TABLE TALK www.cotable.org
From our CEO Dear Friends, Many of us hoped that 2021 would be the beginning of the end of COVID-related difficulties. But 2021, just like 2020, ended up being unlike other years. While the pandemic continued to turn life upside down for all of us, it also renewed our deep commitment to our purpose: ensuring that all people have the food they need, even during difficult times. We are humbled by how the community came together and rallied behind our mission to feed, help and provide hope for those in need. Your efforts helped us support so many throughout the pandemic: working parents who lost jobs, children who could no longer receive free meals at school, seniors afraid to leave their homes, families struggling to keep the lights and heat on and a roof overhead. Throughout the ongoing health crisis, I’m proud to say that our resilient staff and dedicated corp of volunteers continued to find innovative solutions for some of the most daunting pandemic challenges and obstacles. This flexibility and innovation were critical over the past two years when we had to retool operations repeatedly to meet the unprecedented and growing need. As we pivoted operations to better serve those in need, we never lost sight of our mission. Here are a few accomplishments that I am incredibly proud of: l This past year, we distributed 1.2 million pounds of food—the equivalent of 1,020,000 million meals. l We expanded our Feeding the Future program to year-round operation and supplied multiple summer Jeffco Early Learning locations with kid-friendly snacks, weekend food sacks and commodity boxes for families.
Winter/Spring 2022
l With overwhelming community support, we purchased a replacement box truck that will help rescue food from grocery stores and transport meals to underserved communities for years to come. l Realizing that many of the families we help need more flexibility in accessing food, we are now open on select Saturdays during the month. In 2021, this new weekend drive-thru provided 79,000 pounds of food to 800 families.
As we continue to learn from and evaluate the impacts of the pandemic, we are working hard to build a better and brighter future for our food-insecure neighbors. In fact, we’re getting ready to launch several new initiatives—a more interactive and informative website, a text messaging system to better communicate with families in need and a new shower and laundry truck for people experiencing homelessness. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your commitment to building a hunger-free community and trusting us to get the job done. Your partnership is essential, and we are truly honored to receive your support. Friends like you bring hope to Colorado families in need. With gratitude,
Sandy Martin Chief Executive Officer
Financials and Impact - Fiscal Year 2021 Our ability to feed and assist thousands of hungry and struggling families annually is a direct result of the thousands of donors and volunteers who give their money and time to ensure that everyone in our community has enough to eat. Fundraising $182,791 - 7%
REVENUE Other Income $209,512 - 5%
EXPENSES
Contributions $1,904,585 - 51%
Food Distribution $2,179,857 - 78%
Donated Food and In-Kind Donations $1,652,103 - 44% General Administration $165,906 - 6%
IMPACT
Distributed 1,157,283 pounds of food
Self-Sufficiency Program $263,309 - 9%
Served an estimated 45,027 adults, children and seniors
Provided 9,231 sacks of weekend food to hungry school kids Provided rent and utility assistance to 520 families Volunteers contributed 18,154 hours of service
You can help us have even more impact on fighting hunger and poverty in the coming year by donating today!
Look Who’s 40! We’re celebrating our 40th anniversary this year, and we can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with you and the families we help. Throughout this newsletter, you can read highlights from our past and our plans for the future.
Coming Soon In response to the pandemic and its impacts, we’re adding new programs and services to better help the growing number of struggling families and unsheltered people in our community.
Shower and Laundry Truck
Interactive Website
Before the pandemic, we hosted Livingwell Showers weekly, where unsheltered men and women could reclaim their dignity by taking hot showers complete with fresh undergarments and socks. The pandemic forced this shared community resource to shut down, and unfortunately, it has not returned to full operation since. We’re about to change that by working with local municipalities to purchase and operate a shower AND laundry truck to assist our unsheltered neighbors in Arvada, Wheat Ridge, Westminster, and surrounding communities. Watch for more news about this exciting project.
If you’ve visited our website recently, you may have noticed that it’s getting dated and needs a refresh. We’re working on a new and improved website that will be more interactive to help families find the food and resources they need to make better lives for themselves.
Text Messaging When the pandemic forced us to retool our operations time and again, we realized that we needed a better way to communicate changes and new happenings with the families we help. Email is fine for communicating the big picture, but we need a text messaging system for urgent news. Watch for more news about the implementation of this much-needed communication tool.
Join the Celebration It’s our 40th, and what better way to celebrate than a birthday party with delicious food, friends and fun along with our annual golf classic!
Silent Auction Donate in-kind items today!
Help provide food, help and hope to families in need by donating items to our gala silent auction. We need gift baskets, goods, services, tickets, travel, unique experiences, memorabilia, restaurant gift cards, wine, liquor and other fun items. Contact Leanne at lcadman@cotable.org or 720-437-6394 for more information and to donate.
Save the Date 40th Birthday Gala Saturday, August 13, 2022 Social Capitol, Arvada
Tee Off Against Hunger! Monday, August 15, 2022 Fox Hollow Golf Club, Lakewood
Your gift to Community Table is in good hands and comes with a wholesome return.
@TheCoTableOrg
With each $1 you donate, we can provide food for THREE nutritious meals. Community Table has a Platinum Seal of Transparency on GuideStar, a 3-Star rating on Charity Navigator, and we are a Better Business Bureau Accredited Charity, which means you can trust that we will use your donation to help those in need in your community.
@TheCoTableOrg
@TheCoTableOrg
cotable.org lcadman@cotable.org
8555 W. 57th Ave. Arvada, CO 80002 303-424-6685