Who We Are:

Who We Serve:

About one-third of the households receiving services at Metro CareRing are considered working poor. These are persons who receive income, but do not earn enough to meet basic needs. Over one-third is on a fixed income; while income from work, social security, or public benefits is not increasing, the cost of living in Denver continues to rise.  Other clients have experienced financial setbacks, such as job loss, death of a family member, or a medical emergency. Many coming to Metro CareRing have physical or mental health challenges. These persons may never have sustainable incomes. Metro CareRing is needed for transitional times, as well as to care for the most vulnerable in society.

What We Do:

• Food and Toiletries Over 90% of clients receive these basic services. Every family who visits Metro CareRing receives a 3-6 day supply of food that is nutritionally balanced and made to order based on family size and food preferences.
• Nutrition and Healthy Living Education An onsite nutrition and wellness class provides healthy recipes/snacks, exercise tips, and other information aimed at educating people in order to create physically and mentally healthy families. MCR also maintains a summer garden where volunteers and clients learn how to grow their own healthy food by working in the garden and produce grown is distributed in food packages.
• Utility Assistance Assistance is offered for utility payments, through Energy Outreach Colorado granting. Metro CareRing assists with payments up to $1,500 per household.
• ID Documentation MCR provides funding for ID documentation needed for housing applications, work, school and social services. These include Colorado State IDs, driver's licenses, birth certificates, etc.
• Referral/Information Sharing Trained Client Care Providers make over 10,000 referrals annually, connecting clients to other agencies.

Where We Come From:

Metro CareRing was initiated in 1974 by five downtown Denver churches (First Baptist Church, Central Presbyterian Church, St Paul Lutheran, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and Trinity United Methodist Church) to offer a comprehensive response to people in need. By founding Central Denver Community Services (now Metro CareRing), these leaders were able to channel resources of the community through one single location. Metro CareRing has been operating out of its current facility since 1999 and today operates one of Denver's largest food pantries providing 131,698 services annually.