Have you seen orange cones and heavy equipment on our property? Have you needed to adapt your schedule to accommodate our renovation projects? Yes, IFCS is under construction. Thanks to Arapahoe County’s selection of IFCS for a Community Development Block Grant, dedicated funding for public improvement through Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is allowing us to make some long overdue improvements.
IFCS’ Building History
In 1971, the 3370 S. Irving St. property was granted to the Inter-Faith Task Force (IFCS’ original name). The “community center” was constructed in 1972, with the upper level offering educational classes for children and adults and the lower level planned for food, clothing, and furniture banks. The new center’s official open house took place on January 31, 1973.
Over the years, IFCS’ services have evolved and in 2020, drastic changes occurred when the COVID pandemic required us to adapt to contact-free services and limited building occupancy. The lower level of the building was used for food distribution, using a drive-thru model that served the community’s growing needs; this worked so well that food assistance services increased nearly 1000%. When we finally were able to re-open our doors to volunteers, and we shifted to a “market of choice” model of grocery shopping for program participants, the lower level of the building became the Market @ IFCS, and our primary service location. The IFCS team adapted operations with a nimbleness that was recognized by the city and county governments, and that becomes the backdrop for our current renovations.
Updating An Aging Building
The IFCS building is 53 years old this year. Because our mission focuses on serving those needing assistance in the community, we haven’t invested in the building maintenance beyond routine or emergency needs. Over the past eight years, the team has recognized areas of the building that needed attention, but IFCS’ budget couldn’t accommodate updates. In recent years, some generous companies and family foundations have either funded or provided 100% material and labor donations to complete projects that were essential for safety and upkeep. Such assistance has allowed IFCS to maintain an extremely low overhead. “Our goal is to maximize every dollar that’s invested,” says Todd McPherson, IFCS Development Director. “Through the generosity of companies, individuals, service groups, and municipalities, we’re able to make the changes that we need and we’re proud that people have the confidence in us to invest.”
Substantial asphalt and concrete work were desperately needed, as well as updates to the interior service areas. These larger projects are now being addressed with the funding provided by Arapahoe County. “Now that we use the basement as our primary service location, we’ve needed to do some renovations, add some amenities, make it a more pleasing environment instead of just a stark basement,” says Todd. The grant is allowing IFCS to update the building with an ADA glass sliding Market entrance, an ADA bathroom, painted interior walls and resurfaced flooring in the Market, a kitchenette area that volunteers can use, and an updated office entryway. There are also extensive landscaping improvements: newly paved parking lots and driveways. And “now we have real gutters, rather than the heaps of asphalt, tree trunks, and railroad ties that served as gutters before,” adds Todd, in his typical humor. Modernizing the building and property enhances IFCS, making it a more inviting and dignified space for participants and supporters alike.
Maximizing Investments for the Future
Members of the community have been gathering in the IFCS building – some to participate in programs and others to assist as volunteers or donors – for 53 years. We are grateful that Arapahoe County chose IFCS for their investment in the health of this community, and we assure everyone that we are maximizing the impact of every dollar from this grant. Since the building’s original construction, “we’ve been very conservative and haven’t made many adaptations,” says Todd. Providing services remains our first priority, and the architect and general contractor that IFCS hired for the renovation are on board with this approach. Ewers Architecture out of Golden works with a lot of nonprofits like IFCS, and they’ve been very generous in donating some of their work. John Landauer of Blue Collar Renovation is our general contractor (pictured with Todd and some of his team in this entry’s feature image), and he understands the need to be frugal and maximize the grant funding without compromising on lasting quality.
We Appreciate Everyone’s Patience
The glass market doors, parking lots, and some asphalt work are completed so far. There’s still a lot of work to be completed, but this blog entry serves to update our constituents on recent developments. “Now, we’re able to make the market seem more like a no-cost grocery store and to welcome people to visit an aesthetically pleasing environment,” says Todd. All residents of Arapahoe County now benefit from IFCS services, and this renovation is helping IFCS look ahead to the next 60 years.
