The Action Center

Let's meet this moment together

Every day, more families in the Denver metro area are struggling to make ends meet. Federal cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, and USDA food assistance have left many without the help they depend on to sustain their families.

At the Action Center, we’re responding with strength and compassion, ensuring our neighbors have access to food, clothing, financial assistance, and hope. Because of community members like you, we're able to be a constant, steady source of support for families in uncertain times like these.

For nearly 60 years, the Action Center has been a trusted, judgment-free resource for families in Lakewood, West Denver, Wheatridge, Golden, and many other surrounding communities. 

We’re a 4-Star Charity Navigator nonprofit, with 90 cents of every dollar going directly to programs that provide food, clothing, and financial assistance. Last year alone, your generosity helped us:

🥫 Distribute 2 million pounds of food to local families

👕 Provide 375,976 items of clothing to restore warmth and dignity

💡 Deliver $1 million in rent and utility assistance to keep families safely housed

🎒 Supply $348,000 in school materials so students could learn with confidence

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How we're meeting this moment

With the recent cuts to Medicaid, USDA food assistance, the SNAP freeze and the government shutdown in November, the Action Center has seen a fourfold increase in requests for support. And we're doing everything we can to meet this need. 

With the help of donors, and by stretching the food we have available, we're providing emergency food to 45 additional families per day without an appointment. We've also added 50 appointments per day to shop in our free grocery. In total, we're serving over 200 families per day, just with food assistance. 

We are calling on more volunteers and staff to work on Saturdays to help sort extra food, pack emergency food boxes, and stock our grocery so we're able to keep up the pace. Every Saturday this month, volunteers and staff are packing 1,200 boxes of shelf-stable food.

We're also partnering with Jefferson County Human Services to help distribute emergency funds to smaller local pantries, many that are open on weekends and evenings. Our Food Hub, established in 2021, is also working non-stop with the Food Bank of the Rockies and other local donors to distribute food to ten pantries across Jefferson County.

The Action Center is also working with partners to address systemic gaps that make these funding crises worse for families. In 2026, we'll be sharing more about some exciting innovations that will allow us to serve the community even better. Stay tuned!

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What Your Gift Can Do

 The Action Center is one of the largest and most comprehensive providers of free food, clothing, and other support in the Denver Metro Area, and the community is counting on us to meet the need. As resources shift, we remain nimble, creative, and ready to adjust so that we can continue to serve those who need us most. With rising costs and reduced food donations, your gift not only fills our shelves but also strengthens our capacity to adapt to increasing demands and sustain essential programs—offering a lifeline to those facing hardship.

As we approach the end of the year, we humbly ask for your support to help bridge the gap between rising demand and available resources. Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us one step closer to building a stronger, more secure, and thriving community for all.

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We put your donation to work right away

Financial gifts to the Action Center help us provide food, clothing and financial coaching to families every day. All gifts, whether cash or through donated items dropped off at our dock, are tax deductible to the extent provided by the law.

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