West End Family Link asks Nucla trustees for emergency funding as pantry demand surges

Jody Gardner, executive director of the West End Family Link Center, urged the Nucla Town Board for “urgent support” to keep the pantry operating, saying the program serves a broad rural area and remains one of the region’s primary hunger-relief partners. Gardner told trustees the pantry serves residents across more than 2,000 square miles — including Nucla and Naturita — and last year recorded 1,685 unique individuals and more than 15,700 total services.

Gardner said food insecurity has risen while grant and government funding has declined: “Less than 5% of our budget comes from government funding,” she said, and volunteers and a small paid staff cannot cover rising operational costs. The board asked staff to identify possible town budget lines that could contribute; Jessica (staff) and trustees agreed to research allocations and return with recommendations.

Why it matters: the pantry is the closest food resource for many residents in the West End and trustees said they will consider reallocating or identifying discretionary funds to help close the current shortfall. Gardner described an immediate gap (she cited figures between $45,000 and $60,000) and asked for any assistance to maintain service levels. The board asked the director and staff to provide specific line-item requests and supporting documents for a subsequent decision.