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Lift Up warns of rising food insecurity, lays out $2.5 million fundraising plan; Glenwood asked to consider $250,000
Summary
Lift Up told the City Council that guest visits have risen roughly 130% while donations have plunged, and presented a one‑time $2.5 million plan to retire debt and build a modest reserve; the group said Glenwood Springs’ share could be about $250,000 and pledged to return with a formal request.
Lift Up representatives told the Glenwood Springs City Council on June 5 that valleywide demand for emergency food has soared while financial support has sharply declined, forcing program cuts and creating a near‑term funding crisis.
John Lund, vice chair of Lift Up’s board, and Jess Hedden, interim director of operations, described a network of five fixed pantries, an extended‑table soup service and a new mobile “pantry on wheels.” They said Lift Up now operates a regional food hub at the Midland Center to improve distribution from Parachute to Aspen.
Lund said the organization has seen roughly 130% growth in guests and visits over the past two years while donations have “sunk,” leaving the agency operating in the red. He said the board contributed $63,500 to an emergency campaign earlier this spring, which was matched to produce $137,000, and that Lift Up has cut or paused lower‑yield programs, put a hold on mortgage payments, closed an underperforming thrift store and deferred some hiring to reduce expenses.
To stabilize operations, Lund proposed a one‑time, valleywide fundraising target of $2.5 million to retire debt on the new distribution center and vehicles and to establish a modest reserve. "If we could raise a fund of 2 and a half million dollars, that would be able to pay off the debt we have on the distribution center," Lund said, adding that the plan would also free money that now goes to interest so it can be spent on food.
Lund said Lift Up’s organizers plan to ask participating towns and counties for contributions and that Glenwood Springs’ portion of the $2.5 million “is $250,000,” a figure he said could be part of a coordinated regional ask. Councilors asked whether the mortgage hold described was Lift Up’s own mortgage and whether the $2.5 million was a one‑time payoff; Lund said the hold was on Lift Up’s note and that the $2.5 million is intended to eliminate all debt and leave a reserve (he cited roughly $400,000 to be banked as part of the plan).
Councilors also pressed for specificity about who the organization serves. Lift Up representatives said their programming counts guests and visits (for example, a family of four registers as four guests) and that children, working families and seniors appear in their statistics; one councilor noted an unclassified 13% in a slide set and asked for clarification on return visits and demographic breakdowns when Lift Up returns with a formal request.
The council had approved a smaller community grant to Lift Up earlier in the meeting; Lund thanked the council and said this presentation was primarily to raise awareness and that he intends to return with a specific formal request.
The council did not make a funding decision at the meeting. Councilors asked staff to expect a follow‑up with concrete figures and to include answers about how much of Lift Up’s food reaches repeat visitors versus people who are experiencing a short‑term emergency.
The next procedural step: Lift Up will prepare a detailed proposal for the council that clarifies requested uses, local share, and program breakdowns, and the council asked staff to place any formal request on a future agenda for consideration.
