State residents donate millions of dollars
Heather Greenwood got up early Tuesday morning, preparing three dozen of her famous glazed cinnamon rolls and pots of piping-hot coffee to thank a group of Littleton residents who opened up their wallets to support her cafe.
Greenwood’s GraceFull Community Cafe is one of 2,500 nonprofits from around the state participating in Colorado Gives Day, a statewide fundraising effort to help nonprofits like hers reach their yearly goals.
Colorado Gives Day partici- pants run the gamut from orga- nizations educating at-risk youth and assisting the elderly to saving Colorado’s wildlife and providing a lifeline for the LGBT community.
“It’s really become a day that nonprofits have depended on to hit their final fundraising goals for the year,” said Dana Rinderknecht, director of online giving for Community First Foundation and Colorado Gives Day.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Coloradans had made more than 110,000 donations to 2,400 organizations, totaling more than $26 million.
Since 2010, the 24-hour event has raised $182 million for Colorado nonprofits. Donors gave $36.5 million last year — breaking all records — and Rinderknecht hopes to set a new mark this year.
“I think it’s such a fun day to watch nonprofits talk about the amazing work they’re doing,” she said. “And it’s great to see donors find out about new nonprofits in their own backyard.”
The GraceFull Community Cafe on South Curtis Street, run by Greenwood and her husband, Troy, offers pay-whatyou-can meals to Littleton’s residents. When she first visited the Littleton Economic Development Department in 2016, Greenwood was shocked by one statistic.
Twenty-three percent of people within a three-minute drive of downtown Littleton lived in poverty.
“It was really eye-opening,” she said.
Greenwood was participating in Colorado Gives Day for the first time. As of Tuesday afternoon, she had raised $17,000 with hopes to reach a goal of $25,000.
“I’m confident,” Greenwood said. “We’re surrounded by a great Littleton community. I think they’ll show up and help us get there.”
About half the cafe’s 120 daily customers pay full price, she said, and the others pay what they can.
“Our heart is in building relationships,” she said. “We love to see the money, but we’re all about seeing people enjoy a nice meal in the front of a house.”