Natural Grocers, a family-operated organic and natural grocery retailer, has recently donated funds to Colorado-based La Puente Home.
La Puente Home Inc. is a non-profit that provides a safety net of services where people get what they need to stabilize, heal and thrive. Its programs vary in response to the effects of poverty that the members of their community face daily.
Food insecurity
Fighting food insecurity is a cause Natural Grocers has supported since before the company opened its first storefront.
“My grandmother, Natural Grocers co-founder Margaret Isely, had a generous heart, a deep respect for her community and knew how life-changing good nutrition could be. She and my grandfather got their start by visiting friends and neighbors to share nutrition education and her delicious homemade whole grain bread,” said Raquel Isely, VP of marketing at Natural Grocers.
“When she and my grandfather opened their first store, she always made sure there was ‘extra’ wholesome food around, easily accessible to anyone who needed it. Today, we have evolved to forge connections with the local food banks in the cities and towns near our stores with our ‘Bring Your Own Bag’ program. Whenever a customer brings their own bag, we donate 5¢ to our partner at the register.
“The area La Puente serves happens to extend beyond our current store footprint. When La Puente reached out to see if we might be willing to donate to their network of food pantries in the SLV [San Luis Valley], we immediately said ‘yes.’ So many communities are struggling with food insecurity. We know our donation is only a drop in the bucket, but it is our hope we can help raise awareness of La Puente and all the good they do for their community.”
La Puente
Beginning in 1982, La Puente was one of the first rural shelters to open its doors to those in need within Colorado. The SLV, its home, is a frontier region with arctic winters; also prevalent, the SLV has national-high rates of poverty with limited resources to address the impact poverty has on youth, families, job opportunities and health equity.
In addition to its community shelter, a 68-bed living space, La Puente offers a suite of services designed to stabilize households in crisis and promote self-sufficiency through financial resources and case management.
Additional programming included under La Puente’s umbrella is its PALS Children’s Program, Adelante Family Resource Center, Street Outreach, Crisis Prevention, the Valley Garden Educational Initiative and The Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley.
Read more independent store news from The Shelby Report.
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