For the Spanish version of this article, click here/Lee aquĂ la traducciĂłn de Daianee
The migrant crisis may have eased in Denver with the city closing its last hotel shelter for newcomers last month, but it still weighs on the team at Bienvenidos Food Bank in Sunnyside. In their 47 years serving the Northwest community, they had not seen anything like the crush of humanity that showed up at their door. As 42,000 migrants flooded the city, the food pantry was an incredible resource for newcomers and served as a relief for those who were struggling to find food and shelter in a new and unfamiliar place.
“We did 430 families in one day, and the line was all the way to the end of the block,” said Greg Pratt, executive director of Bienvenidos, as he recalled a memorable day last year. “We were seeing families show up here with suitcases like they just got off the bus or were dropped off somewhere.”
Bienvenidos volunteers began seeing Venezuelan passports last January. Since they are used to seeing people from different countries, it wasn’t unusual until later in the year when they saw a surge of over 100% increase in their regular clientele. Bienvenidos is situated on Pecos Street and 38th Avenue, and at the time, it was within a mile of two of the largest city shelters for newcomers.
“Our proximity really made us stand out. I also think our name, Bienvenidos, meaning welcome in Spanish,” Pratt said. “I think for those who were bussed here and didn’t know anything about the city or anything about services were finding us. I think we were probably impacted more than any other pantry in the Denver area.”
The resilient Bienvenidos staff quickly adjusted to meet the high demand. The food pantry needed twice as much food and more volunteers, including Spanish-speaking helpers, to communicate with newcomers. This also included adjusting the way they distributed food to make it more efficient and moving 430 families in and out of the pantry through Thursday morning and afternoon distribution times. Although the adjustment was sudden, Pratt and his team overcame the challenge and continued to serve the community.
“During that time, [Bienvenidos] had plenty of food, plenty for everyone,” said Angel Aguirre, a single mother of five who has been visiting Bienvenidos since 2021. “Food is expensive; this is a huge help, and I’m sure everyone can benefit from it.”Â
“Our goal is to always have fresh food available, just like you would want yourself,” said Bienvenidos’ Communication Director Kathleen Bohland. “Just because you’re struggling with money doesn’t mean you can’t have the produce that you need to eat healthy.”
Newcomer Maritsa Garcia arrived in Denver from Venezuela with her four children almost a year ago. She tries to visit the food pantry every two weeks, even though she now has a permanent residence in east Denver and has to ride the bus to Bienvenidos in the heat.
“A friend told us to come here because they gave out fruit and good quality food, other places don’t give the same quality, but everyone is so welcoming here,” Garcia said in Spanish.
Over 42,000 newcomers arrived in Denver since late 2022, costing the city more than $72 million. On June 30, the City of Denver closed its last hotel shelter for newcomers due to the slowdown of arrivals. For the past several months, Denver has been working to connect new migrant arrivals with nonprofits to help with transitional housing.
So far this year, Bienvenidos has served 30,000 people, averaging $140 to $160 in food-based grocery store prices per family. The full-service pantry offers meats, cheese, milk, eggs, bread, fresh produce and canned goods. To supply such variety, Bienvenidos accepts food donations, works with Food Bank of the Rockies and other organizations, as well as purchasing produce for retail sale prices. The food bank can turn every $1 cash donation into more than $9 worth of fresh food through its partnerships with local grocery stores and other food providers. The clean and organized space makes it easy for people to navigate, and the friendly volunteers are there to help if there is any confusion.
“They have it set up really nicely to get what you need and make it easier. Other places give you a lot of stuff you don’t really need, and it’s a waste. I’m so thankful for them,” said Lola, who did not want to share her last name.
The food pantry is still very busy, and according to Pratt, its numbers are still high. While the number of newcomers to the pantry has decreased, the staff has noticed that some who used to visit regularly return with addresses that show stability and permanent residence.
“It’s encouraging to see that people are staying with someone else or they’ve got their own apartments. That’s a positive side,” Pratt said. “On the other hand, knowing that we’re a good supplemental place to support their food and that they’re coming back. Now we’re still readjusting to maybe this being the new normal for a while.”
Unfortunately, Bienvenidos’s Facebook page was hijacked last month and it lost its over 10 years of hard work building a following. Due to a lack of Facebook customer service and help, the food pantry was unable to recover its page. However, it plans to move forward and do the best it can to help others.
“We’ve got really great supporters in this community, they’ve kept up with us through COVID and are still sticking with us through this too, so we’ll get through it again,” Pratt said.
From July 22 until July 31, 10% of all contributions to Bucket List Community News during our Christmas in July fundraiser will be shared with Bienvenidos Food Bank. Make a contribution below!