Holiday food baskets, toys and clothing will be distributed to about 600 needy families in Boulder County this year from a site at the University of Colorado at Boulder.
CU has donated about 8,000 square feet in Balch Fieldhouse and Carlson Gym to be used as a distribution center between Dec. 17 and Dec. 24.
The ChancellorÂ’s Office contacted Holiday Food Basket Program coordinator Kathy Garcia to arrange the donation after seeing a news report about the program having lost its distribution site. For the last decade the program, which coordinates its holiday distribution with Share-a-Gift and the Boulder Rotary Club, had used the National Guard Armory on North Broadway to distribute the items, but the Guard has vacated the site this year.
“We are fortunate that the time of year when the space is needed falls at a time when most of our students have left campus for the holdays, making it entirely possible for CU to accommodate this need,” said Chancellor Richard Byyny. “I am delighted that we have the oppportunity to work with the Boulder community in this way.”
The last day of final exams for the fall semester will be Dec. 19, but many students finish their work and leave campus before that time. Winter commencement, on Dec. 20, will be in the Coors Events/Conference Center on the other side of campus, leaving plenty of parking open near the fieldhouse.
“We really appreciate the fact CU came up with the space,” Garcia said. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a long-term relationship with CU.”
The donated space consists of about 3,000 square feet in the fieldhouse and 5,000 square feet in the attached Carlson Gym.