Hello All!

I have had the honor of volunteering with the Sister Carmen Food Bank in Lafayette for a number of years, and now find myself writing a short letter soliciting your support for a good cause helping challenged Boulder County residents who live around you, but are nameless to many.

For those who are not aware, the Sister Carmen Food Bank has provided emergency assistance for families in eastern Boulder County for close to four decades.   Historically the Center has provided food and basic supplies from generous donations from grocery stores, Boulder County residents, and proceeds from the sales of donated household items through our thrift store. In the recent past we've added additional support mechanisms including rent assistance, transportation assistance, utility assistance, and other forms of help to those experiencing distress.   The national economic contraction has hit Boulder County especially hard due to a decline in Federal funding for food stamps and targeting of poorer counties, and many families have also experienced a decline in income due to employment issues and find themselves in extreme need.

Although not faith based, the Center was initially run by Sister Carmen for decades with a focus on generously helping our community through rough times. In our most recent fiscal year that continuing mission touched over 1550 unduplicated households in Boulder County. Our goal has recently been expanded to help eliminate generational poverty through embracing a national program sponsored by Boulder County commonly known as Bridges out of Poverty, and a program called Circles consisting of 15 Getting Ahead classes that result in a certificate of completion. With this program we now have served over 756 clients and families through support services case management since the start of the program in 2008 and the impact has been fairly amazing to watch with progress evident!   These classes focus on budgeting, nutrition, parenting, and other forms of self-sufficiency training with data showing a dramatically decreased dependence on other support systems including welfare and food stamps.

During my affiliation with the Center in early 2004 the Center has always been a good steward with the blessings that it has received through donations and other support, and it has been common in our audited financials that over 93% of cash donations end up in the hands of those in need within Boulder County.   The Center has an amazing staff of dedicated employees focused on helping others, and over 300 volunteers that make our stewardship possible through their endless love and devotion to those in need.

As a result of the increasing demands on the Center combined with the loss of donated space, it was deemed important to expand to a more suitable facility in Lafayette behind the Wal-Mart store. Over the last year we have purchased a building while raising 85% of the campaign goal of $2.5 million to fund the project, and now are in the final phase of the capital campaign which will help cover the remodeling expense. Although we have been blessed with a strong level of support, this final 15% is the difficult part of the process given the economic environment.

For those who are able, and are willing to be supportive of a good cause, there are several ways that you can help;

• As a portion of the grants received are challenge grants that are distributed upon the successful receipt of the entire capital campaign, cash donations are our most important need of support to finalize the project.   If this is a cause that you feel empowered to support, checks can be mailed to the Sister Carmen Food Bank at 655 Aspen Ridge Dr, Lafayette, CO 80026.
• Donations of clothing and household items at the old Baseline location always help our operational needs thereby freeing up resources for other uses.
• Purchase a ticket or tickets to our Big Event scheduled for 6 PM to 10 PM on August 20th which includes dinner, a silent auction, music by Blues on the Lamb, an improvisational group called Group Mind Foundation, and a tour of our new facility.   Tickets are $100 each and can be purchased through either Lori at 303 665 4342, or through myself.

For those interested additional information has been attached including an invite to the Big Event, and a Case for Support which is a bit more descriptive of our mission.

Please know that your time in reading this letter is greatly appreciated, and your consideration of assistance.   I am normally a quiet servant who doesn't generally do solicitations like this, but occasionally we all have to be a wee bit vocal on supporting a good cause in need.   Know that any support given by those that are able will be used with sound stewardship, and will impact people in your immediate County get through some tough times!

As always, please call if you have any questions, thoughts, or needs for additional information!

Sincerely,

Don Sprague

Board Member