Photos by Eli Pace / epace@skyhinews.com
Mountain Family Center celebrated the grand opening of its renovated spaces Wednesday in Granby.
The new space allows the center to have one location for several different services, which creates a centralized hub for people who need assistance from the nonprofit organization.
Helen Sedlar, director of Mountain Family Center, cut the ribbon to officially open the renovated building.
“This has been a community project for well over a year,” Sedlar told the crowd. “Together we do make a difference.”
“Together we do make a difference.”— Helen Sedlar, director of Mountain Family Center
After the ribbon cutting, participants enjoyed snacks and took self-guided tours of the new space.
Some highlights of the renovation include a food pantry and educational kitchen, which will teach visitors how to cook healthy diets.
Grand Seniors has a place in the center, featuring crafts, a lending library and a gardening tower. Grand Beginnings, which serves as an early childhood resource, also has a space in the new center.
Main Street Thrift, the center’s thrift store, remained open during the tours with live music provided. The thrift store helps the center raise money so it does not have to compete with other nonprofits’ fundraisers.
The store’s profits help pay for the building and utilities. As the center and its thrift store grow, the center hopes to use the revenue from the store to buy even more food or help people pay thier bills.
Between 100 and 150 people attended the open house, which lasted two hours on Wednesday. Sedlar considered the opening a success.
“It was a lot of fun,” she said. “We get excited to see so many community members attend and see how excited they are for this.”
The Mountain Family Center has been serving Grand County for over 40 years. It has seen a lot of growth in the past three years, going from three employees in a 9,000-square-foot building to 32 employees, 29 of whom will be working in the renovated 250,000-square-foot building.
Every year, the center serves 2,100 individuals through its programs. About 30% of those are children.
Even with construction completed, the center is still working to complete its capital campaign. It has raised $400,000 of its $500,000 goal, with 90% of contributions coming directly from the local community.
“It speaks volumes about how much community support we have here,” Sedlar said.
During the tour, yellow and blue stars around the building listed a series of items still needed at the center. Things like shelving units, a washer and dryer, conference table and a laptop for Grand Seniors are part of that remaining capital need.
Donors can visit the Mountain Family Center or their website to sponsor these items.