Resilience is the theme for leaders and volunteers at the Loaves and Fishes food bank in Idaho Springs, which recently suffered massive damage from broken water pipes due to freezing temperatures.
The water line break and constant increase in the cost of essential food staples it routinely purchases from the Food Bank of the Rockies are creating a strain on the budget.
During a cold snap in the area that sent temperatures below zero, several water lines burst in the facility on Jan. 8.
Loaves and Fishes Director Rachel Josselyn said she noticed the leaking water lines when she arrived at the food pantry but not before at least two inches of water covered the floor, destroying a laptop computer, phone and at least 1,000 pounds of fresh food.
Josselyn said she, along with volunteers, cleaned the canned goods they could but the rest of the perishable items had to be thrown away.
As restoration work continues on the portion of the facility damaged by water, at least half of the building space is unusable and is sealed by plastic and tape, according to Josselyn.
Loaves and Fishes has been forced to discontinue hot meals routinely served at the food bank during the remediation process.
Nonetheless, Josselyn said the biggest challenge facing the food bank is the rising cost of essential food and sanitary products.
“Honestly the biggest setback is the fact food costs more, we’re paying a lot more than we used to and grants aren’t out there as much and are harder to get,” Josselyn said.
Essential to the food bank: Volunteers
When the Courant visited Loaves and Fishes in Idaho Springs Feb. 24, a fresh shipment of more than 100 pounds of produce, including bananas, potatoes and pineapples, had just arrived.
At least six volunteers were eagerly sorting, boxing and distributing the items to appropriate shelves in anticipation of customers.
Volunteer Brittaney Houston, who also serves as vice president of the board of directors, worked with her 11-month-old daughter, Madeleine, swaddled to her chest sleeping.
“She (Madeleine) is one of our most important volunteers because she comes here and her job is morale, and she also has a supervisory role, of course,” Houston said smiling.
Houston and her husband moved to Clear Creek County in 2020 from Boulder. She said she instantly started looking for ways to give back to the community with her gift of time.
“It’s important … I’m blessed because I get to stay home and take care of my child so I have the time, and it’s an incredible organization,” Houston said.
Growing up in a small Illinois town herself, Houston said living in a community is a blessing — and a responsibility.
“Idaho Springs is an incredible community; it’s small and we all take care of each other, and that’s important,” Houston said. “We all go through life, and we’re all so busy and tired… . You don’t just walk through life seeing need, but when you come here you see that there is quite a bit of need.”
During a recent event at the Safeway in Idaho Springs on Feb. 16, supporters and patrons of the food bank donated at least 261 pounds of food and 53 pounds of household supplies such as toilet paper, soap, detergent and personal care items, Josselyn said.
Typically, Loaves and Fishes provides necessary food and supplies to more than 11,000 families every year, according to the nonprofits’ statistics.
However, if you rely on pieces of data and statistics to justify the cause, you’re missing the intricacies of the big picture, Houston said.
“We can pull up spreadsheets that tell us how many seniors, how many children, how many women we’ve served, but it’s different when you put faces to numbers and see there is a need,” she said.
“We believe in helping indiscriminately … in that we don’t ‘needs test’. We are here to help if you say you need it,” Houston concluded.
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