Welcome back, readers! Thanks in advance for all you and your company do every day for our industry. As you read this human-interest story, you will quickly note the passion that the leadership of Marshall-Rodeno Associated (MRA) and the people who work there have and have had for many years. You see, at the top of their concern has always been the homeless women, men and children in the Denver metro area.

This group of people at times seem to get forgotten by the hustle and bustle of everyday life in the big cities, and Denver and the surrounding area are no different. Please note that the MRA team (along with other companies in the area) have never forgotten that this group of people with problems and issues deserve better conditions to live in and services to help support them as they strive to fit into the mainstream of the Colorado community.  

To that end, MRA got involved years ago in the Catholic Charities and agreed to help build the first women’s shelter/motivational/career center in Denver, with the help and support of four of their key vendor partners — Anvil International, Sloan Valve, Chicago Faucets and NIBCO. These vendor partners underwrote the cost of their different piping and plumbing type products to put together this one-of-a-kind facility.

There are currently about 5,200 homeless men, women and children in the Denver metro area. Women and families are the most underserved population of those experiencing homelessness; women represent an incredible 34 percent of this community! 

The Catholic Charities of Denver has three programs for single women:

1. Extended-Stay Program. This is a possible 120-day-stay plan with the ultimate goal of getting the women into permanent housing. There are 48 beds available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served each day they are in the plan.

2. Women’s Transitional Stay Program. This is an unlimited stay plan with the goal of getting the women into the extended-stay program or permanent housing. This program has 50 beds allotted for their use, along with breakfast and dinner served daily.

3. Women’s Emergency Shelter Program. This is an overnight stay for those experiencing homelessness. The program currently has 225 cots with mats available, with breakfast and dinner served daily.

In 2018, 290 women were moved from the emergency shelter into either the transitional or the extended-stay program. As you can see, these programs are a real blessing indeed and the Catholic Charities of Denver deserve a great big thanks and salute for all their efforts and successful planning. 

You see, the transitional and extended stay programs also include safety and case management, housing advocacy, job placement, life skills classes, computer access, and laundry and showers facilities. 

This past Christmas, the MRA team committed its efforts collectively during the holiday time to help these women in need. Actually, for the past two Christmas seasons (2017 and 2018), all the team members signed up to bring items such as socks, hats, gloves, hygiene products, water bottles and other items of choice to fill gift bags to be handed out at the shelter during its holiday celebration. 

These filled gift bags would not have been possible either year had it not been for the help and support of this team. Even the company’s resident guys out in the field in Utah, New Mexico, Montana and Nebraska pitched in and did their equal share. This has been a great effort that has been present and shown from the founders through the warehouse and into the field salespeople. 

It is a deep-rooted MRA uniform characteristic that has always been in the company and shared with the market.

This type of event has become one of MRA’s favorite team activities and will continue to be a big part of the company’s holiday tradition. Also, in March of this year, the MRA team donated 200 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to the shelter for the women and children to enjoy.

Thanks to MRA, its recognized vendor partners and the Catholic Charities of Denver for making this story interesting and valuable for all readers of Martin’s Corner! I hope you all felt that bit of a tug on your heartstrings when reading it. I certainly believe that the satisfaction anyone gets by doing something good for the needy, and other people as well, simply brings out the best in all of us.

See ya again pretty soon! Until then, be careful and safe, and God Bless the United States of America and all the people who live here.