IFCS | A Denver Area Food Bank and More to Nourish Lives

Jerica: Inspiring Single Parent

In the winter of 2015, money was too tight for then 26-year-old Jerica to afford gifts for her three children. She was referred to Integrated Family Community Services (IFCS) for the Adopt-a-Child holiday program, through which a sponsor provided her family with Christmas gifts. Jerica returns to IFCS on occasion, when her family is in a pinch, and she has participated in additional companion programs and food support services. She claims that IFCS has been a “blessing [that] saved her life.”

We met Jerica because of the financial strain her family was experiencing, and her story inspires us. Jerica is a courageous, hard-working professional who does what she needs to take care of her family. She became a single mom when she left an unhealthy relationship of 15 years, the hardest – but also the best – decision of her life, and she hasn’t looked back. She is raising two elementary school children and a teenager in the south Denver metro area, with little support from the children’s father. In the toughest of times, she worked two jobs and donated plasma to pay rent. She traded a higher-earning career for a job with flexible hours that accommodates her children’s schooling and activities. She signed up, and waited years on a list, for affordable housing. She applied for, and was granted, a scholarship for her daughter to play competitive ball. She juggles the activities of a household of four despite needing a new truck.

Jerica insists on working as much as she can. She wants her children to learn that they need to work for the things they enjoy; she doesn’t want the kids to be stressed out by their financial struggles, but she lets them know that they don’t just “get things handed to them.”

Jerica says her biggest challenge is trying to juggle her kids’ activities with her work schedule and trying to be a good mom. Having battled depression for a couple years, she has learned to “appreciate the moment” and she understands the importance of self-care. She exerts herself to find opportunities for her children to thrive and is also reading, growing personally, and learning what makes herself happy. She believes firmly that living a positive life attracts positive and happy things.

Integrated Family Community Services (IFCS) is raising awareness about the challenges and financial needs of single parent and kinship care households. Today, 80 percent of single-parent families are headed by single mothers: nearly 1/3 of these live with food insecurity, about 1/3 spend more than 50% of their income on housing, and only 1/9 make use of food pantries.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Erica for her untiring devotion to her family and her willingness to share her story.

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Non-Discrimination Statement

In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), disability, age, or reprisal or  retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the responsible state or local agency that administers the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online, from any USDA office, by calling (866) 632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by:

  1. Mail:
    U.S. Department of Agriculture
    Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
    1400 Independence Avenue, SW
    Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or
  2. Fax:
    (833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442; or 
  3. Email:
    program.intake@usda.gov

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

This statement was updated 8.3.22 in accordance with USDA updates and guidelines.

Eligibility Guidelines

IFCS Enrichment Programs have service area and income guidelines.

SERVICE AREA GUIDELINES:
For IFCS Enrichment Programs, we have a service area covering:

  • Western Arapahoe County: Centennial, Englewood, Glendale, Greenwood Village, Littleton, Sheridan, and unincorporated Arapahoe County.
  • Southwest Denver Neighborhoods: Bear Valley, College View, Fort Logan, Harvey Park, Harvey Park South, Marston & South Platte (Southwest Neighborhoods further defined as being south of Jewell and west of Santa Fe).
  • Northern Douglas County: Highlands Ranch, Littleton, and Lone Tree.
  • Southern Jefferson County: South Lakewood, Littleton, Morrison (Neighborhoods further defined as being south of Jewell along the C-470 Corridor – including Columbine, Bow Mar, Dakota Ridge, and Ken Caryl Ranch) 

Applications outside of these listed areas will not be accepted.


INCOME GUIDELINES:
As of March 1, 2024, a household may meet income-based standards in either of the following two ways:

  1. Participate in one of these public assistance programs:
    • Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
    • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
    • Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)
    • Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
    • Old Age Pension (OAP)
    • Aid to Needy Disabled (AND)
    • Aid to the Blind (AB)
    • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
    • Medicaid Eligible Foster Children
  1. If the household does not participate in any of the above public assistance programs, the household must have a combined gross income that does not exceed the maximum income limit for the applicable household size.

ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES:
Please refer to the Interest Form for additional, program-specific criteria.

Eligibility and Income Guidelines

Anyone experiencing food insecurity and self-identifying as meeting the Income Guidelines below is eligible for IFCS Food Market services.

Income Guidelines:
As of March 1, 2024, a household may meet income-based standards in either of the following two ways:

  1. Participate in one of these public assistance programs:
    • Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP)
    • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
    • Low-income Energy Assistance Program (LEAP)
    • Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
    • Old Age Pension (OAP)
    • Aid to Needy Disabled (AND)
    • Aid to the Blind (AB)
    • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
    • Medicaid Eligible Foster Children
  1. If the household does not participate in any of the above public assistance programs, the household must meet the requirements based on the chart below, having a combined gross income not exceeding the maximum income limit for the applicable household size.

For IFCS Financial Assistance Programs (Rental and Utility Bill Payment Assistance), we have a service area of western Arapahoe (Centennial, Englewood, Glendale, Greenwood Village, Littleton, and Sheridan) and southwest Denver Neighborhoods. This includes Bear Valley, College View, Fort Logan, Harvey Park, Harvey Park South, Marston & South Platte (Southwest Neighborhoods further defined as being south of Jewell and west of Santa Fe). IFCS Rental Assistance Programs may be limited to the cities listed within Arapahoe County.

For IFCS Enrichment Programs, we have a service area covering:

  • Western Arapahoe County: Centennial, Englewood, Glendale, Greenwood Village, Littleton, Sheridan, and unincorporated Arapahoe County.
  • Southwest Denver Neighborhoods: Bear Valley, College View, Fort Logan, Harvey Park, Harvey Park South, Marston & South Platte (Southwest Neighborhoods further defined as being south of Jewell and west of Santa Fe).
  • Northern Douglas County: Highlands Ranch, Littleton, and Lone Tree.
  • Southern Jefferson County: South Lakewood, Littleton, Morrison (Neighborhoods further defined as being south of Jewell along the C-470 Corridor – including Columbine, Bow Mar, Dakota Ridge, and Ken Caryl Ranch) 

 Applications outside of these listed areas will not be accepted. (Central Denver, North Denver, and Aurora applications will not be accepted.)