Lyons nonprofit receives donation for food pantry, mental health programs

Dana Cadey, Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
·2 min read

Oct. 18—The Lyons Emergency and Assistance Fund is receiving assistance from Cemex Lyons to bolster its food pantry and mental wellness programs.

Earlier this month, the Lyons cement plant announced a donation of $5,000 to be put toward two areas that LEAF identified as most in need of support: its Lyons Community Food Pantry and its Flood Support Group initiative.

LEAF Executive Director Lory Barton said the food pantry serves around 40 households each week. The pantry sees such a high volume of people partially because of the lack of public transportation in and out of Lyons and the recent decline of SNAP benefits.

"The fact is, if we want to let our people have protein even just once a week, we're going to King Soopers and shopping all the meat sales that there are," Barton said. "And turns out, it adds up."

The Flood Support Group formed last month in tandem with the 10-year anniversary of the 2013 flood. LEAF often starts topic-specific support groups to address needs that arise within the community, and the Flood Support Group came as a response to people needing to process the flood's aftermath.

"I really feel like the flood is such a defining event in this community, and it remains a defining event," Barton said. "We had people approach us saying that (the anniversary) was stirring up trauma."

The donation from Cemex was also made in remembrance of the flood. Apart from LEAF, Cemex has supported various other flood and wildfire mitigation efforts in the greater Lyons area.

"We wanted to acknowledge that this happened," said Michael Clausen, Cemex USA corporate social responsibility specialist. "Our operations were greatly affected by the flood...so it was front and center in our minds, as well."

In addition to the support groups and food pantry, LEAF offers Meals on Wheels, provides financial assistance and coordinates volunteer projects. LEAF's programs extend to several unincorporated areas of Boulder County, encompassing roughly 3,500 people, Barton said.

"We're the only agency that's serving these people, so if LEAF isn't here, no one gets any human services," Barton said. "People need food to live, and we're finding out that people need mental health care to live, also."

This weekend, Cemex is a major sponsor of the ninth annual "Rave to the Grave" fundraiser in Lyons benefiting LEAF. Cemex is also preparing to support the Lyons Community Food Pantry this winter with donations of Thanksgiving turkeys and Christmas hams.

"How impactful LEAF is to the community — not just Lyons, but the surrounding area ... it's just a natural fit for how we're trying to support the community," Clausen said.