Infrastructure Investments Make a Cortez Food Pantry Safe and Welcoming

For the more than 250 households in Cortez who rely on the Good Samaritan Food Pantry each week, the experience of accessing food should feel safe, dignified, and welcoming. Yet the pantry’s physical space has presented real barriers: no exterior shelter to protect shoppers waiting outside in heat, rain, or snow; limited accommodations for those with mobility needs; worn flooring that complicates movement for carts, wheelchairs, and walkers; and no way to transport groceries to vehicles. Since recent SNAP reductions, the pantry has seen an increase of 10 or more households per week, making these improvements more pressing than ever. LOR’s funding helped the Good Samaritan Food Pantry purchase and install exterior awnings, an accessible door threshold, removable laminate flooring, multilingual signage, a bike rack, and a utility cart. Together, these improvements will create a more accessible and welcoming environment for every person who walks through the door.

This project is fiscally sponsored by Onward! A Legacy Foundation.