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August 21, 2014 VOLU M E 51 | I SS UE 1 | 5 0 ¢
Northglenn-ThorntonSentinel.com A D A M S C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
Last produce fair canceled Food Bank of Rockies experiences fresh produce shortage By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com It is hard to have a Health and Produce Fair without the main ingredients — fresh veggies and fruit. Last Thursday the Food Bank of the Rockies had a shortage of fresh produce, which resulted in the cancellation of the third and last Fair scheduled for Aug. 15 at the Church of God Seventh Day in Thornton. “The food bank relies on food donations, and the amount of food donated varies depending on supply,” said Thornton Senior Citizen Program Manager Lisa Ranalli. ”The number of people expected at this fair far exceeds the amount of food available at this time, so a cancellation is unavoidable.” The past two fairs — held June 20 and July 18 — averaged between 600 and 1,000 people in attendance. Since 2008 the city of Thornton has teamed up with the Food Bank of the Rockies, Cooking Matters and Tri-County Health Department to coordinate the fairs, which are designed to give people access to fresh fruits and vegetables and to information about other community resources. This was the first time officials had to
cancel an event because of a shortage of fresh produce. “I’m hoping it’s not a trend and it’s a tiny issue,” said Janie Gianotsos, director of marketing and communications with the Food Bank of the Rockies. “The timing — it’s a tiny bit of a fluke.” Gianotsos said the Food Bank is seeing an increased demand for fresh produce. “More people are paying attention to their diet,” she said. “Twenty-eight percent of our distribution is produce, so that’s good.” Fresh produce accounts for 13 percent of that overall number, while 15 percent is canned or frozen produce. The Food Bank receives fresh produce donated by farmers, wholesalers and grocery stores in a large truck. “We are so grateful to the agriculture community for what they do give us,” Gianotsos said. However, she added, she hopes donations will increase in 2015 because of the new tax credit for donating food to charitable organizations. Gov. John Hickenlooper in May signed House Bill 14-1119, which offers a 25 percent tax credit to local producers for the wholesale value of the food they produce and donate to food banks in Colorado. “Hopefully, next year that will help,” she said. She said people with gardens at home are invited to donate to their local pantries. “I know a lot of people have extra zucchinis and tomatoes that they grow, and those are welcomed donations with our
Workers with Cooking Matters prepare a healthy snack with fresh produce during a Health and Produce Fair in Thornton last year. This year, fair organizers had to cancel the last event due to a shortage of fresh produce by the Food Bank of the Rockies. Photo by Tammy Kranz partners,” Gianotsos said. She added that people could also donate money to the Food Bank so it can buy fresh produce. Regardless if the Food Bank has fresh vegetables and fruit, Gianotsos said, the shelves have food on them — even pro-
duce. “Frozen and canned produce is still very nutritious, especially if it’s not packed with extra sugar or salt,” she said. To find out more about the Food Bank of the Rockies or to find a pantry near you, visit www.foodbankrockies.org/.
3CE sees successful first year POSTAL ADDRESS
900 people helped at community multi-service center
NORTHGLENN-THORNTON SENTINEL (ISSN 1044-4254) (USPS 854-980) OFFICE: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031
By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@colorado communitymedia.com
Director of Denver Operational Initiatives Jocelyn Hittle discusses how Colorado State University is working with partners on the redevelopment of the National Western Stock Show and Denver Coliseum site, near the intersection of Interstate 25 and Interstate 70. Faculty and administrators from CSU visited the Center for Career and Community Enrichment facility in Westminster on Aug. 14. Photo by Tammy Kranz
Roger Penneke walked into the 3CE building last October unemployed and homeless. “My life was upside down,” he told a crowd of a couple dozen people Aug. 14. “When I came into this program, I was lost.” He is not lost anymore. Penneke has since found a home and is enrolled in truck driving school. He credits the staff at the Center for Career and Community Enrichment, 7117 Federal Blvd., Westminster, for this turnaround.
“The more personal attention a person has, the more they’ll have a success story,” he said. Penneke was part of a presentation to a group of Colorado State University administrators and faculty that visited the 3CE facility on their Community Engagement Ram Tour. The multi-service center opened in October and provides classes, workshops and numerous other services such as resume writing and job-interview-skills training for low-income residents. The center may be small, but it has had a big impact on the community, said Don May, executive director of the Adams County Housing Authority. “In the 10 months we’ve been Year continues on Page 11
PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Adams County, Colorado, the NorthglennThornton Sentinel is published weekly on Thursday by MetroNorth Newspapers, 8703 Yates DR., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT WESTMINSTER, COLORADO. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 8703 Yates Dr., Ste. 210 Westminster, CO 80031 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. G ET SOCIAL WITH US
P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY
Fairs help poverty stricken areas Support services in the county under one roof during fairs By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Poverty has grown twice as fast in America’s suburbs as in America’s cities. In fact, 64 percent of the county’s poor reside in the suburbs, according to the Brookings Institution. Adams County, also, has had poverty growth. “The percentage of households living below 100 percent of the poverty level increased from
8.9 percent in 2000 to 14 percent in 2010,” said Herb Covey, Adams County deputy director of human services. “Twenty-three percent of children in Adams County appear to live in poverty. “We’re not the worst in the state, but we’d like to move that needle so there are fewer people living in poverty.” Adams County District 1 Commissioner Eva Henry said one of the issues in the poverty fight in suburbia is that federal aid is not often available. “A lot of its (federal administration) focus is on Denver or the rural areas, and they forget about suburban areas,” she said. One of the ways the county is working to address the poverty is-
sue is to host three Citizen Assistance Fairs located in areas where the most people are suffering from poverty. The fairs are offering a wide range of support services, including food assistance, Medicaid, housing, childcare, early education, senior services, employment, transportation and veterans services, for which attendees can register. “We have a number of nice organizations that have been willing to step up to the table and collaborate so we can help these families,” Covey said. “There’s a lot of energy going into helping people in Adams County.” Some participating agencies include Hunger Free Colorado, Ad-
ams County Workforce and Business Center, Aspen Family Service, Kids First Healthcare, Tri County Health, CSU Extension Service, The Senior Hub, Thrive Church and 180 Street Outreach. The first fair was Aug. 13 at the STEM Launch School in Thornton, and the second was Aug. 14 at Harris Park Elementary in Westminster. The third and last fair will be 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at Hyland Hills Water World, 1800 W. 89th Ave. To find out what documents residents may need to bring to the assistance fairs, call 303-227-2101 or visit http://adcogov.org/index.aspx?nid=1308.