Denver nonprofit organizations like the Denver Rescue Mission rely on volunteers, and a corporate day of service is one way to get the job done. Recently, employees from DCPS, one of Colorado’s leading commercial property services contractors, spent the morning donating its professional landscaping services and prepping meals at the Denver Rescue Mission’s Smith Road facility called The Crossing.
Ethan Rietema, human resource director at DCPS, said, “As a local organization, we are dedicated to working together toward a shared goal of enhancing our local community. Teaming up with local non-profit organizations to give back is a natural fit for us. Our goal is always to enhance the properties we serve—making them inviting and safe for all who pass through—and that same commitment extends to the communities where we live and work. Volunteer days like this reflect who we are at our core.”
Barb Cinkosky, assistant project manager at the Denver Rescue Mission said, “We had a group of volunteers from DCPS here to help us spruce up the place. They trimmed trees, planted flowers, and landscaped the flower beds. It was a real blessing to have them here. Part of what the volunteers did was in our annual plan as a project but with our budget, we couldn’t complete the project and had to cut back on our plans. DCPS came in to do what we couldn’t afford to do for our residents.”
Denver Rescue Mission is the oldest full-service charity in the Rocky Mountain region, meeting the needs of men, women, and children experiencing homelessness. Since 2023, DCPS has partnered with Denver Rescue Mission to support their facilities through maintenance and improvement projects. This work helps create safe, welcoming spaces for those they serve.
DCPS offers commercial property owners and managers services such as maintenance, repair, and construction, roofing and waterproofing, snow removal and landscaping. Their team supports a variety of nonprofits throughout the year, and recently held a day of service so that employees could give back to the community. In addition to the work at The Crossing, 14 volunteers worked at two other Denver Rescue Mission locations, each spending about an hour to an hour and a half helping with meal prep and other activities. A team of employees also assembled hygiene kits for the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless.
“We were there to help out any way they needed us,” Gio Sierra, DCPS director of safety, said. “During our Day of Service, we made spaghetti in the kitchen.”
DCPS Landscape Construction Project Manager Justin McCombs added, “I was in the kitchen which was a little bit different but I was excited and happy to volunteer doing food prep at the Denver Rescue Mission. It’s nice to give back to the community.”
”I’ve worked in the volunteer department of the Denver Rescue Mission for eight years now,” Volunteer Coordinator Donna Brooks said. The important part about the DCPS volunteers coming out is that this is a home for many, many people—200 men, women and children—for a series of months in their lives. With help from volunteers, their home can be a beautiful place because everybody deserves a home that they can enjoy. We couldn’t do what we do without these DCPS volunteers because they fill in the gap where our staff can’t.”
