Giving Thought: Supporting our neighbors this giving season

With the holiday season unofficially kicking off last week and Giving Tuesday earlier this week, we are fully in the giving season. This is the time of year when many of us start to think of ways to show our care and appreciation for others – both our loved ones and those who also call our community home.

For more than a decade, Aspen Community Foundation (ACF) has focused its community support and granting efforts on programs and organizations that are working to ensure that children and families in our region thrive. While many of these efforts have focused on educational programs, we know that supporting youth success goes beyond educational strategies. The conditions in which youth and families live, learn, work, and play affect a wide range of health and quality of life outcomes.

The location of our region in Colorado dramatically impacts the amount needed to be self-sufficient. What is required to maintain an economically sustainable household in our region is more than double what is required in several counties across the state. Recent GasBuddy reports shared in The Aspen Times have noted that gas prices in our region continue to hover around $2 more per gallon than prices around the state.

According to the Center for Women’s Welfare and Colorado Center on Law and Policy publication, The Self-Sufficiency Standard for Colorado 2022, in Pitkin County, $112,626 (or 425% of minimum wage) is needed annually for a family of three with one adult, one preschooler, and a school-age child to be financially secure. While the standard shifts depending on the household makeup, it is evident that the amount of income required to live sustainably in our community is substantial.

The report states, “the Self-Sufficiency Standard is a measure of income adequacy that is based on the costs of basic needs for working families: housing, child care, food, health care, transportation, and miscellaneous items, as well as the cost of taxes and the impact of tax credits.”

It is also worth noting that the “that the Standard is ‘bare bones,’ with just enough allotted to meet basic needs but no extras. For example, the food budget is only for groceries. It does not allow for any takeout or restaurant food, not even a pizza or an ice cream,” according to the report.

While ACF works with community partners to tackle the root causes of these challenges in our region, we also recognize that as a community foundation, we must support immediate and basic needs throughout our region. Through our Emergency Assistance Fund, we deploy dollars into the community to organizations that are supporting the efforts of organizations who meet basic human needs of those who need extra support in our community. Annually ACF grants out around $195,000 to organizations like LiftUP, Catholic Charities, Food Bank of the Rockies, and others that are working directly with community members who need support with housing, food security, and emergency financial assistance.

These grants recognize the unique challenges faced by our region and the critical role our non-profit partners play in supporting our most vulnerable. Leveraging our knowledge of the community and long-standing collaborations, ACF works both strategically and responsively to needs in real-time and with an eye on the future considering what else might be done to shift long-term outcomes at both individual and regional levels.

This giving season, when determining where you might be able to have the most impact in our region, consider supporting efforts that ensure each member of our community has their basic needs met. Whether through direct contributions to organizations or through a collaborative effort like the Emergency Assistance Fund, your gift can go a long way in making a difference for those who need it most.