AURORA, Colo. — As families transition back to work and their post pandemic lives, the City of Aurora is working to help those who are hungry. It’s a task the city magnified during the pandemic.
“We did a survey and said what are your needs in the pandemic, and one of the biggest needs was food,” said Claudine McDonald, chief executive for the Aurora Police Department’s new Community Relations section.
The kickoff is Saturday at Overland High School, and police officers put together 1,000 activity packs for kids and teens. There are job opportunities to work at rec centers to become a lifeguard and information on mental health services for students returning to school in the fall.
“Mental health care for our youth is paramount, and youth suicide is at its highest right now, so we want to make sure we are not only keeping families informed but want to make sure our youth have someone to reach out to,” McDonald said.
The city is working with the Food Bank of the Rockies and Aurora Public Schools (APS) to continue feeding people with food insecurities.
“Just because school ends doesn't mean hunger ends,” said Katie Lopez, director of APS Nutrition Services.
“We start to think things are normal but it's really not, families are still troubled, and dealing with hardship," McDonald said.
APS Nutrition Services are planning to give 4,000 bags of food and family supplies at the event, helping the city continue what they started a year ago.
“We want the community to have not what we think they need, but what they've asked for,” McDonald said.
The event on Saturday starts at 10 a.m. and will run until supplies are gone.
APS will also provide breakfast and lunch for kids coming through the drive-thru with their parents.
The Aurora Police Department now has the new community relations section and the city said this is one of the ways they hope to rebuild their relationship with the community.
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