338-4065. Drop-off hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday Oct. 29-Nov. 12 and 8 a.m. to noon Nov. 8.
