For many of Summit County’s nonprofits, the onset of winter can bring an uptick in need for those they serve. 

Whether they assist survivors of sexual assault, advocate for children who are victims of abuse or work to put food on the table for families who need it, Summit County’s nonprofits are heading into a busy season and say they need support from the community. 

Severe federal funding cuts to the Crime Victims Fund, adding up to $700 million, alongside other dwindling funding streams hit two of Summit’s nonprofits particularly hard during 2024. Now, both are heading into a busy time of year and are working with fewer grants than they generally would have.

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Torey Ivanic with ARISE, a nonprofit with a safe house and resources for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, said these cuts “hugely impacted” the organization. 

“We had an employee who left, and at this point, we’re not replacing her position because of the (federal funding cuts),” Ivanic said. 

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She said anytime people are spending more time inside, such as winter, can result in more cases. 

Ivanic said during winter the organization’s safe house, which hosts both victims and their children, is in need of children’s boots and jacket donations. She said victims often show up with just the clothes on their back, so ARISE has a free boutique they can tap into. She added house and kitchen supplies are needed for the safe house, as well. 

ARISE is also in need of people to work their crisis hotline. 

“It is a really great experience for someone who might be thinking about going into health and human services or social work or something psychology related,” she said. 

To learn more about donating or volunteering visit ARISEsummitco.org.

TreeTop Child Advocacy Center executive director Amy Oliveira said her organization took drastic financial hits due to the cut of federal funding and at one point was at risk of going under in early 2024.

The nonprofit serves victims and their families in Colorado’s 5th Judicial District — Summit, Eagle, Lake and Clear Creek counties — by partnering with investigating agencies such as law enforcement and Child Protective Services.

It provides a safe space and forensic interviewer for children to recount their abuse with the goal of having a single interview for the entire investigation, which spares the child from having to relive their trauma over and over to different agencies. 

Oliveira said the community rallied behind them and helped them get enough funding to get by in 2024. Yet, as the nonprofit begins to beef up operations in Eagle and Clear Creek counties, Oliveira estimates the number of cases they see could triple.

TreeTop also recently hired on a bilingual advocate to translate between parties during investigations, which could further expand its client base. She said this time of year, when school is in session, they have an uptick in cases due to teachers and school employees being mandated reporters.

Oliveira said TreeTop has set of goal of fundraising $25,000 for Colorado Gives Day and $50,000 for 2025.

Colorado Gives Day is Dec. 10.

To learn more about volunteering or donating visit TreeTopCenter.org.

While TreeTop sees an increase in need when school is in session, nonprofit Smart Bellies, which provides food for families and kids, sees a spike in need during school breaks.

“Right now we see a lot of extra sign ups because of the school breaks, and that’s a hard time for families because of the free school lunch program,” co-founder Sarah Schmidt said.

She said right now they are serving the “highest” number of kids they have ever served, which is around 1,000 kids a week.

Schmidt said the nonprofit’s end of the year fundraising goal is $80,000 to ensure it doesn’t end the year in a budget deficit. Smart Bellies is also looking to raise $15,000 for Colorado Gives Day.

Alongside monetary donations, Smart Bellies also needs volunteers. Schmidt said the end of November to the end of December is when they need the most volunteers for tasks including packing boxes.

For more information on donating and volunteering visit SmartBellies.org.

Family and Intercultural Resource Center executive director Brianne Snow said the last few years have brought an unprecedented demand for her nonprofit. On top of that, the nonprofit also faced potential budget deficits in its 2024 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30.

She said the nonprofit had 33,000 visits from Sept. 30, 2023 to Sept. 30, 2024. Over 27,500 of those visits were related to the organization’s food market, and the nonprofit estimates around $5.8 million worth of food was given to the community.

Snow said the stark trajectory of need is beginning to stabilize, yet need is still high and there is less and less money in grant funding available each year. She said they have seen “huge increases” in the cost of purchasing food and donations are crucial. She added FIRC is also always in need of volunteers.

For more information on volunteering and donating visit SummitfFIRC.org.

CAFE Food Rescue’s Diane Calvin said 2024 has been one of the craziest years her organization has seen. The nonprofit gathers surplus food from local grocery stores, restaurants and catering services, then repackages the food and distributes it to local food pantries and for community dinners. 

“We’re going to hit 100,000 pounds of food this year that we’ve recovered, so we’ve more than doubled what what we did last year,” she said.

She said they are now beefing up operations, yet are still working with minimal staff.

CAFE Food Rescue just opened a new location in Silverthorne and also has plans to begin a partnership with Colorado Mountain College to create food pantries at certain campuses.

Calvin said she is hoping to add another part time employee by the summer with operations ramping up. Additionally, costs for the nonprofit will go up with the new building and utility bills.

She added CAFE Food Rescue is always looking for new restaurant partners.

To learn more about becoming a partner, donating or volunteering visit CafeFoodRescue.org