Eagle Valley Community Foundation: Powerful work toward a healthy community
Valley Voices
On any given day at The Community Market, the doors open to a line of local residents patiently waiting their turn to shop. As inflation continues to plague the valley we call home, more residents are finding themselves in greater need of food assistance. Thankfully, The Community Market, a program of the Eagle Valley Community Foundation established in 2018, exists as a scalable food relief effort with the capacity to respond to immediate and long-term food insecurity needs and continues to serve as the main hub for food acquisition today.
With the ongoing increase in the cost of living and the residual effects of the pandemic continuing to surge across the Vail Valley, families remain grateful (and relieved) to be afforded barrier-free access to no-cost, quality groceries of their choosing. In both Gypsum and in Edwards, as well as at several pop-up mobile markets, The Community Market offers the choice of fresh produce, meat, eggs, dairy, canned/dry goods and various household items.
Anne Redden, programs and operations manager for The Community Market, reiterates, “We feed people in our community who otherwise would be struggling to provide their families with healthy food. We are 200% committed to nourishing our entire community — helping to ensure those locals dedicated to building our thriving community also are afforded the opportunity to thrive in health and wellness themselves.”
One such resident is Donnie. Donnie, a longtime local employee, can be seen biking to The Community Market in Gypsum. He is on a mission: weekly delivery of fresh beets from his treasured garden. Glorious, fresh produce for our community.
Donnie bikes to the Market for beet delivery and departs with basic grocery necessities for the work week. True reciprocity, the giving and receiving for the betterment of all. And like Donnie, his brother, Paul, is also a customer of and contributor to The Community Market. Grateful for the easy access via bus transportation and the barrier-free option to shop for nutritious food of his choosing and need, Paul is a contributing customer, supportive volunteer, and purveyor of all things good at The Community Market.
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“It’s a time in my life to give back,” Paul affirmatively reiterates. Not only does Paul volunteer to keep The Community Market shelves stocked, but he also spreads the word of our work among fellow residents, even offering to shop and deliver food to those unable to get to the market.
Truly, a community coming together on all levels to do good. And doing good is what is being done at The Community Market thanks to the support of generous donors, government agencies, and community-centric partners like Vail Resorts EpicPromise. We would not be able to make the impact we do without that support. Collaborating to promote health and wellness across the valley, Vail Resorts EpicPromise, Eagle Valley Community Foundation, and all our community partners continue to do good together to create a more promising future for generations to come.
Jennifer Barcza is the marketing coordinator for the Eagle Valley Community Foundation, which works to improve the quality of life for Eagle Valley residents by addressing basic needs that enhance health and wellness, while uplifting individual dignity. Eagle Valley Community Foundation believes in a hopeful and optimistic community that works together to build trust, hope, and wellness for all. EVCF seeks to create sustainable and responsive solutions to meet the greatest needs of our community. To learn more about Eagle Valley Community Foundation, visit EagleValleyCF.org or call 970-855-2386.