Orchard Grove is a mobile home park in Boulder, CO, housing about 450 people. Many Orchard Grove residents have lost their livelihood due to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Working with the City of Boulder's Department of Housing and Human Services, neighbors have set up the Orchard Grove Mobile Home Park Support Fund to support residents experiencing financial need.
To learn more about Orchard Grove's history of activism and partnering with government and community agencies, and about the impact of COVID-19 on Orchard Grove residents, please watch this video presentation (20 minutes).
The Orchard Grove story should not be missed. It was compelling and inspiring. Give yourself a treat and take a look. -G.R.
This is a great video about the incredible folks at Orchard Grove and their history of activism. You will gain a sense of empowerment at what these folks have accomplished, not just for themselves but for mobile home park residents in the whole state. - K.B.
We are grateful to friends who can help our neighbors in need. To donate, please download the fillable PDF, print it, and send to the address on the form. (sorry, we know it's old school - the city can't process online payments)
Contributions qualify as tax-deductible, and you will receive an acknowledgment when your donation is processed. The City's Federal ID number is 84-6000566.
If you have questions about the fund, please contact Wanda Pelegrina Caldas at the Department of Housing and Human Services, 303-218-8562 or PelegrinaW (at) bouldercolorado.gov
If you are an Orchard Grove resident with financial needs, please contact Wanda Pelegrina Caldas at 303-218-8562 or PelegrinaW (at) bouldercolorado.gov
Thank you for your help! Take good care.
Through mid-January, 2021:
With gratitude: Forty-seven donors have provided over $23,400 to the Support Fund. Wow - and Thank you!
In solidarity: The fund has provided over $16,000 in financial assistance to 32 Orchard Grove neighbors - families and older adults - in the slow transition back to work. Funds have been used to pay rent and utilities, cover medical bills, update technology, and address other pressing needs. Those served are experiencing loss of employment and income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In partnership: Other resources, such as CARES Act relief funds, are used to help support people for expenses that fit different categories. This strategic use of your donations is possible because the City manages both these funds and the Orchard Grove fund and can allocate funds flexibly to match the nature of requests. This makes your gifts go further!
As COVID-19 infection and hospitalization rates remain high in our community, workplaces, businesses and schools are still limiting contact to protect our health. So people in Orchard Grove are still suffering financial hardships. Many are among the first to be affected when businesses close, lay off workers, or reduce worker hours. Families are scrambling to cover child care, home schooling, work, and health needs. People need help acquiring the technologies needed to connect to work, school, and church, and to stay in touch with our families and communities.
Please contribute what you can!
Kit's letter to the Sidwell Friends Alumni Magazine was published in the spring 2021 edition (link to the full magazine here).
“Burrito Factory,” by Kit Basom, The Blue Line (5/18/2010)
"Buoyed by community during Orchard Grove water crisis," by Kit Basom, Boulder Daily Camera (2/23/2019)
A statewide series of news stories on mobile home parks in Colorado, "Parked: Half the American Dream" (2019)
Mobile Homes: Last Week Tonight, with John Oliver (warning - salty language) (4/7/2019)