Little Flower Assistance Center

From the classroom to Little Flower, Loretta and Sharon’s humanitarian roots run deep in Aurora

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Loretta and Sharon’s lives ran parallel in many ways. They both taught at Aurora Public Schools for decades, their kids went to the same schools and they went to the same parish. However, where they connected most was volunteering at Little Flower Assistance Center in Aurora.

They both vividly remember when Donna Potter, Director of Little Flower, stood at the pulpit after Mass at St. Michael’s in 1985 to recruit parishioners to get involved with a new ministry in the community. They answered that call and began dividing their time between teaching, parenting and volunteering. For many years, Sharon taught half-day kindergarten and would come to Little Flower in the afternoon. Volunteering was a connection to the students they taught at their respected schools because many of those families leaned on Little Flower in times of need.

After Loretta and Sharon retired, they solidified their friendship by spending even more hours volunteering together at Little Flower, a ministry of Catholic Charities of Denver. They work off each other and the other amazing volunteers who dedicate their days to serving the growing population of people facing food insecurity.

According to Feeding America, one in every 11 people faces food insecurity in Colorado. The number of people facing hunger in the state has reached 533,000, 130,000 of which are children. Each week, dozens more neighbors than a year ago come to the doors at Little Flower, many of whom are migrants who are currently ineligible for government assistance. The fresh produce and nutritious meals they are able to retrieve on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays may be the only meal they get all week.

The center is for people like Ivan and Debbie who come to Little Flower to stock up on the fresh food that food stamps don’t cover.

“We’ve been coming here for a long time. Recently I became eligible to get a senior box with other things I need as I get a little older. It’s been so great for us,” said Debbie.

As they continue to work side by side, Loretta and Sharon continue to share anecdotes from what their lives were like in the classrooms, finding parallels between their experiences at school and the struggles faced by the families. It was clear, even in 1985, that the need extended beyond the walls of a classroom.

“Working with this community has been a blessing. And I am glad we can come together with these great volunteers to continue this work in Aurora,” shared Sharon.

Helping more neighbors than ever

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"Every day, Jesus walks through these doors," said Bishop Jorge Rodríguez when he blessed Phase Two of the Samaritan House renovation project in 2021.

In the past several months, many more families than usual have walked through the doors of Catholic Charities' ministries and been welcomed like Jesus. As the volume of people seeking shelter and food assistance has sharply increased, our entire team has leaned into its mission to extend the healing ministry of Jesus Christ to the poor and those in need.

Samaritan House in Denver, as well as Samaritan House Fort Collins and Guadalupe Community Center in Greeley, have welcomed more people than ever who need safe shelter, nutritious food and support.

"We've seen this influx for months now," said Joshua Zielinski, program manager of the family floor at Samaritan House in downtown Denver. "We didn't exactly know how we'd make it work, but we do know our mission which is why we jumped at this chance to help more families. We knew we'd have to make this work."

The teams in Denver, Fort Collins and Greeley have reworked buildings to temporarily house more families than ever before, including reconfiguring women's dorms, opening up common areas and even utilizing conference rooms and offices as spaces that families can stay together. Partitions have been constructed, temporary curtains have been hung and the staff has worked overtime to make sure that all who come through our doors are treated like the Holy Family on a cold night.

"We were able to take some pointers from our teams in Fort Collins and Greeley. We are actively working on all sorts of situations, as all families are different. We are piloting the conversion of some conference rooms into dorms for single fathers with their children," said Zielinski.

Samaritan House isn't the only Catholic Charities' ministry experiencing greater need. Little Flower Assistance Center in Aurora has seen a dramatic increase as well.

"The need at our Center has nearly tripled since September of 2022. There are individuals with full-time jobs, those who didn't have the disparity they have now, coming to our doors and out of their comfort zones to ask for help," shared Virginia Fincco, volunteer at Little Flower. "We've also seen a great number of migrants show up at our doors."

Last year, we saw a record number of families and individuals who needed help with groceries, clothing and personal hygiene items. In a single day in late December, 105 families (about 400 individuals) came to our doors seeking food and clothing assistance.

"We're so grateful for our team, donors and volunteers who are helping us manage the increased needs," said Donna Potter, supervisor at Little Flower.

In gratitude, grandmother returns to Little Flower and gives back

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About 6 months ago, Joan came to Little Flower Assistance Center when her shelves were running empty. “It was a great time in need,” she shared outside the food bank in Aurora. Now she returned with a car packed with children’s clothes and surplus food to donate. Little Flower provides clothing, nutritious food and resources … Read more