Denver’s homeless are United in Orange, too. How our less fortunate are preparing for the Super Bowl
“Not having a home does not translate to not being a football fan. Watching sports is certainly a lower priority for the needy than it is for most of us but that does not mean that Denver’s homeless people are not excited about the big game.”
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It’s been a long fifteen years since the Orange and Blue were last in the Super Bowl and the excitement around the city of Denver is palatable. Everywhere you look folks are dressed in their Broncos gear ready to root the team on come Sunday.
For many people the biggest dilemma faced this week has been where to watch the game. Should a fan head to the sports bar to gobble nachos and suck back pitchers of beer with a hundred other like-minded fanatics or is it better to enjoy the Super Bowl with in the warmth and comfort of home settled in front of a flat-screen HD television set? Perhaps a Super Bowl party is the best choice – a potluck, perhaps, with friends and food and drinks and fun and conversation.
But what if the dilemma weren’t where you were going to watch the Super Bowl but where you were going to sleep on Sunday night?
For the homeless people of Denver that can be a very real question. Luckily, there are shelters that do all they can to keep the less-fortunate out of the cold. Denver has a number of homeless facilities. Some are overnight shelters where the needy are offered a bed and a meal and a place to rest before confronting wintertime again the following day; others are transitional shelters where men, women and families take temporary residence as they work to improve their lots in life.
Many of our homeless lost their way through addiction. Others struggle with debilitating mental health problems. Still others have simply encountered hard times, lost jobs, filed bankruptcies, been evicted, lost their homes. Some are lonely, some are parts of entire families with no place to call their own. What all of Denver’s homeless residents have in common is that are all ordinary people – people who love all of the same things that we all do – including the Broncos.
Not having a home does not translate to not being a football fan. Watching sports is certainly a lower priority for the needy than it is for most of us but that does not mean that Denver’s homeless people are not excited about the big game. They have civic pride, too, and most are rooting for their Denver Broncos. But how do they intend to watch?
At the Delores Project, a shelter and service provider for homeless women, they are having a Super Bowl Party and they could use our help. The Walnut room was good enough to donate some pizza pies, but they are still looking for snack donations. Their web site specifically mentions chips and salsa, dips and other fun party foods. Also, beverages and fresh fruits and veggies are requested. If you would like to help the women of the Delores Project enjoy one glorious Broncos Sunday you can contact Sierra@theDeloresProject.org or call 303 534 5411 to arrange a drop-off. Maybe you could pick up an extra bag of goodies when you make that trip to Costco, huh?
Carrie Packard, the development director at Delores Project told me, “The Woman here are no different than you and I. These are mothers and sisters and daughters with much more in common with mainstream society that most people think. That includes a passion for the Broncos. Our services hinge on warmth, hospitality and community. What represents those things better than a Super Bowl Party?”
The Delores Project is always in need of ground coffee, dishwasher safe dishes, travel sized shampoos, toilet paper, napkins, paper towels, etc.
Denver Rescue Mission’s Lawrence Street facility is a night-only facility for men and is the place most often thought of when people think about the homeless in Denver. The staff there expects to fill all 200 beds on Sunday night, not only because it will be cold outside, but because they provide folks with a place to watch the game. Alexxa Gagner, DRM’s media gal told me that the shelter will welcome families in to have a warm place to watch the game.
DRM also operates a transitional residential facility called the Crossing out on Smith road. Their web site describes the Crossing like this:
“Once a dilapidated hotel, the two-building, 96,000 square foot outreach consists of 149 living units for nearly 500 participants in the Mission’s New Life Program, Post-Graduate Program, STAR Transitional Housing Program and Respite Programs. It also includes two computer labs, a 38-machine laundry facility, work-out room, Denver Broncos Youth Center, playground, and outdoor basketball/volleyball courts and amphitheater. The Crossing also serves as a temporary home for Mission interns and visitors.”
Did you notice the name of their youth center? Yes, it’s the “Denver Broncos Youth Center”. That goes to show that the people living there are just as excited as we all are about the Super Bowl and the Crossing will be hosting a party much like the one at the Delores Project. They could certainly use your help to provide snacks.
Denver Rescue Mission maintains several different facilities and its web site lists year-round needs for each of them. Those interested in helping can donate money, cars, supplies and items of all types.
This is a truly exciting time for our community. The Broncos are in the Super Bowl! It’s a wonderful thing for our civic pride. The fine city of Denver is in the National spotlight as a result of our favorite team returning to the big game. What better time to demonstrate what makes Denver special by making a donation that could help the needy enjoy the Super Bowl like the rest of us?
Hopefully we have all decided by now where we will watch the game. Why not give some thought to where the less fortunate will watch – and donate a little food or a few bucks so that they can enjoy it, too?
