We want to share our gratitude to Linda Martin for her wonderful write up about Canyon Cares in the “It Takes a Canyon!” column of the March 2021 issue of the Mountain Messenger(page 16). Linda interviewed Board members and looked into the history of Canyon Cares in our community for the piece.
Canyon Cares is proud to support our local publications, including the Mountain Messenger and Mountain-Ear. You can find a full-page ad summarizing our recent assistance to the community on page 9 of the March 2021 Mountain Messenger. Together, we are “Neighbors helping neighbors!”
If you would like to support Canyon Cares’ work, you can donate directly, or sign-up to have a percentage of your purchases from King Soopers or AmazonSmile contribute to Canyon Cares.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact us (720-515-1129, canyoncares.org@gmail.com, or the Contact Us page on our website).
Ways You Can Help
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Oh, to live in the special mountain communities that we do! We take care of those around us when we can, and when it comes down to it, we put aside our differences for the common goal of helping one another. The Canyon Cares motto of Neighbors Helping Neighbors embodies the very mission of this non-profit 501(c)(3) organization.
There are so many meaningful ways folks help one another, whether it be cooking food for a family in crisis, plowing or shoveling for a stuck or stranded neighbor (or stranger for that matter), checking on a neighbor’s pet or providing occasional free childcare. The list of ways to help is long and so very essential and special. However, sometimes a situation just requires something more…money.
Where individually we may not be in a position to help someone financially, Canyon Cares may be able to! That’s why your donations over the years have enabled us to help many individuals and families with an urgent financial need. Your support through donations, whether it be $5 or $500, is so crucial to our mission. Canyon Cares conscientiously and carefully disperses funds (paying service providers directly) and provides added resource information to recipients to further help them.
Two other ways folks can help are by simply linking their King Soopers cards to Canyon Cares through the Community Rewards Program. Every time you shop, money is automatically donated to Canyon Cares at no cost to you. The Amazon Smiles program is another way for you to make a portion of your purchase a donation to Canyon Cares. See the Canyon Cares website (www.canyoncares.org) for easy to follow instructions to do both.
Additionally, for those in a position to do so, please know that if you are 70 ½ years or older with an IRA, 401K or retirement account(s) taking a RMD (Required Minimum Distribution), you can avoid paying a portion of taxes due on that withdrawal by making a tax-free donation (up to $100,000) to Canyon Cares.
Canyon Cares could not do what they do without your support. There are not enough words to express how appreciated that is. We will continue to help as many people as possible and we ask that you continue to reach out personally to help in your own unique ways and let folks know that Canyon Cares may be able to help, as well.
Canyon Cares is so grateful to the Eldora Foundation’s Play it Forward program for a grant of $10,000! These funds and donations from many of our neighbors are crucial for us to continue offering short-term financial assistance to individuals and families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about the grant and Canyon Cares’ work during this time in a featured blog post about Canyon Cares from the Boulder Community Foundation.
If you would like to support Canyon Cares’ work, you can donate directly, or sign-up to have a percentage of your purchases from King Soopers or AmazonSmile contribute to Canyon Cares.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact us (720-515-1129, canyoncares.org@gmail.com, or the Contact Us page on our website).
We know many neighbors are impacted financially by COVID-19. We are gathering resources for relief and wanted to share these updates with you all:
Families and individuals can apply for social services benefits through the state of Colorado’s PEAK website. You can also apply for food or cash assistance (but not medical assistance) on a mobile device by downloading the MyCOBenefits app.
Colorado Unemployment: UPDATE as of April 21, 2020: All eligible claimants will receive the extra $600/week benefit available under the CARES Act. The $600/week will be added to your regular benefit when you request payment on your claim. You do not need to take any action other than continue your regular payment request process. These benefits are retroactive to March 29, 2020. Apply on Colorado’s unemployment website.
The LEAP energy assistance program deadline has been extended to accept applications for home energy assistance until August 31. The Colorado Department of Human Services’ LEAP program provides assistance with heating costs, equipment repair and/or replacement of inoperable heating tools, the program is not intended to pay the entire cost of home heating. However, they do aim to help alleviate some of the burdens that come with Colorado’s colder months.
COVID Child Care for Essential Workers. Offered by the Emergenecy Child Care Collaborative, essential workers can apply for 100% tuition coverage for childcare services or to pay an in-home provider. Daycare and childcare centers can also sign-up to offer child care through this program.
Boulder County is offering a virtual job fair site for businesses currently hiring. Many grocery stores in the area are hiring right now to meet the increased demands.
Ask for a forbearance or deferment. If you are having trouble covering rent, mortgage, or utility bills, ask your lender if they will consider delaying the payment or work out a payment plan. Many companies are developing more flexible programs in response to the virus.
Reports of domestic violence are increasing worldwide during the crisis. The National Domestic Violence Hotline (800) 799-SAFE (7233) is a great resource and Colorado’s Domestic Violence Program includes local safehouses and treatment resources.
Colorado 211 is a clearinghouse of programs and assistance for a wide range of needs.
No matter what you or your loved ones may be dealing with, please know you are not alone! Canyon Cares and our network of partner resources are here to help support our neighbors during this challenging time.
This is being posted at a time when the future is still very much uncertain. Besides providing resource information and financial assistance to our community members, Canyon Cares has sought to bring a measure of hope and love to those we assist. Canyon Cares is committed to doing all that we can for those in need in our community, however your help is needed! Thus far, Canyon Cares has given over $13,000 in assistance in 2020. With our first quarter coming to an end, it is obvious that this is a substantial increase from the first quarter of 2019, as shared in our 2019 Year in Review.
Already the effects of business closures, lost jobs, social distancing and home quarantines are rippling through our mountain communities at an unprecedented rate due to the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. However, the donations have been flooding in. Canyon Cares cannot thank you enough and we implore you to continue to trust in us to provide the assistance needed in an effective, timely and fair manner as we have done since our inception in 2006. Again, thank you for all of your support during these trying times! Please look for further information coming soon about the CANYON CARES COVID-19 RELIEF FUND to learn how you can contribute or help us in our extensive efforts to help those affected by coronavirus.
Thanks to the generosity of our community, Canyon Cares distributed over $36,000.00 to 75 neighbors in need in 2019. This is a new all-time high from the $25,000 in aid Canyon Cares distributed in 2018. This brings our lifetime total since our 2006 beginnings to over $200,000.00 in aid to the community!
If you wonder what these funds are being used for, here is a breakdown by category:
Category
Aid Distributed
Housing (rent/mortgage)
$14,051
Utilities
$9,590
Automotive
$6,518
Medical
$4,580
Home Repair
$1,097
General
$200
Total Aid
$36,037
As a reminder, Canyon Cares pays bills directly, rather than distributing funds to individuals or families. We work closely with local Health and Human Services agencies for Boulder, Gilpin, and Jefferson counties as well as state-wide programs like LEAP for energy assistance, among many others.
In addition to the many individuals and families who donate regularly to Canyon Cares, we appreciate the continued support of local organizations, such as United Power through the Round-Up program, Whispering Pines Church, Chapel in the Hills, Spirit of the Mountain Lutheran Church, Gilpin County Commissioners Grant Program, and the Nederland Lions Club.
If you would like to support Canyon Cares’ work in 2020, you can donate directly, or sign-up to have a percentage of your purchases from King Soopers or AmazonSmile contribute to Canyon Cares. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact us (720-515-1129, canyoncares.org@gmail.com, or the Contact Us page on our website). Wishing you all a safe and happy New Year!
We are so thankful for all who contributed non-perishable goods, time, and effort to make our 8th holiday basket drive a success! Particular thanks to United Power for their huge financial support of this year’s holiday baskets, to Whispering Pines church for week-long use of the Fellowship Hall while all the goods were sorted. Thanks to the following locations for gathering goods for us this year: Coal Creek Canyon K-8, Carl’s Corner, Kwik Mart, Coal Creek Coffee, Last Stand, Coal Creek Liquors, and Wondervu Cafe, Chapel in the Hills and Whispering Pines Church.
A grateful shout out to Kris Jonsson and John Betz for helping us pick up goods from the Arvada Food Bank as well as Pastor’s Pantry organizer Lena, Patty at Whispering Pines Church, Penny and Darrell Smith, and Louie Cabrales. Many thanks to Boy Scout Pack 51 (and families, including Mia and Evan Manniko, Kris and Tami Lawson’s family, and Dave Schemel) for helping us fill 47 baskets on December 5! You can read more about the basket filling in this Mountain-Ear article. And enormous gratitude to the many volunteers who showed up to help haul those heavy baskets on December 7 (Pastor Todd Fletcher from Chapel in the Hills, Kathy Keating, Pastor Eric Prinkey and Joy, Dennis Akin, Eleyna Jack, and many more!).
Thanks too, to Canyon Cares current and emeritus Board members for both participating on distribution day and gathering and sorting the huge quantity of donations from our generous community in the weeks leading up to it. Special thanks to Nancy von Schulz for coordinating all of our efforts on this project.
Boy Scout Pack 51 and Canyon Cares Board Members gather for a photo after the all the baskets have been filled
Board Members Dawn and Cindy pause for a photo during basket filling
Board Member Linds is dazzled by the amounts of canned goods collected for the holiday baskets!
A volunteer shows her care for the community during basket filling
Canyon Cares is now participating in the King Soopers/City Market Community Rewards Program. Enroll once and every time you shop, Canyon Cares will receive a percentage of the amount you spent. This is a great way to support us, and is very easy!
Sign up to support Canyon Cares through King Soopers Rewards
Every time you shop for your normal groceries and swipe your SooperCard (or enter Alt ID), Canyon Cares automatically starts earning a rebate.
Simply register your SooperCard online at KingSoopers.com. To register:
Login at KingSoopers.com (if you do not have a SooperCard, pick one up on your next visit, and then create your free account online to access coupons and the Community Rewards program).
From the top of the page, click on the “Save” tab and then select “King Soopers Community Rewards” from the drop-down menu.
Click the “Enroll Now” button
In the search box, type “Canyon Cares” and hit search.
To verify you have found the correct organization, you should see the organization number “LF829″ listed underneath the name.
Click the “Enroll” button.
You’re finished! Thank you for your support of Canyon Cares!
Sign up to support Canyon Cares through Amazon Smile
Amazon Smile is another great way to support Canyon Cares with your purchases. To get started, head to Smile.amazon.com. On your first visit, you’ll be prompted to select a charitable organization, and you can search for Canyon Cares of Coal Creek Canyon! If you’ve previously chosen a different charity, you can switch to Canyon Cares by clicking the “Supporting” option just below the search bar when you are logged into smile.amazon.com and then choosing “Change” to search for and select Canyon Cares.
Every little bit helps our community, and we appreciate your support of Canyon Cares!
Canyon Cares would like those who may struggle with the cost of heating their homes this winter to know about the federally funded LEAP program!
For information and to see if you qualify, visit their website or call HEAT HELP at 1-866-432-8435.
The Colorado Department of Human Services states that though LEAP provides assistance with heating costs, equipment repair and/or replacement of inoperable heating tools, the program is not intended to pay the entire cost of home heating. However, they do aim to help alleviate some of the burdens that come with Colorado’s colder months. Living in the mountains presents its own unique challenges, so being prepared is especially important.
The LEAP program is from November to April, though an application is available online in preparation for the program and questions can be answered by calling 1-866-432-8435 (HEAT HELP).
For those in our mountain community who will have no heating cost concerns and look forward to the beauty and fun of the winter months, please let those who might benefit from the LEAP program know about it!
Additionally, please consider a donation to Canyon Cares, so that we may provide assistance towards housing, utilities, food and water, transportation, or healthcare to those neighbors experiencing a short-term financial crisis.
For assistance or to make a donation, contact Canyon Cares via voicemail: 720-515-1129; email ; our website; or by mail: PO Box 7392, Golden, CO 80403.
It is with much gratitude that Canyon Cares has been a part of this wonderful community and we would like everyone that has supported us to know how very thankful we are for the opportunity. Happy fall and stay warm!
Board Members had a great time staffing the Canyon Cares booth at Mountain Fest!
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Canyon Cares booth at Mountain Fest August 3 at the CCCIA hall. We raised more than $300 from the community on this one day and were happy to share how Canyon Cares has helped our community in the last year.
If you or someone you know needs assistance, please contact us (720-515-1129, canyoncares.org@gmail.com, or the Contact Us page on our website). If you are interested in contributing, you can donate through our website, through the AmazonSmile or King Soopers rewards programs, or tuck a few bucks in our donation jar at any of the events where you see our booth!
