Amy Jackson
In this momentous time, we’re more committed than ever to making Joshua Station a place where families can heal from homelessness and build their futures. Right now we have 23 families on site—approximately 60 people, 37 of whom are children.
The current crisis hits our community very hard. Sadness prompted tears for me as we chose to “lock things down” yesterday at Joshua Station. We are anticipating a shelter in place order coming to Denver/Colorado soon.
Currently, this lockdown stage for Joshua Station means that no one has access to our kitchen or front desk area. Those spaces are the central hubs of our community. People are feeling isolated in their tiny “motel room” units with their (energetic) kids. They’re feeling pressures of lost or tenuous jobs, uncertain resources in the city, and the virus information overload we all have. For many it triggers fears of abandonment from their experiences of homelessness.
Our family advocates and counselors check in with our residents daily, and are in touch with what each family needs. I went online yesterday to try to order some things, and delivery schedules are pushed back so far that they can’t even give an estimated time frame.
We can really use whatever help you can provide right now for our food and supply pantry. See our list for meals and pantry items. We will gather the items that families need and deliver them to their door.
Drop off times are 10am – 4pm M-F at Joshua Station, 2330 W. Mulberry Place, Denver CO 80204. UPS also delivers here. We’ll have tables outside for your drop offs. We’d love to give you a big hug! But you know the deal now… please accept our virtual version, and be assured of our immense gratitude. Jeff Johnsen and I will continue to be on site, and one of our staff members will specifically manage deliveries.
We’d love to have home cooked meals for our families. Shutting the kitchen was a hard call and is going to be really hard on residents, who now only have microwaves and mini-fridges in their rooms. Bringing meals will be more complicated than in the past—they need to be in family-sized containers that our staff delivers to each family. Containers for hot food need to be microwavable. Another option is to provide financial donations to allow us to order pizza occasionally or some other hot meal. You can give online or send a check (see below), making note of your intentions.
Do you have networks of people you can enlist? Please email me or call 720-377-1103 x305 if you or others plan to help. We’re digging in for a long, hard stretch for Joshua Station—and our commitment is strong. We appreciate your support and prayers!
Finally, we invite you to join our Spring Into Caring online fundraising event, in lieu of our cancelled 14th Annual Spring Theater, for which we were counting on critical donations. Our goal is $100,000 by the original April 23 date. Can we pull together to reach or exceed that goal for our families, as the needs are even greater now?
You may donate online or mail your gift to Mile High Ministries, 913 N. Wyandot St., Denver, CO 80204.
Stay well, friends!
Blessings and peace,
Amy Jackson, MSW
Deputy Director, Mile High Ministries
Program Director, Joshua Station
