Matthews House, Nutrien to collaborate at shelter

FORT COLLINS – Matthews House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youths and families, on Wednesday announced a five-year collaboration with Nutrien Ag Solutions Inc., a provider of crop inputs and services.

The collaboration will play a pivotal role in advancing Matthews House’s mission to disrupt the cycles of poverty and abuse in Northern Colorado, including its launch of the Northern Colorado Regional Youth Shelter this year. Matthews House will be sole operator of the shelter at 814 E. 16th St. in Loveland, the former site of Thompson School District’s Monroe Early Childhood Center. The Colorado Department of Local Affairs last year announced the award of $4.7 million to build and launch the shelter.

This initiative addresses the reality that more than 400 unaccompanied youths, who are homeless on their own without parents or guardians, and 1,200 accompanied youths are experiencing homelessness in Northern Colorado. The collaboration brings together the Poudre and Thompson school districts, as well as numerous nonprofits.

Nutrien will be kitchen sponsor for both the Northern Colorado Regional Youth Shelter and Matthews House’s Fort Collins drop-in center, slated to open its doors in March.

“The foundation for a successful day, especially for children in school, is nutritious food,” said Rob Clayton, senior vice president for North America in Nutrien’s retail division, Nutrien Ag Solutions, in a prepared statement. “As part of the Northern Colorado community and in accordance with our purpose of feeding the future, we feel a responsibility to ensure that our neighbors who have fallen on hard times can have access to meals that can help keep them healthy, full, and focused on work and school without the added stress of not knowing when or where their next meal may be.”

Added Nicole Armstrong, executive director of Matthews House, “We are excited about the transformative possibilities that this relationship brings. Nutrien’s support as the kitchen sponsor will enable us to provide nutritious meals and a warm environment for the youths at our shelter and the visitors to our drop-in center. Together, we are disrupting the cycles of poverty and abuse, creating lasting change in the lives of those we serve.”

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