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Food Bank Co-Chair Clark Hastings (center) receives the grant and a plaque from
Tracy Ulmer (left), Community Relations Director for the Denver Newspaper Agency, and
Harry Whipple (right), President and CEO for the Denver Newspaper Agency.

   The Parker Task Force Food Bank was one of 62 Denver-area non-profit agencies to receive a grant from the Post-News Season To Share campaign.

   “This $5,000 grant will allow us to provide more fresh food choices, such as milk and cheese, to the 350 families currently needing the food bank’s help,” said Food Bank Co-Chair Clark Hastings.

   “We also will use this grant to help those who are getting dangerously close to being evicted from their homes,” Hastings said, adding that “things get really, really get bad once you lose your roof. It’s 100 times worse.”

   Hastings said the funding will be especially helpful because of a 56 percent increase in the number of area residents needing the food bank’s help. The all-volunteer group helped an average of 149 families a month in the first quarter of 2007, compared to 95 families for the first quarter of 2006, he said.

   “The makeup of the new families is across the board,” Hastings said. “We’re seeing more seniors, more single parent families. There’s been an increase in foreclosures, and many people are faced with more bills and needing more food.”

   The food bank is operated solely by dedicated volunteers to provide short-term support to those in need throughout the Parker, Elizabeth and Franktown communities. In addition to food and limited financial assistance, the volunteers also give client families a thorough resource list of other sources that can provide additional assistance, such as job training, child care and counseling. It also has an up-to-date job board, which contains information about job openings in the area.

   Hundreds of non-profit agencies applied to receive funding from the 2006/2007 Post-News Season To Share campaign. This year’s campaign raised a record $1.79 million, which was disbursed among the 62 grant recipients.

   For 14 years, the Post-News Season To Share has raised charitable donations that are matched and disbursed to local non-profit organizations serving children, and those who are homeless, hungry or in need of medical care. The funds are raised through reader, community and corporate donations. Each dollar donated is matched with 50 cents by the McCormick Tribune Foundation.