When neighbors arrive at Restoration Fellowship in Pagosa Springs, it doesn’t feel like visiting a food pantry – it feels like visiting old friends.

“Every day I think, ‘I get to see Walter. I get to see Della. I get to see any number of people,’” Adriene Doray, Co-Director of Restoration Fellowship, told us. “The people, that’s who I keep showing up for every day. We want them to know they’re important here.”

Since its creation, Adriene and her Co-Director Katherine Solbert have strived to provide a welcoming environment for all who visit the pantry. When neighbors arrive, they are given carts and encouraged to shop as you would at your local grocery store, rather than giving out pre-made boxes.

“[Neighbors] are choosing their own foods for their families,” said Katherine. “It gives them a lot more dignity.”

Volunteers are readily available to answer questions and ensure the shelves are well stocked with pantry staples, but also fresh produce and locally sourced meat – some of which is courtesy of the LFPA funding we received earlier this year! Neighbors at this distribution were able to take home beef from Podunks Ranch, a cattle farm in Montezuma County.

“We’re getting top shelf stuff, like Amish eggs,” said Adriene. “The quality of food is so great.”

“We’re able to get grass-fed beef, vegetables that are so fresh, things that otherwise we couldn’t afford,” Katherine added.

So while the need is still great, so is the support. Katherine, Adriene, and their dedicated volunteers are working hard to continue expanding their services, so everyone can get the food – and community — they need to thrive.

“From my own personal experience, there’s nothing worse than going home with the feeling of hunger,” Katherine said. “So, knowing that [neighbors] can go home with a plethora of food in their cupboards, it’s so – it’s so joyful. It’s amazing to see people’s lives literally change.”