Give
The Act Locally Golden Team is selecting one grant recipient each year.
If you are a nonprofit in the Golden area and would like to be included in our voting for next year,
please reach out to us during the open nomination period each January.
Act Locally Golden's
2024 Sponsorship Recipient
Golden's Homeless Navigator Program
We are mixing it up for 2024! Since the Homeless Navigator Program is a City program and not a nonprofit, we are not collecting Membership Dues this year and will not be hosting monetary fundraisers. Instead, we will be supporting the Program in other ways including, but not limited to:
Hosting drives for clothing, blankets, RTD bus passes and grocery gift cards.
Purchasing items from the Program's Amazon Wish List.
Spreading the word about what the program has done to help reduce homelessness in Golden.
Janet and Audrey are meeting with the Program's Director the week of February 12th and will have more information then. In the meantime, here is what we know about the Program:
The City of Golden has a dedicated Community Resource & Housing Navigator who assists people experiencing a housing crisis by helping them navigate resources.
The Navigator works with all unhoused individuals in Golden, most of whom are local residents who have lost their housing, to connect them with services, help them get vital documents, connect them with housing and employment opportunities, and provide access to resources they're eligible for but may not know about.
The program has gotten 80 unhoused people into stable housing in the past 18 months.
The Program largely focuses on eviction prevention.
Past Recipients
2023 CAG
In 2023 we circled back to CAG, a nonprofit we also sponsored in 2019. Serving the Golden community since 1965, CAG is a non-profit organization that provides a sustainable food pantry, financial assistance and several other services to our community in crisis and/or experiencing hardship.
Between Voting Member dues and two boutique shopping fundraisers, we raised close to $3,000 for CAG. In addition we hosted a March Madness Food Drive for CAG, collecting 213 pounds of non-perishable food. We also donated hundreds of dollars worth of clothing and items to CAG for sale in their thrift shop and adopted two families for the holidays through CAG's Christmas Under the Tree program, donating gifts for three adults, four children, and a couple of family dogs. Some of our members also volunteered at CAG during the USPS Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive and at other times throughout the year to help sort donated food.
https://www.goldencag.org/
2022: Home in Golden
Home in Golden is a volunteer-run program that provides many services for people in need.
Their Safe Parking Program serves people who have lost their housing and are temporarily living in their car. After a background check and registration review, applicants are allowed to join the program and are given food, clothing, access to showers, and a safe place to park at the First United Methodist Church of Golden. Program participants can also work with a caseworker on job training, job searches, physical and mental health issues, and housing placement.
In their first year, Home in Golden helped at least three Safe Parking participants find permanent housing in the Denver-metro area. For more on the importance of Safe Parking programs, read this CPR News article.
In addition to Safe Parking and assistance for the homeless, Home in Golden serves several hot meals a week to community members in need and runs a food pantry.
“Act Locally made a significant impact on those living in the Golden community who are living unsheltered. In the year they sponsored Home in Golden, we received funds to purchase sleeping bags that keep people warm in temperatures down to 20 degrees. That was such a blessing to many of our guests. The funds they raised also helped us purchase long underwear and coats when we ran out of donated coats. Another gift of working with Act Locally was the exposure it gave Home in Golden to our community members. Home in Golden is reliant on volunteers and having more people in the community knowing the good work we are doing, helps us find new volunteers and build stronger, more connected, community. We are so grateful to Act Locally for their partnership with Home in Golden.”
-Rev Susan Otey, Home in Golden
2021: Golden United
Golden United uses public education, civil dialogue, and grassroots organizing to develop and support collaborative solutions for community issues. Some areas of focus for Golden United are affordable housing, homeless assistance, antiracism education/outreach, and community building. https://www.goldenunited.org/
With 22 Voting Members in 2021 we held two silent auctions and several additional fundraisers, including a Wine & Cheese tasting with Cheese Ranch Artisan Deli. Through these efforts we were able to give close to $5,000 to Golden United, which went toward emergency rent/utility assistance for Golden residents during the COVID19 pandemic, and helped sponsor the Celebration of Golden at the Colorado School of Mines, Home in Golden's Safe Parking Program, and other Golden United charitable endeavors.
We also hosted a lemonade and flower stand for Home in Golden and raised $500 to purchase sleeping bags, tents and backpacks for Golden's homeless population.
“Act Locally played an instrumental role in addressing key community needs and advancing Golden United's mission. Through member outreach and several fundraising events, Act Locally supported critical Golden United activities to protect existing affordable housing in Golden, provide emergency rent and utility assistance, and build support from city leadership and community groups to expand available affordable housing. It has been a true pleasure to work with the inspiring, dedicated, and passionate Act Locally leaders and members.”
-Ron Benioff, President, Golden United Board
2020: BGoldN (The Golden Backpack Program)
The Golden Backpack Program was founded in 2008 to provide food to underserved children in Golden, Colorado. In 2020, to meet the additional needs of our community during the COVID pandemic, the Golden Backpack Program expanded their mission, becoming BGoldN. BGoldN serves students just as The Golden Backpack Program did, while continuing to confront food insecurity for people of all ages throughout the community, and also supporting local businesses. https://bgoldn.org/
With 22 Voting Members in 2020 we held two silent auctions and partnered with Cannonball Creek Brewing Company for an additional fundraiser. Through these efforts we were able to give over $5,000 to BGoldN and also volunteered at the Golden Rotary Peach Sale and at some of the BGoldN food distribution days.
"Act Locally helped support BGoldN during Covid in a critical time of need. Not only did they help raise money and volunteer, they also let others in the community know about our efforts. The model with determining local critical needs each year is a refreshing approach and a true representation of their name 'Act Locally.' Act Locally's intentions are great and, more importantly, their results are even greater."
-Tyson Noeth, Executive Director, BGoldN
2019: Christian Action Guild
Christian Action Guild (CAG), a non-denominational, non-profit built to serve the needs of those in our community who are experiencing hardship. https://www.goldencag.org/
With 10 Voting Members in 2019 we were able to give CAG $690 for their Emergency Fund. We also hosted drives for food, clothing, back-to-school supplies/backpacks, and Santa Shop gifts for CAG. Members also volunteered to sort food for CAG’s food bank and at the Santa Shop.
"The CAG is so honored to have been Act Locally's first organization they chose to support. Between monetary donations, back to school supplies, Santa shop toy donations, hosting food drives and time volunteered, we are very blessed by your generosity. Thank you for all you do for the Golden community."
-Kelly Ivan, Director of Operation, Christian Action Guild (CAG)
2018
We were not quite a Giving Circle yet in 2018, but we participated in several community-benefiting events such as hosting a food drive, snack bag assembly party and clothing drive for The Action Center, collection and distribution of used books for The Little Library locations around Golden, and we painted Kindness Rocks with You Matter.