​Coronavirus Relief Funds

The City of Thornton received just over $11 million from Adam County as a result of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, commonly called the CARES Act.  The Community Connections Division was charged with distributing nearly $2 million to organizations that serve Thornton residents in the areas of food, subsistence payments, housing/shelter, and mental health services. Funds were directed exclusively toward service to Thornton residents and were used for necessary expenditures that were incurred due to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

For more information on reporting on CARES, please click here.

For more information on applying for ARPA grants, please click here. 

Organizations Receiving Funding

Success Stories

Some success stories have been shortened or modified for readability.

From FISH of Westminster:

One client stated that once her grandchildren came to live with her, she had no idea how she was going to be able to house, clothe, and feed them.  Food and cleaning supplies from FISH food pantry made it easier to ensure food was available for them.

From Intervention Inc.:

Intervention partnered with the City of Thornton Police Department Victim Advocates and received a referral from a victim that was being terrorized by her ex-husband. We were able to provide housing assistance, payment for her cell phone as a lifeline, and provide groceries to her and her children so that they could find some relief and reduce the stress in their household from their violent ordeal.  The CARES grant provided a safety net for her and family so that she could rebuild her life.

From Richard Lambert Foundation:

A client who was experiencing intense suicidal thoughts reached out and has been able to receive weekly support with a therapist. While this is not an immediate "fix", the ability for this client to afford care and receive weekly support provides life sustaining hope during a very dark time.

Our youth are experiencing an increase in anxiety and depression due to the pandemic. They are unable to express how they feel because they don't understand these strong emotions. Working with children, our therapists have found a commonality with children who are worried their parents, family members, or they themselves will get COVID and die. Most youth aren't sharing this fear verbally. Our therapists are able to allow the child to open up and address their fear, working through it together and educating the parents by providing them with helpful tools and techniques, children can experience a more calm state of mind.

Client testimonial: "Rita has immensely impacted my mental health in the best ways possible. She is a true miracle worker. My life has already gotten much better since I reached out to the foundation. Thank you for having such a life-changing foundation in our community."

From Joyful Journeys:

While assisting one of our clients with her voucher, she began crying and telling us how every time she comes to Joyful Journeys our staff and volunteers treat her with such love and compassion and that her kids love coming too because we always let them take a free stuffed animal and "lots of yummy food".

From Cognitive Learning Center:

As the parents of 2 children with special needs we experience a lot of stress. What a great resource these videos are for stress management and emotional regulation. Thank you for making this class available for us!

I am loving this course. I am a mother of 4 children between the ages of 4 and 12. I have recently left an abusive marriage and I am now a single parent trying to manage the stress of the trauma and all the turmoil of change that comes along with a divorce in the midst of a pandemic. I need skills that will help me through this and it is nice to have a free class to do something for ME when the kids go to bed. 

From Hope House Colorado:

16-year-old teen mom Fatima is grateful that she and her 16-month-old son Julian are finally in a safe living situation at the Hope House residential house. They moved in earlier this year after their living circumstances became unstable and COVID started taking its toll.  "I was really struggling during the early part of COVID," says Fatima.  "We needed a place to live and I didn't know what to do with Julian's development.  The pandemic took a toll.  I also started losing momentum with the progress I made with my online high school classes."

Fatima's background is a common one at Hope House.  Her dad was deported, and her mom was caught up in her own unhealthy issues and relationships.  The brother she was closest to committed suicide and Fatima was the one who found him. Looking for friendship and support, Fatima got involved with the wrong boy and got pregnant.  With no support, she found Hope House through a friend.  Since moving into the Hope House residential house, Fatima has been able to work with tutors on her classes; take Parenting and Healthy Relationships classes; receive counseling; and enroll Julian in the Hope House Early Learning Program. 

"We're comfortable and we're safe.  Hope House is a really nice place and has helped us a lot," says Fatima.

From Almost Home, Inc.:

On the very last day of this grant, with just $3,066 in funds remaining, Almost Home learned about a Thornton resident at risk of losing his home because he had gotten behind on his rent since COVID-19 caused him to have a reduction in his income. He owed just over $3,000, and when he was informed that we could help him to get current on his rent, he was extremely grateful and relieved that he would get to stay in his home.

From the farmer @ the Healthy Farmer's Markets:

The market made me realize how many seniors are on their own and have limited/no access to family assistance. Especially with this pandemic we are in.  It was awe-inspiring to see excited seniors coming out but also feeling safe at the farmers market when they got their produce. We had many awesome neighbors bringing senior who didn't have access or couldn't drive down to the market so they can have fresh produce as well.

From Community Reach Center:

Lives were changed as a result of this grant. Clients that came in to intake, are unemployed and had no insurance, it felt like Christmas/Ellen's give away/Oprah's favorite things telling them that their intake and outpatient services would be covered by this grant.

From Maiker Housing Partners:

Through our Landlord Application Program that allows landlords to apply in bulk for all delinquent residents that meet our eligibility criteria, we supported the Park 88 community with a $39,187.83 award covering 34 months of rent to keep 16 people housed. All of the Park 88 residents in this application owed 3 or more months of rent so not only were they able to keep their housing, but they were also relieved from a significant amount of debt.

From Thrive Church Food Pantry:

This grant allowed us to meet the need and reach beyond the typical low income and or homeless population that we normally serve.  We were able to connect with the people who were directly affected by Covid19 at a time that was very dark and give hope and give enough food to last a family of 4-6 for a week, and reassured them they could come back again in a week to receive more. 

From Food Bank of the Rockies:

A single, pregnant mother had no means of transportation and didn't know what she was going to do for food. She was able to receive assistance from the North Suburban Medical Center Mobile Pantry, and put food on the table for her family.

From Clinica Family Health:

Even with unprecedented demands on our staff care team, coupled with an already difficult and competitive environment to recruit and retain behavioral health professionals, Clinica succeeded in upholding traditional service levels. This funding was critical in that effort, considering substantial lost revenue that Clinica has experienced as a result of limiting service for the purpose of safe care during the COVID-19 era.

From Colorado Youth for a Change AmeriCorps:

This student immigrated from Mexico a few years ago for a better life and educational opportunity. She left almost all her family in Mexico and is currently living with her aunt and cousins. Her dream is to graduate high school and attend college. As with many immigrants, mastering the English language has become a challenge. During our meetings the student has shared that she feels embarrassed to speak up in class. She shared that some students made fun of her pronunciation and would often do it in Spanish (that way the teacher would not understand). To support the student with this situation, I would attend her classes and would intervene if I witnessed anything. Additionally, I was able to bring this up to a school staff member who spoke to the student and helped inform teachers about the situation. Another barrier this student faces is not understanding some of her assignments. Currently, with remote learning, this student has been struggling more with this. We have worked together to form a "plan of attack". First, the student contacts her teachers to ask for additional support on her assignments. Then, if the student is still confused she reaches out to me. I find this system works best because it allows the student to self-advocate but still guarantees she gets the necessary support. Moving forward, I will continue to provide support to the student but help her establish other connections within in the school.

From Project Angel Heart:

"Because of PAH, I don't have to leave home. Therefore, I limit my exposure to COVID-19, which in my case would likely be fatal. Thank you for the great job you are doing under stressful conditions."

For Thornton residents like Rhonda, a 65-year-old widow living with stage 4 chronic kidney disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, and sickle cell anemia (an inherited red blood cell disorder), Project Angel Heart's weekly meal delivery service is an integral part of maintaining her health during the pandemic. Rhonda originally received meals from Project Angel Heart as a dependent of her husband who was a client. Upon his death, Rhonda's healthcare provider at University of Colorado, recognized that continuing our meal service was integral to Rhonda's health and well-being. On top of her medical diagnoses, Rhonda lives on just over $1,100 each month. As such, receiving our medically tailored meals each week, completely free of charge, means that Rhonda can direct her finances to other important expenses such as housing and medical costs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the home-delivered component of our meal program is more important than ever as critically ill neighbors like Rhonda are most susceptible to contracting the virus, and have the highest rates of morbidity and mortality from it. With generous support from the City of Thornton, Project Angel Heart was able to deliver meals to Rhonda's doorstep each week (and 51 other Thornton residents) at the start of the pandemic, ensuring she has the medically tailored nutrition she needs to stay home and healthy. 

From Amazing Grace - Pastor's Pantry:

Starting with just a single bag of food in 2010, the Pastor's Pantry now helps families by providing more than 28,000 pounds of food a month. With this grant and others, we now have locally obtained meat, fresh produce, and the ability to provide families with a sustainable food source. With this gift we have increased the amount of food and are able to allow more frequent client visits during this pandemic. Thanks City of Thornton!

From Food for Hope:

In attending distributions, we experienced gratitude from food bag recipients.  There were grandparents caring for grandkids, families experiencing illness, and individuals who were struggling from unemployment.  Providing meals gives hope when circumstances are difficult, and we are thankful for the opportunity to serve Thornton residents in this way.

From Growing Home:

Before the pandemic the food pantry would typically host 15-20 visits per day. During all of 2019 the food pantry hosted 4,402 visits.  Starting in March and continuing throughout the summer and early fall, each day between 60-100 families came to Growing Home for supplemental food.  From 4/1-10/31/20 the food pantry hosted 10,925 visits by families who also obtained diapers, personal hygiene items, PPE, and cleaning/disinfecting products when available. 

From Mile High United Way:

This client requested funds to pay their Internet and Water bills as the husband contracted COVID and was unable to work for 2 weeks.  His wife also contracted COVID and she lost her job entirely.  They were very grateful for the assistance to keep their utility bills paid and so she can begin to search for a new job.

From Regis Center for Counseling and Family Therapy:

In September, we heard from a potential client who needed no cost services in their first language. This client (a resident of Thornton) was at high risk related to COVID19 and did not have the technology needed to attend teletherapy services. This client had experienced a significant loss and was facing numerous intersecting forces of oppression. Because of their need for technology assistance, a $0 fee, services in their first language, and no in-person contact, this client was on their 30th try finding a therapist. We added them to our list of clients waiting to receive an iPad through our Technology Assistance Program. They were the first client to receive an iPad and have received teletherapy services ever since. This story is personal for the client who received these services, but it is also personal for us. As a community of faculty, supervisors, administrators, and students who deeply value our mission of social justice, we have felt personally grateful for the opportunity that these funds have given us to live into our mission. We thank you City of Thornton, for supporting us in enacting our Jesuit value of People For and With Others.