IFCS News

On April 21st we will be taking part in the BIG Day in partnership with the Nonprofit and Business Partnership Committee from the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce.This day is to get volunteers involved with our local non-profit agencies. Inter-Faith will be doing Feed the Need food drives at multiple King Soopers stores. Volunteers will ask shoppers for food donations, collect the donations from 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. then bring all their booty here to our Food Bank for a sorting party. Then there is a celebration lunch at the Chamber Center. More info at www.bestchamber.com, click on the BIG Day logo. Interested??? Email Maria at mariap@ifcs.org.

Registration is now open for the 2012 Puttin’ on the Green event. This fun day will have you puttin’ to a happy ending for hundreds of South Metro families in need.

The 17th Annual Puttin’ on the Green will be on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at Colorado Journey. This unique fundraiser combines the fun game of mini-golf with helping others in their time of need. Teams of five people are asked to raise $1,000 to help low-income people get back on their feet (if each team member asks 10 people for a $20 donation, the goal is met). We start with breakfast, hold a silent auction, play 18 holes of miniature golf, eat lunch, give out door prizes and all participants leave with a wonderful goodie bag.

Four Fun Ways To Participate!

1. Become A Team Captain

Teams of five people are asked to raise $1,000 to help low-income people get back on their feet. That’s just $200 per team member. (If each team member asks 10 people for a $20 donation, you can easily meet your goal.)

2. Play As An Individual

Don’t have enough people or time to form your own team? Sign up and we’ll pair you up with four other fun players. It’s a great way to network with people in our community.

3. Donate Items For The Silent Auction

Our silent auction is a great way to show off your products and services. Your donations help us raise even more money to help families and children. Download a Silent Auction Donation Form here.

4. Become A Hole Sponsor

Individuals, businesses and organizations can help by sponsoring the 36 holes on the two courses.

Sponsorship Levels

$500 Double Eagle – prevents a mother and her children from losing their home

• Two hole signs displayed all Mother’s Day weekend at Colorado Journey
• Your company logo on the IFCS and Puttin’ On The Green registration websites and annual report
• Participation for 2 people on a team
• Breakfast, lunch and a goodie bag

$300 Eagle – provides an eye exam and new glasses for a struggling student to succeed in school

• Two hole signs displayed all Mother’s Day weekend at Colorado Journey
• Recognition on the IFCS website and annual report
• Participation for 1 person on a team
• Breakfast, lunch and a goodie bag

$200 Birdie – provides three meals a day for a family of three for an entire week

• One hole sign
• Recognition on the IFCS website and annual report
• Participation for 1 person on a team
• Breakfast, lunch and a goodie bag

$100 Par – changes the lock on the home of a domestic violence victim

• One hole sign
• Recognition on the IFCS website
• Breakfast, lunch and a goodie bag

Join us for a fun day of puttin’ to a happy ending!

For additional questions please contact Maria Pearson, Development/Special Events Manager at mariap@ifcs.org or call (303)789-0501.

Thank you to everyone who came out to support Inter-Faith Community Services at our Nibbles and Sips, an Evening of Raising the Roof to Prevent Homelessness and Hunger. We had a wonderful time with our Master of Ceremonies Mike Nelson and our Honorary John Brackney. Enjoy these photos from the event!

Join thousands of Coloradans on December 6, 2011 for Colorado Gives Day brought to you by Community First Foundation and FirstBank who is providing a $500,000 incentive fund.

Donors on this day can have their donation increased through the fund as well as share their enthusiasm for helping their nonprofit in need.

To get involved, visit www.givingfirst.org and register. A new feature this year is that you can pre-pledge today!

Thanks for your help in helping us help our neighbors in need.

Leann Ostlee's car gets loaded with a Thanksgiving box.

The line started before 6 am and would stretch more than a mile long full of families in need counting on Inter-Faith Community Services’ free Thanksgiving box to help them be full and happy during a trying time in their lives.

Sitting fourth in line was Brenda Cardone, who upon arriving before 6 am for the 9 am event, said “Thank god I got up early. The line is huge!”

Cardone’s husband was able to find work; however, no one else in the family has been able to find employment. Asked about the event, “I think it’s awesome. It means a lot now that I know I will have a turkey to cook. It’s a great help to us.”

On November 19, 2011, Inter-Faith gave out Thanksgiving boxes full of all the ingredients for a traditional meal to more than 700 low-income families and seniors that otherwise would go without to begin.

The food boxes Inter-Faith collects, boxes and along with hundreds of volunteers gives out are not just ingredients for the tradi­tional holiday meal, but a feeling of family and inclusiveness goes along with them as well. Missing this important American staple can have devastating negative effects on families in need.

Leann Ostlee talks about how much it means to her family to receive a Thanksgiving box.

“Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what we have and helping our community,” said Sandra Blythe-Perry, Inter-Faith Community Services Executive Director. “This special dinner and donation really gives those in need a hand up in dealing with their current situation.”

Each year, Inter-Faith Community Services provides Thanksgiving Baskets filled with the traditional meals ingredients to hundreds of low-income families which in turn helps them maintain a sense of normalcy during the holidays. The holiday season’s one-time purchases can add financial stress to those families in need and reinforce a feeling of despair.

Families benefited from the Thanksgiving Distribution.

The average cost of a 2011 Thanksgiving dinner for 10, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation’s annual study, is $49.20. That is $5.73 more than last year’s average of $43.47, up 13 percent.

“We live paycheck by paycheck,” said Leeann Ostlee, who waited more than 2 hours to get her box. “It’s really hard to budget for special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas. This is a great program that helps my family a lot.”

With the community’s donations and volunteer support, Inter-Faith is Neighbors Helping Neighbors.

“(Thanksgiving food distribution) is a big blessing,” said Ostlee. “I am very thankful to Inter-Faith that is able to help families out like mine.”

This holiday season, help raise additional funds for IFCS while providing yourself and your loved ones with high quality, culturally authentic sacred art. Go to Creator Mundi at www.creatormundi.com, place your online order for any in-stock items, enter the code provided by our church at CheckOut, and 15% of your purchase will be returned to IFCS by Creator Mundi.

When you are checking out at www.creatormundi.com, please be sure to enter our assigned code Inter-Faith80110 into the PO# box (do NOT enter it in the coupon box). If you do not enter this code in the appropriate box, our community will not receive a 15% rebate from your order.

Instructions for CheckOut:

When your shopping is completed, click CheckOut.

In step 4 (enter additional information) enter in the PO# box  Inter-Faith80110

First time web customers will be asked to complete the Create New Account Form

Thank you for helping Inter-Faith help our neighbors in need!

Each year, we gather hundreds of food baskets to help our neighbors.

Howdy folks! We are still in need of $7.00 King Soopers Gift Cards, marshmallows, pie crust mix, turkey stuffing and black olives for our Thanksgiving Basket Program.

If you are able to help us out, we, and all the families and seniors who will benefit from your generosity would really appreciate the help! If you can help us, click here for more information.

Food Banks aren’t always where you think. Thankfully, inner-city food banks frequently receive a lot of time and attention from people who want to help people in need. However, there are also many food banks in the suburbs that people may not be as readily aware of, as those in the urban core.

The Inter-Faith Community Services Food Bank, located at 3370 South Irving Street in Englewood, is one such example of a food bank “on the fringes”. It has been serving people and families in Centennial, Englewood, Glendale, Highlands Ranch, Littleton, Lone Tree, Sheridan and unincorporated Arapahoe County since 1964.

This year, it is facing a major food shortage.

On Sunday, November 13, from noon until 4:00, a special “Open House Tour” is being hosted by Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty and The Villager as a way to collect non-perishable food for the Inter-Faith Community Services Food Bank (IFCS). The tour is free and will include 13 homes throughout Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village that are currently on the market for sale. Each of the homes will have a food collection station where people can drop-off their food donations.

“This has been a very challenging year for our food bank, and we want to do all we can to help assure that the people and families who depend on us for food will have full stomachs during the holiday season,” said Maria Pearson, IFCS development/special events manager. “We’re grateful for the efforts of Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty and The Villager to host this incredible tour of homes, where people can make their food donation. It’s another great example of community spirit and people helping one another.”

The tour will also include special presentations and “treats” at most of the homes. For example, a professional chef will be cooking and sharing holiday recipes at one of the homes, and an interior designer will share tips at another.

“We became aware of IFCS’s situation through one of our brokers, and our team immediately took action to create a plan to support this important cause,” said Scott Webber of Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty. “The Villager didn’t hesitate to get involved when we approached them, and we’re hoping for a tremendous turnout, even if somebody wants to skip the tour and simply drop-off food at a home that is convenient to them.”

More information regarding the upcoming Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village Home Tour is available at www.fsirhometour.com or by calling 303-893-3200.

Information regarding Inter-Faith Community Services is available at www.ifcs.org.

Our Food Bank is in dire need of donations! It hasn’t been this low in years. Any and all non-perishable food would be appreciated. Drop-off locations are on the “Donate” page on our website – www.ifcs.org. Thanks for any help you can give!