Community Resources: 

Kenzi’s Causes Toy Shop 

December 6, 2025  

Time reservation required. Event ends at 3:15 PM  

4600 Humboldt St, Denver, CO 80216 

Details: No-cost toy shop for children 0-18. To participate, registration is required and will open December 4 at 9 AM. Registration links will be available on their Facebook page and website. Spots fill up quickly—usually within 30 minutes. If you are unable to register, you may come at 3 pm to see if there are toys remaining, but please note that the event closes at 3:15 pm. Anyone arriving after this time will not be able to shop. 

The Christmas Tree Project 

Ongoing 

Request anytime 

Delivered to your address 

Details: The Christmas Tree Project provides no-cost decorated Christmas trees.  

Request a tree online using the Request-A-Tree form on their website. Submitting a request does not guarantee receiving a tree.  

Black Santa’s Welton Wonderland – Five Points Denver 

December 13, 2025 

10:30 AM – 5:30 PM  

21st – 29th Welton St, Denver, CO 

Details: Join The Black Santa Project and Five Points BID for free toys, photos with Black Santa, live music, and more on Denver’s Welton Street. RSVP online here.

Holidays En Communidad: Food and Toy Distribution – Servicios de la Raza  

December 18, 2025 

9 AM – 1 PM, while supplies last 

3131 W 14th Ave, Denver, CO  

Details: Join Servicios de la Raza for a holiday distribution, including food baskets, resources, winter gear, and toys.  

Merry Market – Denver Dream Center  

December 20, 2025 

12 PM – 4 PM, while supplies last  

2001 Blake St, Denver, CO 

Details: Families are welcome to shop for no-cost holiday gifts for children aged (0-19). Wrapping paper, music, hot chocolate, and other festive activities will also be available.  

Annual Toys for Tots and Resource Event 

December 20, 2025 

10 AM – 2 PM 

4800 Martin Luther King Blvd, Denver, CO 80207  

Details: Hosted by Union Baptist Church, Trinity Services Foundation, and The Righteous Project pick-up gifts, take photos with Santa, holiday treats, and more. Apply for toys by November 27 here. 

DIY Gifts:

• • From the oven, with love: Bake cookies, brownies, and other treats and wrap them in decorative paper or put in holiday tins you can find at thrift stores or Dollar Tree. 

• • Soup, for the soul: look up a delicious soup recipe, buy jars at thrift stores of Dollar Tree and put all the dry ingredients needed inside. Write the instructions on a card to go with it. Check out some recipe ideas here. Or, build a hot cocoa jar instead with cocoa mix and marshmallows on top!

• • Dry hands, no more: This cold weather is very drying for our skin, give the gift of sugar scrub that is so easy to make. Add your favorite fragrance and put it in a cute jar with a bow on top for a nice touch. Check out the recipe here. 

Affordable shopping: 

Buying gifts doesn’t need to be expensive. Try finding gifts for those on your list at local thrift stores and other affordable shops. 

• • Dollar Tree, Family Dollar – These discount stores are a great place to find cosmetics, art supplies, toys, games, greeting cards and holiday decor. 

• • Five Below – With many items geared toward pre-teens and teens, Five Below offers cosmetic gift sets, clothing, bedroom/dorm decor and sports equipment. 

• • arc Thrift, Red White & Blue Thrift, Goodwill – Second-hand stores allow customers to shop for gently used clothes and shoes, toys, games, pet supplies, baby items and more. Plus, arc Thrift is a locally owned and operated nonprofit, and provides job opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

No-Cost Holiday Events: 

The spirit of this season is to spend quality time with loved ones. Here are some free events to enjoy in the holiday festivities: 

Mile High Holidays Drone Show: This holiday season, the Denver skyline will come alive with the inaugural Mile High Drone Show. For 40 magical nights, 400 drones will soar into the sky, creating holiday-themed animations. Starting Nov. 21 and continuing through Dec. 31, 2025, you’ll be able to witness these dazzling displays every night at 7 p.m. for free.

Mile High Tree: The aptly named Mile High Tree Presented by Xcel Energy & Xfinity is a 110-foot-tall, 39-foot diameter conical structure. It’s 10 feet higher than the tallest Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in history and contains 60,000 LED lights to create its signature programming. The tree features nightly free public light shows choreographed to multicultural holiday music and accommodating up to 140 guests at a time for an immersive viewing experience within the tree.

Denver Christkindlmarket: This outdoor event brings the most beloved elements of an authentic German holiday experience to The Mile High City. Stroll through a European village decorated for the holiday season as you shop for finely crafted artisan gifts and treats at charming wooden huts. Fuel your shopping with authentic Glühwein (mulled spiced wine), German Biers and hot chocolate, and nosh on Bavarian-style pretzels, fresh smoked salmon, Knödel, Goulasch, Nürnberger Sausages, pastries, caramels and European chocolates. 

Parade of Lights: This free holiday spectacular features more than 40 units, including extravagantly illuminated floats, giant helium-filled character balloons, magnificent marching bands, traditional equestrian units and vibrant cultural displays. And, of course, special appearances by Major Waddles the Penguin and Santa!

View more events, both paid and free, here. 

From all of us at Denver Inner City Parish, here’s wishing you a safe, healthy, happy holiday season. 

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As an organization dedicated to promoting healthy food habits among kids and families, Denver Inner City Parish is thrilled to support the message behind House Bill 2024-1301. This initiative recognizes the critical need to prioritize the well-being of Colorado’s youth through healthier mealtime menus and providing adequate playtime in schools.

This bill calls to pull together a task force to explore best practices for time allocation during meals and supporting recess for younger students, acknowledging the multifaceted nature of student health and wellness. We believe that by fostering dialogue among educators, health experts, and community stakeholders, we can collectively work towards creating healthier school environments that nurture the holistic development of our children.

At the heart of this legislative initiative lies the Healthy School Meals for All program, which holds tremendous potential to positively impact the lives of students across Colorado. This program isn’t just about providing food; it’s about empowering families and communities. By facilitating access to free meals at participating schools, we’re removing barriers to nutrition and ensuring that every child has the fuel they need to succeed. Additionally, families may access a range of resources, such as discounted school fees, class materials, bus passes, and utility assistance, further enhancing their well-being and stability.

Our role extends beyond mere advocacy; we’re on the front lines, working hand in hand with families to navigate the enrollment process for the Healthy School Meals for All program. We’re providing guidance, resources, and support every step of the way, ensuring that no child falls through the cracks.

In conjunction with our commitment to promoting healthy eating habits and advocating for initiatives like House Bill 2024-1301, we’re excited to invite our participants and community members to join us for a special listening session hosted by Denver Inner City Parish and Hunger Free Colorado on March 28th. At 12pm at 1000 S Lowell Blvd. This interactive event offers a unique opportunity for individuals to share their insights, experiences, and aspirations regarding nutrition and wellness in our communities at schools. As advocates for positive change, we recognize the importance of listening to diverse perspectives and fostering dialogue that drives meaningful action.

Plus, attendees can look forward to enjoying a delicious lunch, refreshing drinks, and the chance to win exciting prizes throughout the session. It’s not just an opportunity to be heard; it’s a chance to connect, engage, and make a difference together. Mark your calendars and join us for a mealtime of conversation, camaraderie, and collective empowerment. We can’t wait to see you there!

The Eagle Bear room at 1000 S Lowell Blvd, Denver, 80219, 12pm Noon.

Let’s continue to work together towards a future where every child has the opportunity to thrive, nourished by the power of healthy food and supportive communities.

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Thanks to HFDK and DDPHE, DICP will be able to provide the Denver community with fresh healthy food to families who need it most, nutritious meals to kids, health education to parents and children, and supporting services to all. This grant impacts many important programs at DICP, which you can read more about below.

Care Navigation

This grant from HFDK allows us to revamp our Care Navigation program! Because of this generosity, we are equipped to reach out into the community and enroll families and individuals in SNAP, which can provide $100 a week to people facing food insecurity. Care Navigation also provides several other emergency services such as utility assistance, material resource provisions and more.

Food Pantry

The Mobile Food Pantry visits several sites throughout Denver on a bi-monthly basis using a client-choice model. When participants enter our mobile pantry vehicles , they’re able to choose culturally relevant, fresh and healthy foods that work best for them. This allows participants to pick out the foods that they are familiar with and that suit their dietary needs.

Veggie RX

DICP’s Veggie Rx program provides education about healthy foods for everyone in the family. Veggie Rx was originally designed for individuals diagnosed with health problems connected to obesity, but now serves youth and families as well.

Greens-N-Grains

The Greens-N-Grains food truck is part of the mobile program. The truck distributes healthy meals to youth in Denver’s food deserts and neighborhoods where food insecurity is high. The food truck partners with schools and out-of-school programs during the school year to distribute 600 meals per week.

Thank you HFDK! We look forward to utilizing these funds throughout the year to positively impact the Denver community.

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This free guide that is translated to Spanish was made to make Medicare accessible to all qualified seniors by removing the language barrier that can potentially prevent them from learning about coverage to support their long term health. This resource also helps guide senior and disabled immigrants and their families through the Medicare enrollment process. It answers common questions about the different parts of Medicare and walks through what is and isn’t covered by the federal health insurance program.

The guide is also available in English and over 20 other different languages.

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A year after deciding to go mobile, Denver Inner City Parish will finalize its dream of operating a mobile food pantry. They will celebrate the occasion on December 2nd by hosting a ribbon cutting for the long-awaited wrap of the pantry vehicle. The wrap design was done by local artist Hector Del Rio, who also designed the wrap of DICP’s Greens-N-Grains Food Truck. Founded in 1960, DICP operates one of the longest running food pantries in the United States. During the pandemic, the pantry had to pivot operations, and go from a client-choice model where participants could enter the indoor pantry, to a drive-thru model where every participant received identical boxes, despite having a variety of unique needs. The mobile pantry now allows participants to enter an atmosphere more akin to a farmer’s market, selecting what they’d like amongst nutritious and culturally relevant options. With rising transportation costs hurting our most food insecure neighbors, the pantry currently travels to six sites in addition to the DICP building. As the weather gets colder the mobile pantry will set up portable heaters and tents for cover at the sites. DICP is honored to have the support of this program from councilwoman Jamie Torres, who has advocated for funding for hunger relief at DICP and across Denver, and further lends her support with her presence at the ribbon cutting.

What: Mobile Food Pantry Ribbon Cutting

When: Friday, December 2, 2022 at 2:30pm

Where: DICP at 1212 Mariposa Street

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Her goal is to be the first person in her family to finish college with a bachelor’s degree. She is close to completing a degree in Marketing at the Business School of the University of Colorado Denver. She works part-time to support herself and her daughter while finishing school. Her family constantly encourages her to keep working hard despite the obstacles and challenges.

When did you know that getting a college degree was the right choice for you?

I knew getting a college degree was the right choice for me when I would see how hard my

parents worked to provide my siblings and me with a stable life. As I grew, I knew I

needed to get a college degree because my parents came to this country to provide my siblings and me a better life. I knew I needed to get a college degree when I knew I had the opportunities to do so, knowing that would affect not only my future but my family’s, including my daughter. I also knew I needed to get a college degree when I heard of this “American Dream.” To me being able to attend college and getting this far has been a privilege, especially as a first-generation student.

What are the things you most enjoy about being a college student?

I truly enjoy how much you can learn. College taught me not only the concepts of my courses but what life truly consists of. I have enjoyed how much college has opened up my mind. I am now able to view a situation from different perspectives, and I love how I can do that. Moreover, I also enjoy the college experience of meeting new people and attending events. As a college student, I have also enjoyed being able to see my progress. Being a college student has been a nice and memorable experience that I will always remember.

Over the last 3-4 years, what have been the biggest challenges while attending college?

My biggest challenge attending college was not being able to rely on anybody based on past experiences and my area of study. Hardly anybody was able to guide me, except myself and a professional here and there. A further challenge was being able to pay tuition since it can get expensive. Moreover, as a first-generation student you don’t know what to expect and you doubt yourself and staying positive was a big challenge for me. Another big challenge was adjusting to different professors and their different ways of teaching.

In what ways have you overcome those challenges?

I have overcome those challenges by proving to myself I was able to get through the hardships. I just kept working hard and reminding myself “this will all be worth it.” Another way I have overcome this challenge has been by seeking different resources and advisors for additional advice. Really going through the syllabus would give me an idea of what the professor expected.

When will you graduate?

I am graduating in December of 2022.

What is the plan for after graduation?

After graduation I would like to begin my professional career right away. I want to gain experience and show companies my talent and knowledge. I also plan later in the future to be able to open up my own business.

Anything else you think it’s important for readers to know about you and your journey as a

first-time college student?

I think it’s important that students understand that college can be hard, but they have to be consistent and they need to work even harder. It’s not impossible – it just takes time and dedication. Just know the hard work will pay off!

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& Family and Community Liaison at Charles M. Schenck Community Elementary School, about their partnership with DICP’s health and nutrition programs.

Here’s what she had to say:

On DICP’s youth VeggieRX classes:

The program has made a tremendous difference for our kids and families. It’s a wonderful learning opportunity for our kids. They love to go to the class. They love to learn new recipes, healthy recipes, recipes that they can make on their own, and how to eat all the colors of the rainbow. They’re learning how to eat from the earth. It matches well with our school’s focus on health. We’re also getting a school garden this year, and classes are a great compliment.

On DICP’s parent VeggieRX classes:

We really appreciate the adult class. It brings together community parents and creates fellowship. We love the program because it focuses on health and nutrition, being together as a family, and experiencing nature. The adult classes are helpful in building out our resource center offerings.

On DICP’s Greens-N-Grains Food Truck:

The truck comes on Wednesdays, and the kids love it. One 5th grader looks forward to it every week and asks if the truck is here. The food is healthy and interesting. I’ve seen the kids trying and liking cauliflower which is awesome. The parents love it too. They see their kids trying new foods which give them ideas for meals at home. It’s a real community gift.

DICP is appreciative of our partnership with CMS! We love facilitating classes with kids and adults and are just as excited as the kids to bring the food truck. Reach out to us if you are interested in bringing VeggieRx or Greens-N-Grains to your community!

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Cesar Chavez Day is coming up on Thursday, March 31 to mark the birthday of the man we celebrate. Following the City of Denver’s lead, DICP will be observing the holiday in one week on Monday, March 28. We don’t often take the time to dive into why we close for certain holidays, but we feel very connected to the Cesar Chavez legacy. Here’s the story behind that legacy and how we try to honor it in our community.

While Cesar Chavez is a giant in the activism world, not everybody knows about his accomplishments, his lifelong efforts to improve life for countless vulnerable communities, or even what he looks like:

Chavez was born near Yuma, Arizona on March 31, 1927. He was a second generation American, named after his grandfather who had come to the U.S. from Mexico in 1898 and started a homestead. When he was very young, the Great Depression hit and caused his family to lose their beloved farm and move to California. School in California was tough for Cesar because he would often get slaps on the knuckles with a ruler for speaking Spanish and had to deal with racism from both teachers and students. In eighth grade, Cesar dropped out of school to join his family in the fields so he could help support them, and experienced the injustices migrant workers and their families endured firsthand. The work was arduous, the conditions were dangerous, and the pay was next to nothing. His family and the other migrant workers suffered the brunt of the exploitative work, but couldn’t turn to better options. After WWII, Chavez served two years in the segregated Navy and then returned home where he started to learn about St. Francis and Mahatma Gandhi. Cesar took inspiration from the way these leaders faced injustices similar to what he was witnessing, but they fought against it by nonviolent means.

In 1952, Chavez joined the Community Service Organization (CSO) to seek better treatment for the Latino and Farming communities. He hustled and accomplished a lot while he was there to lead a voter registration drive, and organized campaigns to fight against racial and economic discrimination. Within six years, he was the director of the entire organization, but he still wanted to have a meaningful impact on the farmer communities he grew up with. He knew that people had tried and failed to mobilize migrant workers, and if he could inspire them, they could accomplish meaningful change. He was also determined to help city people with privilege understand the struggles of rural workers and how they could help. Only ten years after he joined CSO he took money from his own pocket to found what would become United Farm Workers (UFW). With the help of other activists and organizers, Chavez led one of the most influential boycotts in U.S. history against Delano Grapes, raising awareness about the plight of harvesters and hitting the big companies where it hurt most without raising any violence. He went on to lead a march from Delano to Sacramento, and marchers walked a jaw-dropping 340 miles in total. Chavez also famously went on hunger strikes for the cause, one of them lasting for 36 days before the fast passed on to other public figures like Jesse Jackson, Peter Chacon, Carly Simon, and Danny Glover. When asked about his motivation to take such extreme measures, he said:

“Farm workers everywhere are angry and worried that we cannot win without violence. We have proved it before through persistence, hard work, faith and willingness to sacrifice. We can win and keep our own self-respect and build a great union that will secure the spirit of all people if we do it through a rededication and recommitment to the struggle for justice through nonviolence.”

His achievements are extensive, but here’s a snapshot at what all of his struggles, leadership, and grit accomplished:

1. Improved work conditions and pay for farm workers in California
2. Empowered underserved communities by founding health clinics, daycare centers, and a farm workers-only credit union
3. Pushed the California legislature to pass the Agricultural Labor Relations Act of 1975, the nation’s only law on the books that protects farm workers’ rights to unionize, pick their representatives, and negotiate with employers
4. Played a key role in creating federal legislation that allowed thousands of migrant workers to become legal U.S. residents
5. Lent crucial support to the LGBT+ Movement at a time when many of his own constituents opposed gay rights

At DICP, we proudly do all we can to pick up the baton and carry it forward in the spirit of serving the community. Though we are not an activism organization, there are key qualities that embody Cesar Chavez and his work that fill us with inspiration. Marc Grossman, Communications Director for the Cesar Chavez Foundation points out that “Cesar believed that the movement he founded had to be more than just a union solely concerned with improving wages, hours, and working conditions (although the union certainly did that). But it also needed to address crippling dilemmas farm workers faced in the community after they came home from work.” When we decide our programming at DICP, we strive not only to provide resources that will address the issues low-income individuals and families are facing, but also to understand what is causing those issues and how our help will actually alleviate the problem rather than just feeding into the cycle of poverty. Chavez believed in community, and his work goes to show that people thrive when they are part of something bigger than themselves. Cesar Chavez Day isn’t simply observed to take the day off, it’s a day of service; a day to remember that helping people isn’t just about improving circumstances for them, it’s about empowering them and cheering them on in all that they can accomplish, and all we can accomplish together.

To learn more about Cesar Chavez, check out our list of sources below:

1. The History Channel‘s page on Cesar Chavez’s biography
2. This video from LA Works
3. United Farm Workers’ biography of Cesar Chavez

DICP will be closed for the day on Monday, March 28th to observe Cesar Chavez Day. For all the most recent updates, be sure to check back here at the website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

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