LOCAL HELP

local help | WINDSOR LAKE COFFEE

Windsor Lake Coffee amps up efforts to help others, and themselves, during COVID-19 pandemic

Windsor Lake Coffee, 430 Main

St., in Windsor.

While the

COVID-19 pandemic has put a temporary freeze on indoor dining throughout

Colorado, the ice cream window at Windsor Lake

Coffee, 430 Main St., in Windsor, has been a popular destination.

BY BOBBY FERNANDEZ

During a time in which so many local small businesses are focused on helping themselves, Claire Brogden and her “skeleton crew” at Windsor Lake Coffee are still finding time to help others.

Through a program called Feeding Our Windsor Heroes, Brogden and her condensed staff at Windsor Lake Coffee cooked a quiche for the Good Samaritan Society-Water Valley Senior Living Resort, 805 Compassion Drive, in Windsor.

The lunchtime gesture was part of a Feeding Our Windsor Heroes program in which donations are collected to provide meals to nurses and health care workers on the frontlines in Windsor.

Windsor Lake Coffee has been bundling orders to make them more affordable to people who want to donate to the Feeding Our Windsor Heroes program.

In addition to Windsor Lake Coffee, other Windsor restaurants like Hearth Restaurant and Pub, Okole Maluna Hawaiian Grill, the Windsor Mill Tavern, Dickey’s Barbecue Pit and Pelican Lakes have taken part in the program.

April 9, Brogden and the staff at Windsor Lake Coffee provided lunch for 40 staff members at the Water Valley Senior Living Resort.

“I’ve just been wanting to help out in any way possible,” said Brogden, a 27-year-old Windsor resident. “Since we’re local, we depend on everyone locally. It’s just a complete circle when everyone helps everyone locally.”

Financially, local small business owners like Brogden have felt the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — and the restrictions that accompany it — perhaps more than anyone.

After Gov. Jared Polis mandated on March 16 that restaurants may allow only delivery and takeout orders, Brogden had to slice her staff of 16 in half, as many of the restaurant’s operations moved online.

In between charitable trips to the Water Valley Senior Living Resort, Brogden and her small staff have adjusted their business model in an attempt to endure this trying time.

While customers can’t come inside the coffee shop and sit down while sipping a cup of joe and perhaps flipping the pages of their favorite book right now, the shop’s ice cream window has become an increasingly popular destination.

In addition to serving coffee, tea, smoothies, crepes and breakfast and lunch items, the restaurant is well known for serving ice cream from Denver’s famous Little Man Ice Cream.

Claire’s mother, Elaine Huot — who owns the shop along with her daughter and her husband, Claire’s father, Ian Brogden — said with the shop’s close proximity to the walking trail around Windsor Lake, the ice cream window has garnered a decent amount of walkup traffic from those looking to have a cool treat after a brisk walk.

Walking, running, hiking and biking are among the outdoor activities allowed under the stay-at-home order.

“Establishing a connection with our regular customers — and now not seeing some of them — has been hard,”

LEFT: Windsor Lake Coffee owner Claire Brogden delivers meals as part of the Feeding Our Windsor Heroes program. RIGHT: Okole Maluna Hawaiian Grill owners Andy and Juliet Higa deliver meals as part of the Feeding Our Windsor Heroes program.

Huot said. “But, we’re also seeing an influx of new customers who have discovered us, while taking walks when the weather is beautiful, next to a beautiful lake that is right behind our building.”

Windsor Lake Coffee — located at 430 Main St. — has been open for just a little more than a year, since December 2018. And by being proactive during this pandemic, Claire Brogden and company hope it will remain in business for years to come.

While most other small businesses are cutting back on hours during the pandemic, Windsor Lake Coffee has actually added a day of business. It originally wasn’t open Tuesdays but is now open seven days a week.

Also, Windsor Lake Coffee did so many Easter brunch preorders, Brogden had to cut off the orders because she simply couldn’t accommodate any more.

In addition to encouraging social distancing — even right outside its shop — the people at Windsor Lake Coffee have also been very vigilant with sanitization, cleaning and disinfecting almost constantly, while employees wear masks and gloves at all times.

The shop is also implementing a no-touch system with credit and debit card payments.

“I always live by the motto, ‘Improvise, adapt and overcome,’ “ Brogden said. “So, we’ve just been doing whatever we can. ... And everyone has been super awesome. I can’t thank the community enough for supporting us at this time.”

FEEDING OUR WINDSOR HEROES

Feeding Our Windsor Heroes is a fundraiser in Windsor in which people can donate money to purchase meals from Windsor restaurants, which will then be delivered to nurses and healthcare workers on the frontlines in Windsor.

People can help by writing checks for any amount of money, payable to Feeding Our Windsor Heroes, Points West Bank, 1291 Main St., Windsor, CO, 80550.

Or, they can make online donations (or read more about the organization) at gofundme.com/ feeding-our-windsor-heroes

People may also call any one of the participating restaurants — Hearth (970-460-0193), Okole Maluna (970-686-8844), Pelican Lakes (970-460-1710), Windsor Lake Coffee (970-445-4124), the Windsor Mill Tavern (970-833- 5124) or Dickey's (970-686-2227). While placing your own takeout order, ask for a "meal, plus one" to donate to Feeding Our Windsor Heroes.

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