January 7, 2016
THIS WEEK IN
VOLUM E 127 | IS S U E 24 | 75¢
LIFE
LOCAL
Midwives offer mothers options for natural childbirth A publication of
A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
Page 10
LittletonIndependent.net
Food pantry helps hundreds
BUSINESS
Breck and Bud form new bond Breckenridge Brewery sells to Anheuser-Busch By Jennifer Smith jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Breckenridge Brewery is being sold to Anheuser-Busch, but Breck’s founders want folks in Littleton to know that they’re not deserting the city so soon after celebrating its grand opening last summer. “Of course, the same great team who helped build Breckenridge Brewery won’t be going anywhere,” Todd Usry, president, said on the company’s website. “We’ll continue to own decisions about the beers we create and the ingredients in them. … I hope you will give us the chance to prove to you over time that we will continue to be Breckenridge Brewery.” When Breckenridge opened on the banks of the South Platte River last summer, it brought 60 to 75 jobs and a boost to the city’s sales-tax revenue. People were particularly excited the players were local, and that the site itself was in keeping with the rural feel of the riverside. Breck continues on Page 17
WHAT’S INSIDE
Dale Flanders, executive director of the Broadway Assistance Center, says the center has served at least 850 families from Littleton, Englewood, Sheridan and Centennial since opening on Littleton Boulevard in September 2014. Photo by Jennifer Smith
Broadway Assistance Center in Littleton open to south-metro families
By Jennifer Smith jsmith@coloradocommunitymedia.com The Broadway Assistance Center spent 40 years serving the homeless in downtown Denver, but in September 2014, its leaders realized it might be able to do more good farther south. “In Denver, there is a great amount of need, but a lot more organizations like us,” said Dale Flanders, executive director. “So we settled on north Littleton. There are pockets of poverty in Littleton, and there always have been. Littleton hides its poverty well.” Flanders would know, having grown up in Littleton. He graduated from Littleton High School in 1979 and went on to become a pastor. “It was my career for more than 20
years, but in temperament and passion, I’m a pastor at heart,” he said. He took the helm of the center last May, and the center has been busy under his watch. Since opening at the new location, 1449 W. Littleton Blvd., it has served more than 850 families from Littleton, Centennial, Englewood and Sheridan, averaging 120 to 150 a week. The food pantry is open on Wednesday evenings and Friday mornings, and families are allowed one visit a week to collect most things found at an ordinary grocery store, including fresh produce. Flanders notes it’s rare for a food pantry to be open in the evening, but he feels it’s important. “We don’t want people to be choosing between food and work,” he said. The center can also help with rent,
Xcel payments and, with the aid of volunteer retired teachers, GED training and costs, among other things. “The average income for the families we serve is $13,000 per year,” said Flanders. “While many of our clients do have regular jobs, they are still unable to bring home enough income to make ends meet.” The center survives because of grants, corporate and individual donations, and a bevy of volunteers. “The volunteers repeatedly tell us how much they learned about a part of our community of which they had very little awareness, and how they are welcomed, supported, and feel that they make a critical difference,” said Flanders. For more information or to give or get help, call the center at 303-893-4108.
New year: Keep those workout resolutions with a few handy tips. See Page 5
Basketball: Heritage squares off against Green Mountain. See Page 16
LITTLETON INDEPENDENT (ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 315-780) OFFICE: 2550 S. Main St., Littleton, CO 80120 | PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Littleton, Colorado, the Littleton Independent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 2550 S. Main St., Littleton, CO 80120. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT LITTLETON, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129 DEADLINES: Display: Thurs. 5 p.m. | Classifieds: Tue. 8 a.m. | Obits: Tue. 11 a.m. | Legals: Thurs. 11 a.m.