Pickles with Purpose: Partnering with The GrowHaus
At The Real Dill, we believe that it is our responsibility to seek out creative ways to leverage our resources in order to make a positive and lasting impact on our community. In 2017, we launched our Charitable Partner Program, in which we partner with one local nonprofit on a long-term basis to achieve our goals of giving back through community outreach and fundraising. We are honored to announce that it is our fourth year of having The GrowHaus as our Charitable Partner, and we are so proud of the contributions we have been able to make, with the help of our incredible community, towards their cause.
Before the pandemic, we hosted an annual Pickle Party each year at our facility, The Dillery, to benefit our Charitable Partner. Last year, we were unable to throw our traditional event due to COVID-19. However, we hosted our first Virtual Pickle Party online fundraiser. With our community's generous donations, we raised more money than we ever have in years past at our Pickle Parties, and we contributed $20,292 to The GrowHaus' mission to make healthy food a right for all.
With the ongoing challenging times, we are sad that we cannot throw another Pickle Party this year. However, we are thrilled to announce that we are hosting a 2021 Charitable Partner Fundraiser, benefiting The GrowHaus, in order to contribute to their cause again this year.
The GrowHaus Story
The GrowHaus is a local, Denver nonprofit with the mission to cultivate community-driven food justice through education and food access. They offer food distribution programming and educational opportunities related to growing and cooking food, as well as overall wellness. The organization serves the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea (GES) neighborhoods, two spirited neighborhoods in North Denver, rich in culture and tradition. However, residents of GES face barriers to living a healthy lifestyle. There is not one full service grocery store for the 10,000 residents living in GES. Additionally, the heavily industrious neighborhood has been deemed one of the most polluted zip codes in the country. However, residents of Globeville and Elyria-Swansea are incredibly resilient and passionate about supporting their neighbors and ensuring healthy food access.
The GrowHaus strives to be a community-driven organization, meaning that their goal is to have all programs led and implemented by members of their community or others from similar neighborhoods. They are successful when the youth, families, and communities that they work with are empowered to feed, nourish and strengthen themselves and each other.
The GrowHaus and COVID-19
2020 brought on an unprecedented amount of challenges for The GrowHaus, but it was also a year that the nonprofit was able to overcome many obstacles and make a tremendous impact on their Denver community. Due to the pandemic, the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhood suffered heightened levels of food insecurity, causing an even bigger decrease in food access. The GrowHaus also unexpectedly closed their building due to structural issues, which led their team and community to become even more creative, nimble, and resilient.
In 2020, The GrowHaus launched a new no cost emergency food distribution program, Rapid Response Food Distribution, which ensures the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea community's food access. They expanded their team and relocated to a new warehouse to execute the new program. In March 2020, after receiving many requests from their neighbors, The GrowHaus began making deliveries to nearly 550 families located in the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea community. Each delivery includes one bag of rescued produce and one bag of bulk dry goods (ie. rice, beans, and flour).
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, The GrowHaus has distributed the equivalent of 762,000 no cost meals to members of the Globeville and Elyria-Swansea neighborhood. The goal of our fundraiser is to raise $5,000 to help The GrowHaus get one step closer to distributing 775,000 no cost meals by the end of 2021. Right now, The GrowHaus delivers meals to 400 families every week. With our help, they can increase this number and provide food access to even more families in the vibrant Globeville and Elyria-Swansea community.
The GrowHaus also operates a social enterprise weekly Food Box Program that serves residents of Globeville and Elyria-Swansea and greater Denver. People living in the GES community receive a discount on the food boxes they order, and they provide feedback and requests so The GrowHaus knows which products to offer in the program. In 2020, The GrowHaus grew the Food Box Program by nearly 400%, from 200 to 1,000 customers.
Additionally, The GrowHaus also saw immense growth with their community outreach programs led by their Promotoras (community health works), who played a huge role in their Rapid Response Food Distribution Program. They also continued their youth education through partnerships with schools and other community outreach programs including at-home learning kits and virtual learning.
Our 2021 Charitable Partner Fundraiser
This year's fundraiser is structured a bit differently than the one we hosted last year. Our goal is to raise $5,000 to benefit The GrowHaus' no cost emergency food delivery program. Your contributions support lasting access to healthy food, which is critical now more than ever. During these challenging times and as we approach the holiday season, it is really important to us that we help those in need, especially when it comes to their ability to access fresh, healthy food.
- $25 provides one week of emergency food staples for a family of two
- $50 provides one week of emergency food staples for a family of four
- $100 provides one week of emergency food staples for two families of four
- $250 provides one week of emergency food staples for five families of four
- $500 provides one week of emergency food packages for ten families of four
- $25-$49 donations will receive a $10 gift card that can be used towards a purchased made on therealdill.com
- $50-$74 donations will receive a $20 gift card that can be used towards a purchased made on therealdill.com
- $75-$99 donations will receive a $30 gift card that can be used towards a purchased made on therealdill.com
- $100-$199 donations will receive a $40 gift card that can be used towards a purchased made on therealdill.com
- $200-$299 donations will receive a $50 gift card that can be used towards a purchased made on therealdill.com
- $300-$499 donations will receive a $75 gift card + 6 jars of custom pickles (you help to design the recipe, and your finished jars will come with customized labels)
- $500+ donations will receive a $100 gift card + 12 jars of custom pickles (you help to design the recipe, and your finished jars will come with customized labels)
All gift cards will be emailed to donors at the end of the fundraiser.
We know that we can make a huge difference through this fundraiser, and we appreciate each and everyone one of you and all that you do for us and our community. We miss you, and we look forward to the days when we can Pickle Party the night away with you again!
Donate
Our 2021 Charitable Partner Fundraiser is now live, and we are raising money through Sunday, November 7. Ready to donate? Click here!
You can donate any dollar amount that you would like; the only requirement is a $5 minimum donation. All contributions support lasting access to healthy food, and every dollar helps!
Other Ways You Can Help
- Follow The GrowHaus on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
- Sign up for The GrowHaus' mailing list
- Learn more on The GrowHaus website
- Sign up to purchase a food box from The GrowHaus!
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