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Record of Proceedings

Denver Mayor and City Council Meeting - March 25, 2025: Human Services Give Program Briefing

Mayor-Council Meeting — Tuesday, March 25, 2025
BodyDenver, Colorado
SessionMayor-Council Meeting
DateTuesday, March 25, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Welcome to this meeting of the mayor and Denver City Council.

0:05

At this weekly session, city agencies brief the mayor and council members on various proposals and projects across the city.

0:13

This meeting of the mayor and city council members begins now.

1:11

Good to see you.

1:18

Good morning.

1:22

Good morning.

1:24

Welcome to Mayor Council.

1:27

We will start with introductions and move into announcements.

1:33

We'll start off with the gentleman from our right.

1:36

He's the distinguished gentleman.

1:38

Oh, I'm sorry, the distinguished form too much.

1:44

Distinguished gentleman over there.

1:53

Good morning, everyone.

1:53

Sedana Gonzalez Gutierrez, one of your council members at large.

1:57

Good morning, Deputy Mayor.

1:58

Chris Hines, Denver's perfect ten.

2:00

Right.

2:00

Good morning, Darrell Watson, representing the fine district nine.

2:03

Good morning, Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver, District 4.

2:07

Kevin Flynn, Southwest Denver, District.

2:11

Two.

2:14

It's half of four.

2:15

It's half of four.

2:16

Half of four.

2:17

Good morning, Amanda Sandoval, Northwest Denver District One.

2:20

Half of two.

2:20

All right.

2:22

Morning.

2:23

I think we are Councilwoman.

2:25

Chantel, Lewis, Cameron.

2:29

All right.

2:31

At this time, any announcements.

2:36

Any announcements.

2:39

Okay.

2:42

Are we going to go?

2:43

Yes, please.

2:44

On Wednesday, April 16th at 5 15.

2:47

We are going to do another Go Bond meeting in Southeast Denver at Hamilton Middle School.

2:53

It's going to be about an hour and a half opportunity for people to talk around tables and provide their ideas, and I invite uh residents of District 4 to attend.

3:02

Thank you.

3:05

Any other announcement?

3:08

All right.

3:09

Well, we're excited to introduce uh Celia Liao and Aileen Alvarado Marquez from the Department of Human Services who will give us an overview of the Give program.

3:25

So if you hear, please do come to the table.

3:34

Thank you.

3:36

Good morning, Mr.

3:36

Deputy Director.

3:38

Mr.

3:38

Deputy and City Council members.

3:40

My name is Celia Leal, and I'm the supervisor for the Gift Center.

3:43

Hi, everyone.

3:44

My name is Eileen Elvarado.

3:46

I oversee the Give Donations team.

3:47

And today we're here to talk about the gift program with Denver Human Services.

3:54

So we wanted to start off with our why, and the gift program plays a crucial role in the Denver Safety Net, providing a compassionate response and emergency relief to those facing a hardship.

4:05

Today our program is composed of two pro uh two teams, the Give Donations and the Gift Center, who both work together to address the need by presenting customers.

4:16

Great, and then this is how we do it.

4:18

So the Give Donations Program partners with our giving community to be able to provide support to individuals and families that are served by Denver Human Services.

4:27

A lot of the work that we do and a lot of the items that we provide primarily go to the Gift Center, so that's one of our primary um places that donations go to.

5:08

The Gift Center is a resource center that is able to provide emergency goods and services to the Denver County residents every 60 days.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Food Assistance Programs█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Public Engagement████████████████████████████████33%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Summary of Proceedings

Denver Mayor and City Council Meeting - March 25, 2025

This weekly session of the mayor and Denver City Council featured a briefing from the Department of Human Services on the Give program, which provides emergency goods and services to Denver County residents. Council members also discussed a forthcoming Go Bond community meeting and moved into executive session to discuss legal matters related to recent federal action.

Announcements

  • Councilwoman Diana Romero Campbell announced a Go Bond meeting on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 5:15 PM at Hamilton Middle School in Southeast Denver, a 90-minute opportunity for residents to share ideas.

Discussion Items

  • Give Program Overview (Department of Human Services):
    • Celia Leal and Aileen Alvarado Marquez presented the Give program, which includes the Give Donations team and the Gift Center. The Gift Center provides emergency items (food, hygiene, diapers, clothing, vital document fee waivers) to active, pending, or ineligible Denver County residents every 60 days. A new initiative, "Give on the Go," delivers snack bags, hygiene kits, and menstrual products at neighborhood resource sites.
    • 2024 Donation Statistics:
      • Collected through drives: 1,400 backpacks, nearly 3,000 holiday gifts, and about 46,000 hygiene items.
      • Other items collected: food items, clothing items, and baby items.
    • 2024 Gift Center Impact:
      • Served nearly 4,000 customers (walk-in and via Give Virtual Hub).
      • Provided over 21,000 pounds of food, over 14,000 snack items, over 5,000 clothing items, almost 2,000 vital document fee waivers, and 30,000 hygiene items.
      • The Gift Center is 100% donation-run; partnerships include We Don't Waste, Food Bank of the Rockies, Denver County Court, and A Precious Child.
    • Council members expressed gratitude and support. Councilman Kevin Flynn noted he promoted the Gift Center in his YouTube video. Councilman Darrell Watson requested newsletter-ready information to share with District 9. Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval praised the program's growth from its beginnings.

Key Outcomes

  • No formal votes were taken on the Give program presentation.
  • A motion was made and seconded to move into executive session under Denver Revised Municipal Code 2-34A, sections three and seven, to discuss the city's response to recent federal action and related legal advice. The motion carried (no recorded opposition).
  • Council members committed to further promoting the Give program through their district communications.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome to this meeting of the mayor and Denver City Council. At this weekly session, city agencies brief the mayor and council members on various proposals and projects across the city. This meeting of the mayor and city council members begins now. Good to see you. Good morning. Good morning. Welcome to Mayor Council. We will start with introductions and move into announcements. We'll start off with the gentleman from our right. He's the distinguished gentleman. Oh, I'm sorry, the distinguished form too much. Distinguished gentleman over there. Good morning, everyone. Sedana Gonzalez Gutierrez, one of your council members at large. Good morning, Deputy Mayor. Chris Hines, Denver's perfect ten. Right. Good morning, Darrell Watson, representing the fine district nine. Good morning, Diana Romero Campbell, Southeast Denver, District 4. Kevin Flynn, Southwest Denver, District. Two. It's half of four. It's half of four. Half of four. Good morning, Amanda Sandoval, Northwest Denver District One. Half of two. All right. Morning. I think we are Councilwoman. Chantel, Lewis, Cameron. All right. At this time, any announcements. Any announcements. Okay. Are we going to go? Yes, please. On Wednesday, April 16th at 5 15. We are going to do another Go Bond meeting in Southeast Denver at Hamilton Middle School. It's going to be about an hour and a half opportunity for people to talk around tables and provide their ideas, and I invite uh residents of District 4 to attend. Thank you. Any other announcement? All right. Well, we're excited to introduce uh Celia Liao and Aileen Alvarado Marquez from the Department of Human Services who will give us an overview of the Give program. So if you hear, please do come to the table. Thank you. Good morning, Mr. Deputy Director. Mr. Deputy and City Council members. My name is Celia Leal, and I'm the supervisor for the Gift Center.

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