The Village Exchange Center in northwest Aurora provides immigrants with services, including a weekly food pantry, vaccinations, career and education counseling, legal services, a community farm initiative, and more.
The food pantry at the non-profit Village Exchange Center (VEC) in northwest Aurora serves 4,000 people every week. It’s now facing changes due to funding cuts—less food provided, a smaller team, and fewer people served.
The newest round of cuts announced today by the VEC are described by the organization as sudden. They total $200,000 for the pantry, which distributes meals and hygiene supplies to an increasing number of migrant and refugee families.
The loss of a total of $2.1 million for the pantry is hampering the organization’s ability to serve a record number of families, its leaders say. Last year, the non-profit served 60,000 people from 42 countries of origin.
The center, which provides services such as food, vaccinations, job training, legal resources, and education, has also seen $870,000 in grants from state and federal sources cut, including those from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
VEC says the funds were vital for health clinics. It also said cultural navigator programs that aid in community integration were stopped immediately, including health resource fairs and vaccine clinics.
A press released today states: “The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issued a stop-work order without any prior warning, resulting in the swift layoff of staff members dependent on this support. As a result, VEC is now at risk of losing more than $5 million in total funding.”
Hope Shuler, immunization communications manager for the Division of Disease Control & Public Health Reponse, said “The federal government suddenly terminated four major preparedness and recovery grants, resulting in the loss of approximately $200 million in funding for Colorado. Due to these federal cuts, Colorado must limit the financial risk to the state, and on March 27, we issued stop-work orders on impacted contracts.”
Shuler added that Colorado officials believe the termination is unlawful, and the state has joined 23 other states in a legal challenge to restore the funding for “essential state public health efforts.”
Amanda Blaurock, executive director of the Village Exchange Center, was waiting for $5 million in promised federal funds when she spoke in mid-February to Front Porch for a story. Blaurock, at the time, said the loss of the money would be devastating: “We’re very nervous we’re not going to get the money and have to stop our programs.”
The Village Farms at Stanley, a farming project that serves the VEC’s mission and is at the edge of Central Park, is also at risk, Blaurock said. The farm relies on grants that are now uncertain. “Our entire program is funded by federal money, so we’re at risk of losing what I think is a huge gift for the Central Park community to have there,” Blaurock said.
Adding to the financial challenges, there was also a fire set outside the VEC’s main building in late March, which Blaurock said has “heightened feelings of vulnerability and perceived targeting, making the need for community and government support even more urgent.”
The Village Exchange Center is asking for help from the community, local businesses, and philanthropic organizations to help support continued operations. Donate here.
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