A young mom, holding her toddler’s hand, perused the food shelves on a recent Friday. She filled her shopping basket with fresh produce, added a box of cookies, and was happy to find a frozen turkey for her family’s Christmas dinner.
Another single woman — “Just me and my dog,” she said — needed milk, eggs and fresh fruit. She left with a smile on her face, having also picked up a bouquet of fresh flowers.
Welcome to The Action Center on West 14th Avenue in Lakewood.
Since 1968, the center has provided basic life necessities, referrals, and guidance to individuals and families experiencing hardship. The mission of The Action Center, which receives funding from The Denver Post Community Foundation’s Season to Share program, is to provide clients with a range of services to meet their current needs and help them become self-sufficient, with a sense of hope and dignity.
Several services are provided, including a clothing market. But for many, the most pressing need is food. The Action Center is not a so-called soup kitchen. It is a grocery pantry that provides staples for those in need. The shoppers sign up for the program and are then paired with volunteer “personal shoppers” who lead them through the aisles and help them find the foods they need.
On this breezy and unusually warm December day, the lines are not long. That’s not usually the case.
“Normally, we have people lined up out the doors,” said Allison Taggart, director of programs. “We are trying so hard to meet the needs of these people. The Action Center is so grateful for the people who have donated their time, their money, their goods and services. This is all about giving.”
According to Laurie Walowitz, the chief impact officer, the grocery serves about 200 households a day. Last year, more than 61,000 households visited the food pantry.
“Lately, we have seen need go up substantially,” Walowitz said. “In November, we had an extra 100 households a day because of everything happening with the federal government cutbacks to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). We are so grateful to the community for all of their giving in the wake of that. And we are so grateful to our volunteers.”
The Action Center has 40 employees, 20 of whom work directly with the community. The center also uses about 80 volunteers a day.
Volunteers like Mary Ann Rothenburger, who has given her time at the center for 50 years. She currently works in the clothing market.
Volunteers like Lee Ann Lubkeman, who has lived in the Denver area for 50 years. She’s a personal shopper.
“I had a friend who volunteered here, and she really enjoyed it,” Lubkeman said. “I’m retired, and I didn’t want to just stay home and watch TV. I wanted to help people. It is very rewarding. You truly are helping people.”
People such as the Miller family. The Millers came to The Action Center with a plan to secure their future and improve their lives.
John and Ashley had been working alternating shifts to save money on child care while they worked to save for moving into a better neighborhood with their sons, Jack and Tristan, according to The Action Center’s website. However, the high costs of a first month’s rent and security deposit were hindering them from reaching this goal.
The center provided the Millers with meal supplies, clothing and school supplies, allowing them to move into their new apartment before the school year began.
The Action Center receives donations from a variety of sources, including the Food Bank of the Rockies, as well as food rescue programs that recover surplus fresh food from grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and wholesalers that would otherwise go to waste. The fresh food is then delivered to no-cost grocery programs.
“When a grocery store has food that is good, but not good enough to be on the shelves anymore, rather than throw food away, food rescue donates the food,” Walowitz explained. “Most of the food is perishable, so we have our volunteers go through all of that food and make sure it’s OK. One ding on an apple is fine, but you don’t want an apple full of dings. That’s not fine.”
Food that doesn’t make the cut goes into The Action Center’s compost bin.
During the holiday season, The Action Center becomes even more important to families.
“We have people come into our grocery to meet some of their needs for the holidays,” Taggart said. “So many of them come here to see what we have before they go to a retail grocery store. We can help make it a special season.”
The center welcomes food, clothing and monetary donations.
The Action Center
Address: 8755 W 14th Ave., Lakewood, CO. 80215
In operation since: 1968
Number of employees: 40
Number of volunteers: 80 per day, five days a week.
Number of clients served: More than 61,000 household visits per year.
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