For the past 20 years, in one of the wealthiest communities in Colorado, SECOR Cares has been addressing a unique and often overlooked need: suburban poverty. When you think of poverty, you might picture urban metro centers with tent cities or rural homes lacking modern amenities like clean water and electricity. But the fastest-growing segment of poverty is the one you wouldn't expect. Poverty in the suburbs is growing at three times the rate of urban poverty, but remains nearly invisible. 

Suburban poverty looks like a single mom juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet; a family of four who lost their sole income just before the holidays; a senior couple who thought they had saved enough for retirement but now find themselves barely scraping by. Many of these people don’t qualify for traditional support services because their income is just above the federal poverty line, yet not enough to sustain themselves. They may be your kids’ teacher, your next-door neighbor, the person working on your car or a nurse at your local hospital; perhaps even you. Unfortunately, the sense of shame people feel often prevent them from sharing their struggles, keeping suburban poverty under the radar.

SECOR aims to eliminate this stigma by providing a safe space filled with hope as people work to rebuild their lives. At first glance, you might think that SECOR is just another food pantry, but you'll quickly see how it is different. Every inch of SECOR’s Free Food Market is designed with dignity in mind. 

Our goal is to go beyond meeting the most basic needs and offering items that help our guests regain a sense of normalcy, and in a way, feel more like themselves again. The market is set up like a grocery store, so guests get to ‘shop’ for themselves, deciding which items their children will eat, planning out meals, and accommodating dietary needs. In addition to the traditional pantry staples, SECOR offers meat, fresh produce, and even flowers. 

We’ve intentionally cultivated an environment where everyone who walks through our doors feels genuinely welcomed—treated not just as a visitor, but as an honored guest. That’s why we’ve chosen this term over the more traditional “client.”

Dignity also guides our approach beyond the flagship Free Food Market. SECOR has a board of guests who serve in an advisory role to provide feedback and brainstorm new initiatives. We're constantly looking for new ways to make our guest experience even better and for this reason, it is crucial to center the voices of our guests in everything we do. One of the new initiatives SECOR has started, inspired by guest feedback, is a digital literacy class. 

With the exciting new sponsorship from GFiber, SECOR will be able to offer a 6-week digital literacy course designed to teach guests—some of whom may have never used a laptop—the essential skills needed to navigate a computer. At the end of the course, they get to keep the laptop they’ve been working on. In today’s world, not being able to use technology is more detrimental than ever. Technology is how we access the world—it's how we pay bills, communicate with our social networks, and work toward self-sufficiency. Some guests take this class to get a better job, others to talk with their grandkids across the world, or to be able to help their own children with their homework. 

Another guest-inspired idea launching at SECOR is a craft fair. Nearly 30 vendors, all of whom are SECOR guests, will showcase their creativity and talents.

What makes this event truly special is that participants pay no vendor fees to join, and 100% of the profits go directly to the vendors. Unlike many poverty-focused initiatives that highlight scarcity and what people lack, this fair shifts the perspective to celebrate strength, resilience, skill, and creativity. By doing so, it empowers families to grow their income and build toward self-sufficiency. 

This year’s event will be held on Saturday, October 25th from 12:00 - 4:00 pm MT and 17151 Pine Lane, Parker, CO 80134. If you’re local to the Denver area, we’d welcome any residents to stop by, shop, and support our incredible vendors. If you’re not nearby but want to be part of this work, you can always give or learn more at www.secorcares.com.

Posted by Brie Dilley, Executive Director, SECOR Cares