The GrowHaus

“Food access is a starting point, but security, wellness, and happiness are the goals” – Giselle Diaz Campagna, The GrowHaus Executive Director

DENVER (PRWEB)
March 22, 2022

GES is a vibrant immigrant community but lacks healthy food access, even during the best of times. There is not one full service grocery store for the 10,000 residents living in the neighborhood, and the average household income is about half of that of Greater Denver. Shockingly, a child born in Globeville is expected to live 11 years less than a child living a few miles away in West Washington Park. The need for social distancing and economic impact of the COVID-19 disproportionately impacted residents of GES and exacerbated barriers to food access.

Despite the loss of their beloved building on York St. due to structural challenges, The GrowHaus’ team immediately responded to the community’s urgent and heightened need for food. New employees were hired to dramatically scale the no-cost food box program to reach 650 families weekly, compared to 50 families before the pandemic.

Since March of 2020, The GrowHaus has distributed the equivalent of 1 million meals through the no-cost food box program. Every week, 400 families in GES receive a box filled with fresh produce and food staples, such as eggs, tortillas, and bread, delivered to their doorstep. The GrowHaus strives to purchase from local vendors and farms to support the local food system and economy.

Blanca’s family is one of the 400 households receiving The GrowHaus’ no-cost food boxes. Blanca immigrated from Mexico and has been living in the Swansea neighborhood for over 20 years. A year and a half ago, Blanca’s husband, Alfonso, was in a terrible accident that left him unable to work. Blanca now supports her family by selling homemade Mexican food to her neighbors and community. But Blanca’s limited income does not cover the cost of her family’s rent, utility bills, and food. The GrowHaus’ food boxes mean Blanca doesn’t need to choose between paying her bills and buying food for her family. “The food boxes save us a lot of money. And the boxes have good food that I can cook for my family.”

The GrowHaus’ community-led outreach team, Promotoras, surveyed residents of Globeville and Elyria-Swansea and heard similar stories. Sadly, in March of 2020, 76% of respondents said they saw a decrease in their income, and 86% of families were worried about their ability to feed their families if the COVID-19 crisis were to last another month. “It felt so important never to deny someone food. Too often, people go hungry alone and in silence. We need food to survive; it’s fuel for our bodies”, says Natalie Espinoza, The GrowHaus Customer and Community Engagement Manager

The GrowHaus is continuing to provide immediate hunger relief to families in Globeville and Elyria-Swansea, as well as long-term sustainable solutions to food access. The Community Outreach Team at The GrowHaus works closely with Hunger Free Colorado and WIC to provide education and outreach about SNAP and WIC, federally funded nutrition programs that help low-income families buy the food they need for good health. In addition to food access, The GrowHaus leads classes about health and wellness for adults and summer programming for kids and teens during the summer. The GrowHaus aims to have all programming led by community members and provides skills and job training, so residents have the tools and resources to take on jobs and leadership roles at The GrowHaus.

“Food access is a starting point, but security, wellness, and happiness are the goals”, says Giselle Diaz Campagna, The GrowHaus Executive Director. The GrowHaus is grateful to their supporters, partners, and monthly giving community, También, for helping to make this milestone possible.

About The GrowHaus

The GrowHaus is an independent, publicly-supported, 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2009. Supporting Globeville and Elyria-Swansea (GES), one of Denver’s oldest food deserts, The GrowHaus cultivates community-driven food justice through food access programming, youth and adult wellness classes, and community leadership development.

Website: http://www.thegrowhaus.org

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/the-growhaus

Facebook: @TheGrowHaus

Instagram: @TheGrowHaus

Twitter: @GrowHaus

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