The Life Center Food Pantry feeds over 2,500 individuals each month and is committed to treating each person with dignity and respect. King Soopers has supported this organization through the Fight Hunger bag program.
Tell us about the Life Center Food Pantry.
The Life Center Food Pantry is part of True Life Community Church. We started the Life Center to be good stewards of our community. We try to help the community in various ways, one of which is the food pantry.
We opened the food pantry toward the end of 2001 and have been going strong ever since. We started by serving 200 people a month. Now, we provide food to more than 2,500 a month.
What services do you provide to the community?
People can come to the food pantry once a week. As if they were at King Soopers, no one tells them what they can or can’t take. No one limits how much of one item someone can have. We respect them and treat them as a person. All we want to do is help them as much as we can.
All we want to do is help them as much as we can.
Along with the food pantry, we use the Life Center as a community center. We host chili cookoffs, birthday parties, and baby showers. We try to bring as many people into the Life Center as possible to help engage the community and increase interactions with one another.
Around Thanksgiving, we also do a turkey giveaway. Last year, we handed out 180 turkeys as well as groceries for a full meal, including stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans. This year, we ended up giving out 275 turkeys. It was wonderful to see the joy on people’s faces.
We try to bring as many people into the Life Center as possible to help engage the community and increase interactions with one another.
What sets the Life Center Food Pantry apart from other hunger organizations in your community?
The one thing I’m very proud of is that when someone walks through our door, we treat them with dignity and respect. They’re not a number. We value each and every person who comes in.
I believe we do the community a big service by providing food. Our numbers going up the way they have is a real testament to how well we’re doing it. People appreciate us being there to feed them.
Please tell us a story that illustrates the good work of your organization.
There are so many to choose from! Recently, some ladies came in and were shocked at how much food we had in our food pantry. Our center is not big, but they told us, “Wow, you guys are doing a great job here! You have more food on your shelves than most food pantries!”
But there are so many wonderful moments each day. So often, you connect with somebody, and they thank you with eyes welling up with tears. It is always wonderful to give them a big hug.
What do you want people to know about your organization?
If you walk through our doors, we’re going to feed you. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is, what religion you practice, or what your financial status is. We feed everyone with no questions asked.
We feed everyone with no questions asked.
How are you using the funds you’ve received from the King Soopers Fight Hunger bag program?
We plan to use it to bring in food that is often harder to obtain. Eventually, we are looking to expand the size of our pantry to accommodate more food by increasing our storage capabilities. Because of this, we are always looking to purchase additional shelves, refrigerators, freezers, and tables. We are likely to use these funds to do both.
When we were chosen for this program, I was shocked. It was incredible that King Soopers would step up and recognize our pantry. We are so grateful that they wanted to partner with us. It is always good to see a big company reach out to support smaller agencies and food pantries like ours. I was very happy to work with King Soopers, and it was amazing that they extended that privilege to us.
Interview with Jimmy Ulma, Director, The Life Center Food Pantry.
Published March 4, 2024.