For Immediate Release
March 9, 2023

Contact: Denise Robert
Office 303-368-5208 / cell 303-570-7577

TallGrass launches 3rd annual Food is Love drive

Benefits Mountain Resource Center food pantry

Peanut butter and jelly, canned lasagnas and stews, easy open pouches of tuna and chicken. These items – and more – are being collected by TallGrass Spa for its 3rd Annual Food is Love drive to benefit the food pantry at Mountain Resource Center in Conifer, Colorado.

"We simply can't fathom any good reason why food insecurity still exists in our communities," says TallGrass Spa Director Melissa Rackliff. "But, with one simple act of kindness, we can help keep one child, one struggling person, even a whole family from being hungry."

Because many of the food pantry's clients are homeless and living out of backpacks, lightweight, easily carried items are preferred. Shellie McKeown, the Center's Community Resource Health Coordinator, recommends food in pouches or cans with EZ pull tops and shelf stable meals that are instant or microwaveable for families living in cars, camps, or hotels. Glass containers that may freeze or break should be avoided. Small personal care items like toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorants, nail clippers, liquid soaps/sanitizers, band aids, plastic bags, washcloths, and Kleenex packs are also needed.

Donations are being collected at TallGrass during normal business hours now through March 31, at 997 Upper Bear Creek Road in Evergreen. Donors bringing food item(s) will be entered to win a basket of spa products and are welcome to have their photos taken with the Food is Love mascot, Ava the SpAvocado.

Mountain Resource Center provides free food to anyone who needs it through its drive-thru and walk-up services. Ms. McKeown reports the food pantry serves an average of 243 families each week with pre-packed boxes of fresh produce, whole grains, meat, dairy, and personal care products. The pantry also provides families with formula, diapers, and other infant care items. For more information, please visit the Mountain Resource Center website or call 303-838-7552.

Food is Love is just one example of TallGrass's philanthropic programs inspired by its mission to give back to the community it serves. Celebrating its 28^th anniversary this year, TallGrass is a full-service spa offering massage, skin care, body, nail, and hair services, along with catered lunches and boutique shopping. TallGrass is located in a peaceful mountain meadow beneath majestic Mt. Evans in the Colorado foothills about 45 minutes from downtown Denver. For more information, please visit the TallGrass Spa website or call 303-670-4444.

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