Crushing the stigma associated with hunger means one thing: providing food with a heaping helping of dignity and love. And that’s exactly what the LoVVe Project in Virginia Village is doing with the students and families of Ellis Elementary School. This is not just a food pantry. It is a cultural crossroads. It is working together to make everyone stronger.
This is community.
At Stigma, we believe that supporting the LoVVe Project with grass-fed and humanely raised meat, fresh vegetables, Colorado honey, and local fruits is at the core of our mission to crush the stigmas of addiction, hunger and homelessness. It’s how the volunteers at the LoVVe project use the food to connect the community that ensures dignity and makes this project special.
I’ve been to the Saturday morning food distribution events, and I’ve been amazed at the atmosphere created by LoVVe Project co-founders Pamela Walshe and Brooke Webb. The food is packaged beautifully, the volunteers are dancing around and putting on a show of teamwork, and the recipients are treated like valued customers. This is not a line of stagnant cars stretching off into the distance in a made-for-news media display of hopeless food-bank need. The LoVVe project is a lively celebration of community.
I believe in my heart that from those to whom much is given, much is expected. Pamela and Brooke and the LoVVe Project volunteers are giving their time, their resources, their energy, and of course, a whole lot of LoVVe. They are giving to our neighbors who have not been quite so fortunate, and who deserve our respect and generosity.
When asked where the LoVVe Project fits into her legacy, Pamela says, “It’s been the most important work of my life.” Pamela is a young woman with a lot of legacy left to create. We can’t wait to see what she and Brooke do next.
It is widely accepted in the hunger and homelessness community that there is plenty of supply to meet the food needs in this country. We have a problem of logistics. We have a problem of generosity. We have a huge problem of stigma. We are proud to be supplying the LoVVe Project, and the families of Ellis Elementary School, with food from Colorado ranchers and farmers. And we are proud of the focus on dignity that’s turning this fresh and nutritious food into community.
Thank you for your support of Stigma.