Church Donates Truckload of Food to Pueblo Cooperative Care of Colorado

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This story appears here courtesy of TheChurchNews.com. It is not for use by other media.

By Jennifer Mead, for the Church News

Volunteers for the interfaith, non-profit organization Pueblo Cooperative Care were smiling as they unloaded 26 palettes of food from a semitruck on December 3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints donated the food for the organization’s food distribution program. The palettes contained 1,426 cases of nonperishable staples.

Pueblo Colorado Stake President Ralph M. Downey and Bruce Linford, the Church’s regional Welfare and Self-Reliance Services manager, coordinated the donation in response to growing needs in Pueblo County.

Pueblo Cooperative Care is the largest nonprofit emergency assistance program in southern Colorado. The organization is supported by over 60 churches of multiple denominations, businesses, corporations, foundations and other entities. The organization serves 4,000 households per month and 5,500 individuals. Recipients pick up a box of food once per month from the organization’s distribution center, which provides drive-through or walk-up service.

Pueblo Cooperative Care Executive Director Stephanie Walker said, “Receiving a food donation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints represents a partnership grounded in compassion, shared values and a genuine concern for the well-being of our neighbors. It shows that others in the community recognize the challenges families are facing and are willing to invest their time and resources to help… For our organization, this support reaffirms that we are not working alone — there are caring partners who stand with us in meeting urgent needs.”

Items donated by the Church include flour, rice, pasta, beans, peanut butter, powdered milk, spaghetti sauce, rolled oats and potato flakes.

Walker said, “This food will allow us to serve more families, more consistently, and with higher-quality nutritional options.”

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Walker added that the donation will “help fill critical gaps when demand is high, resources are limited or certain staple items become difficult to source. By strengthening our food supply, these donations reduce food insecurity, support healthier households, and allow families to allocate limited income toward other essential needs like housing, transportation and medical care.”

Pueblo stake executive secretary Bruce Dwelle oversaw the delivery. In the spirit of the holiday season, the truck arrived amid a significant snowstorm that blanketed the area with fresh snow. Volunteers quickly unloaded the items onto the distribution center shelves.

“I love volunteering here,” said Pueblo Cooperative Care volunteer Denton Jorgensen as he labeled boxes for placement in the warehouse.

Jorgensen began volunteering at Pueblo Cooperative Care this summer, when an overabundance of cucumbers from his garden prompted him to seek out organizations that needed food donations. Upon delivery of the cucumbers, he saw the need for help and began volunteering full-time.

On the morning of the donation delivery, Jorgensen served a young couple with children at home. The couple, he explained, walked to the distribution center in frigid temperatures to pick up their box of food in order to feed their children.

“My eyes are opened,” Jorgensen said regarding the food needs in Pueblo County. “It’s heartbreaking.”

Walker added: “These donations not only provide essential items but also bring a sense of hope, dignity and encouragement to the people we serve.”

— Jenniferr Mead is the Pueblo Colorado Stake communications director.