The gentrification of downtown and population growth in large suburbs have produced a geographical shift in demand for the emergency food services of Metro CareRing.

Executive Director Jonathan Holmer reports that the agency, at East 18th Avenue and Downing Street, opened a satellite food pantry in Aurora last year and gets an increasing number of requests from Lakewood, Commerce City and other areas.

For almost 35 years, Metro CareRing has helped struggling families with three-day food packages, personal care items, utility bill assistance and referrals to other community services. Volunteers contribute 18,000 work-hours each year.

In this interview, Holmer, a former Albuquerque minister, discusses services, new financial stresses on the agency and strategies for increased fundraising. Metro CareRing has applied for Season to Share funding.

In view of cold winters and rising energy costs, how do you help with utility assistance?

We are the largest distributor of funds from Energy Outreach Colorado, a private foundation. Last year we helped about 400 households with over $200,000 worth of assistance.

What is your client profile like and has it changed in recent years?

We mainly help families - the disabled, the elderly and the working poor - who have places to live, rather than the homeless. The three-day food packages we provide include loaves of bread, canned fruits and vegetables, (boxed) spaghetti, fresh produce, dairy products, orange juice. Ethnically, our profile remains just about the same - one-third African-American, one-third Hispanic, the remaining one-third Anglos and others. In Aurora we are seeing more African natives, including many people from Sudan.

How has a weak economy affected you?

Right now, our shelves are about as bare as they've ever been through a holiday season. Usually, our shelves fill between Thanksgiving and the end of the year, and we can operate off that for a month or so. Not this year. We're giving out a lot more food, while our donations have been lower - even our corporate donations. Everyone has been tightening their belts. We are looking for some new sources of funding, but it's been tough. We're looking at the possibility of finding more downtown businesses willing to donate, to supplement our big corporate donors like King Soopers and Safeway.

Any other sources in a hard time?

Well, we have good relationships with faith communities. Among other things, they do food drives for us.

Any brand-new challenges?

Increasingly, we have been dealing with identification documentation, in the wake of the immigration controversy. We've started a partnership with Denver Human Services and the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless to help U.S. citizens get the documents they need to receive government benefits.

People are under increased pressure to prove who they are, so now we have an ID document specialist on site. We provide our basic services to anyone, regardless of citizenship. The ID service is for those eligible to receive other assistance.

Metro CareRing

* Mission: Utilizing the strengths of an inclusive interfaith and ecumenical community, Metro CareRing works with families and individuals to create solutions to hunger, poverty and other difficulties through advocacy, listening and advising, and meeting basic needs.

* Founded: 1974

* People helped: 10,000 families a year

* Staff: Five

* Volunteers: 150

* Budget: $500,000

* Web site: metrocarering.org

How to donate

Post-News Season To Share, a fund of the McCormick Tribune Foundation, gave more than $1.79 million to 62 agencies serving children, as well as people who are hungry, homeless or in need of medical care last year. Donations are matched at 50 cents for each dollar, and 100 percent of all donations go directly to local charitable agencies. To make a donation, see the coupon on page 22 of today's paper, call 1-888-683-4483 or visit seasontoshare.com.