Action Center poised for change

The Action Center is on the precipice of a major change in how it helps the thousands of peoples who pass through its doors.

Almost a year to the day after breaking ground on its new Program Services Building, the organization will open its doors to let the community see the new ways clients will be helped at the Action Center. The center describes its mission as “to provide an immediate response to basic human needs and promote pathways to self-sufficiency for Jefferson County residents and the homeless.”

“Everyone comes to us for different reasons, but when they’re here, they’re going to see someone about their situation,” said Mag Strittmatter, executive director of the center. “We have so many volunteers and case managers, and all those services are upstairs in our new building.”

The $ 4.2 million project included the purchase and renovation of the Cottonwood office complex, which is next to the center’s current location. Construction work was done by Pinkard Construction.

The two-story building is also home to the Action Center’s new grocery store, household items and clothing shops.

The grocery store set-up, which features brand-new refrigerated and frozen storage units, offers clients health-focused meal options, based on the USDA’s “Choose My Plate” program. Volunteer shoppers will be on hand to help clients navigate the store, and to provide any information that might be required about food options. The Action Center studied other food pantries for tips on the best way to run the shop, Strittmatter added.

“We want our clients to feel like they’re shopping at just anywhere else,” she said.

There is an area for household items that features everything from kitchen utensils to towels –; all things that the center would rather provide for clients with limited paychecks.

Some of the most exciting features of the building are the least flashy. The second floor is mostly devoted to office space. But in those offices is where the most impactful work will be done.

There will be a new focus on providing a collective impact in the Program Services Building, with space for clients to work with Action Center staff, along with representatives from other organizations. Strittmatter said this is a better use of both community resources and everyone’s time.

“We’re looking at an appointment-based, drop-in hybrid approach here,” she said. “We want our clients to think of how they use their time.”

Another exciting feature is the on-site spaces that will be shared with other groups, from Red Rocks Community College and Jefferson County Human Services to the Jefferson Center for Mental Health, which will have an assigned person on hand during open hours.

All these changes –; both cosmetic and internal –; wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of volunteers, and the center has been working hard to get the new volunteers trained and up to speed.

“There are all kinds of new volunteer opportunities to bring people in, whether they want to work in the back on the food or clothing bank or work as a client advocate,” said Lorraine Alcott, volunteer coordinator, during the center’s fall volunteer fair. “We also have little odds and ends projects and things people can do from home to contribute.”

New technology is being implemented in the building to make the best use of volunteers’ and clients’ time.

“We have a computer system designed especially for us to help the client flow be as efficient as it can,” Stirttmatter said. “We’re trying to teach the community how to utilize everything in the best way possible.”

Penning said with the baby boomer generation getting closer to retiring, the Action Center is seeing an increased number of recent retirees who want to stay active coming by to volunteer.

For more information, or to volunteer, visit www.theactioncenterco.org.

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