When Rocio Rosales’ hours at work were cut last year, she didn’t know how she’d make rent.
She had three boys to raise, and bills were piling up. She didn’t know where to turn but had heard about The Action Center. A year later, Rosales credits the help she received from the Lakewood nonprofit with helping her to build a foundation for her and her children’s future.
“I feel more stable, for sure,” she said. “Everything is better for me, for my family, after their help. I know if I ever need anything, I could reach back out to them and they’d help me with anything I’ve needed.”
The Action Center filled the immediate needs of diapers and food. It connected her with Bayaud Enterprises to find another job with long-term promise, and it helped her with budgeting to establish a stronger financial footing. Rosales said the stress she felt when she first reached out has disappeared — except what comes from the beautiful chaos of raising kids, she said with a laugh.
The Action Center is a wide-spectrum nonprofit that prides itself on helping people with immediate needs such as food and clothing, while also connecting them with services for long-term stability.
The center, which is part of The Denver Post’s Season to Share program, also has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who need its services, said Carolyn Jaeger, the marketing and communication manager for the nonprofit. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the center would see about 80 to 90 families per day; now, it sees 300, Jaeger said.
On top of it, inflation has eaten into household budgets, making it more difficult for people to find time and resources to contribute to the organization.
“We’ve had to adjust,” Jaeger said. “Volunteers aren’t coming back after COVID. So we’re struggling and doing what we can.”
On a recent Thursday morning, dozens of people lined up ahead of the center’s food pantry opening. Volunteers sorted some foods into grab-and-go bags for people, while other clients picked out food that met their cultural and dietary needs, such as lactose intolerance. The center has had to limit individuals’ visits to every two weeks to stretch resources, Jaeger said.
Other services include a place where families can get shoes, clothing and hygiene products — always in high demand — and where people without fixed addresses can receive mail.
Above the shop-like setup for food, the organization has an office lobby to connect people with resources for housing, work, and financial and family education.
“We love what we do, but want to get in earlier and prevent some of these things from happening,” Jaegar said.
Through it all, counselors treat people with dignity by focusing on their strengths, not their problems. Rosales said she hears from her Action Center adviser when new programs open up, and she gushes about how caring and compassionate they are.
“I know sometimes people are embarrassed or shy about getting help,” Rosales said. “But they should just go open-heartedly. It’s a great place and great organization.”
The Action Center
Address: 8745 W. 14th Ave., Lakewood, CO 80215
Number of employees: 35, plus volunteers
Annual budget: $5.2 million
Number of clients served: About 50,000 family visits are expected this year
