By Kimberly Black
The Crestone Community Food Bank is under new management, as previous managers were dismissed and removed from the building in November.
“La Puente Leadership made the decision to separate from Community Care Collective after we were unable to reach agreement on the terms of successfully continuing to work together,” said Amanda Pearson, Director of Organizational Capacity at La Puente Food Bank, Crestone Food Bank’s parent organization.
The Crestone Food Bank is one of 15 pantries within the La Puente Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley, operating under the umbrella of La Puente, an Alamosa based nonprofit.
“The severance of our working relationship with CCC resulted in our refusal to allow them to continue to use the building or to be managers of a pantry in our Network,” said Pearson.
Community Care Collective, operated by Jules and Crow Carag, had assumed management of the food bank in May when it re-opened in its current location — a building leased to La Puente by the Baca Grande POA for $1 a month.
In a statement CCC said, “La Puente chose to end the partnership with CCC and remove it from the food bank building.”
When asked about why CCC was dismissed, Pearson responded, “La Puente is an organization going on 40 years in the San Luis Valley, so we have a strong central management. We have very strong accounting, we’re audited, we assure good fiscal practices,” Pearson said. “What we needed to keep the organizational sustainability and our role as a fiscal agent in place was beyond their capacity.” Pearson was unable to provide additional details about the change.
Karol Penner stepped into the role of manager at the Crestone Food Bank on Nov. 8, 2024, after volunteering with the organization for several months.
Crestone Food Bank comes from humble beginnings, it began in 2001 in Judie Rose’s kitchen serving around 25 households per week. After moving into the Crestone Town Hall in 2006, it joined the La Puente Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley.
Penner brings 23 years of experience in healthcare administration and a history of serving on nonprofit advisory boards and boards of directors, Penner brings expertise in grant reporting, accounting, and record-keeping. Currently, she dedicates 45-50 hours per week to leading the food bank and ensuring its continued service to the community.
Penner had previously stepped away from volunteering at the food bank during the tenure of the former manager CCC. “I was in a lead role in in the food bank and I saw things that did not look right to me based on my experience and for my own personal reasons, I felt it was best for me to step away.”
“I had a good relationship with La Puente, I let them know why I was stepping away. They asked me if things changed would I be willing to come back and I told them yes,” Penner said.
Pearson said, “We asked Karol if she was willing to step in with very little warning and in the spirit of community held by so many great Crestone folk, she agreed and made it happen.”
Penner now leads a team of 15-18 volunteers who contribute between 3 to 20 hours per week. The volunteers handle receiving orders, cleaning, restocking, maintaining the building and traveling to Alamosa to purchase supplemental items not provided by the food banks. They assist with social media, community outreach and logistics.
Penner shared, “The food bank has reached a point of stability, and is looking to expand its services.” In addition to distributing free food every Thursday from 3-5:30 p.m., they hope to add a monthly Saturday distribution. They also would like to provide a delivery system to support individuals and seniors lacking transportation.
“Expanding options for those with dietary restrictions is another priority,” said Penner. “Including more gluten-free and vegan choices.”
“We would like to reach out to collaborate with local businesses to bring these additional items to the food bank,” Penner expressed.
Additionally, they hope to get the on-site greenhouse fully operational to grow more produce with an eye on self-sustainability.
Penner noted the need for building improvements, including nearly frozen plumbing and electrical upgrades, as well as replacing the accessible ramp, which will require discussions with the POA.
Penner expressed that the Crestone Food Bank can serve anywhere from 80-100 households a week. She said, “Anyone can sign up. There are no financial qualifiers. We ask people to provide us their name, date of birth and demographic information for the people in their household that they want to have included.”
Due to widespread systematic food insecurity in the SLV, at least one in four people use the La Puente Food Bank Network.
La Puente sources food through the Care and Share Food Bank of southern Colorado, grant funding and donations, which it distributes to 15 local pantries, including Crestone Food Bank. As a leading human services provider in the SLV, La Puente also offers other programs including, emergency shelter, food pantries, housing assistance, youth programs, crisis prevention, a soup kitchen, gardening education and home outreach services.
To donate to the Crestone Food Bank, bring checks or cash in-person, or mail to P.O. Box 846, Crestone, CO 81131. The group also accepts unopened, undamaged food items delivered in person. To have a donation picked up, message the food bank on Facebook to coordinate.
For more information about the Crestone Food Bank please their website at: https://crestonefoodbank.org.
To donate directly to La Puente, please visit their website at: https://lapuentehome.org/donate/.
To find a local Food Bank Network pantry near you visit: https://lapuentehome.org/food-bank/.