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Your generosity translates directly to life-altering impact.
Our Impact
Your generosity fuels the passion of our vision and mission and powers EVCF and our community to come together to create meaningful, life-changing impact. You not only supported the efforts of our key programs — The Community Market, MIRA, and Elevar — you make it possible for us to elevate and support other organizations as we worked together for the well-being of all. We thank you.
Stories of Impact
From good to greens – a story grown from adversity.
Through programs like MIRA and The Community Market, EVCF brings hope to so many when they have nowhere else to turn. Hayde is an example of an Eagle Valley community member who was faced with difficult circumstances and she explains how access to these kinds of resources can truly change the trajectory of a person’s life. Today, Hayde owns her own microgreens business in Eagle County. She was so grateful for the support shown by Eagle Valley Community Foundation that she now donates freshly grown garden microgreens to The Community Market each month.
Hayde shares, “After my divorce, I was left with nothing.
Because of my income from my job, I didn’t qualify for aid and couldn’t access help for rent or food stamps that would ease my financial situation a little bit. I could only pay for a room for myself and my daughter, and I didn’t have enough left to buy food. When I found The Community Market, I was surprised there was a wide variety of produce, meat and dairy. So many healthy options to feed my family. And I saw these wonderful staff and volunteers working really hard to ensure customers felt a sense of dignity. Since the moment I stepped foot in The Community Market, I felt such a sense of respect.”
“I wanted to give back to the community and provide families with high density nutrient food. So, I brought Plantiful Roots, my precious microgreens, to The Community Market. I witnessed myself the impact of being offered a wide variety of fresh foods that I never thought a local food pantry would have available. Being able to give back to my community has been very rewarding. I feel so empowered every time I have something to donate to The Community Market and I feel really proud that, in the end, I was able to not only receive but also give back to my wonderful community.”
Teaming up to double the ways we get kids fresh, healthy food.
One of the biggest challenges facing our community is the lack of available and affordable high quality childcare. When there is no childcare available or it is cost-prohibitive, families have to make difficult decisions or consider relocating. When families relocate out of a community, the employee pool decreases, diversi- ty decreases, and a community’s character can change. At the core of Eagle Valley Community Foundation’s mission is working on issues that impact quality of life for all residents in the Eagle Valley. So that is why when Whitney Young, Executive Director of the Family Learning Center came to The Community Market, we knew we had to help.
The Family Learning Center (FLC) is dedicated to providing early childhood education programs and childcare to all families in Eagle County, regardless of family financial standing. FLC provides financial assistance to over 75% of our families and over 65% of FLC students have the additional risk factor of being second language learners.
Like The Community Market, The Family Learning Center was challenged by the skyrocketing food prices, having to make hard choices between equitable staff wages, classroom supplies, and other essentials and healthy food for their students and staff. At the core of The Family Learning Center’s food program, like The Community market, is equity- eliminating stigma around food opportunities. Mealtimes are a source of joy, happiness, and health for students and includes teachers sitting down with kids, talking about the foods and encouraging students to try new things.
Each week, Franny, Family Learning Center’s Food Program Manager, comes to The Community Market to shop for their students. In partnership with Veyra, The Operations Manager for The Community Market, Franny grabs whole grain pasta and fresh produce to ensure their students have healthy options each and every day.
And the Family Learning Center isn’t our only food access partner. We also provide the groceries for food prep for seniors through 4 Eagle Senior Care, snack bags for students through YouthPower365 and local schools, and more. We don’t just profess the value that healthy food is a right, we get out into the community, connect with partners, and ensure that this value is in action.
As Whitney shares, “The partnership with The Community Market is a total game changer. The whole team is super supportive and we are so grateful not only for our food program but for all those in our community, including our families, who access your programs.”
The impact of MIRA is best understood through the story of one.
This year, the MIRA Bus had the pleasure of welcoming many new clients on board to receive medical services and support with resource navigation. Each of these neighbors had a variety of needs, questions, and unique stories that our staff kindly connected with, removing barriers to essential services and programs in our com- munity. While the bus connected with over 2,200 neighbors in need, the impact of MIRA is best understood through the story of one.
This neighbor had recently moved to the Eagle River Valley after previously living in a developing country with challenging circumstances like lack of economic mobility, healthcare, and healthy food access.
Like many of our community members, he did not know where to begin. He knew there were lots of social services and nonprofits in our community, but worried that they would not understand his unique situation, background, or language. After feeling overwhelmed in his new country while experiencing mental health distress and seeking a medical diagnosis of a debilitating chronic condition, a fellow neighbor referred this client to the MIRA bus after being a client themselves. From the second this new neighbor entered the bus, he was greeted by MIRA Community Outreach Specialists with kindness and dignity. His fear of not being understood, was instantly mitigated while he began to open up to staff about what he was experiencing.
Once trust was established, the client began to open up about what he was experiencing. At the most basic level, the client self-identified his root problems to be lack of food and health insurance so MIRA staff assisted him with SNAP and insurance enrollment while also identifying The Community Market as a potential resource, drawing a map from his home to the closest bus stops to each market locations as well as their hours of operation.
The client continued to open up to staff about how the post traumatic stress from his home country and lack of basic needs had left him dealing with suicidal ideation. He felt alone and did not believe that he had anyone to turn to. Staff were able to work with the client to apply to Olivia’s Fund, a program of Vail Health Behavioral Health, granting him 6 free therapy sessions to begin working with a licensed behavioral health provider to begin healing.
Thanks to our incredible staff members and dynamic community partners, a new neighbor in our community was able to find peace and health in his new home.
Proven Impact by the numbers.
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59%
of food distributed is
fresh produce.In one year alone, through our food rescue partners, we rescued nearly 600,000 pounds of food from grocers, 32,053 pounds from farmers, and 10,000 pounds from local restaurants.
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2,496
visits with 4, 922 referrals
and connections made to vital health and medical resources through MIRA .
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11,907
gallons of water
saved thanks to The Community Market recycling efforts.
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Less than 30%
of Eagle County business are woman owned
and only 8% of all businesses are owned by a person of color, and even less for women of color.
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141
school lunch debts were paid
in 2022 early childhood programs in the school district.
2023 Impact Report
As we reflect on the past year, we are humbled and grateful for the incredible support that has allowed us to deepen our roots in the community, branch out to meet diverse needs, and foster growth for all. Your unwavering commitment has been the driving force behind the success of our programs—The Community Market, MIRA, and Elevar.
We invite you to explore our 2023 Impact Report. It is a testament to the seeds of generosity and care that have been sown, now blossoming into positive changes and growth for all.
As we look to the future, we see a community that continues to grow, thrive, and support one another. Your dedication to the Eagle Valley Community Foundation has been the catalyst for this growth, and we are excited about the collective potential for an even brighter future.
