Migrant support center reeling from funding cuts, recent fire threatens operations

Yahoo

02-04-2025

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — A nonprofit that focuses on helping refugees and migrants in an Aurora community may have to cut some of its operations because of significant funding cuts.
To add to that challenge police are also investigating a dumpster fire that was set just feet away from their building.
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Marcel Narucki, cofounder of the Village Exchange Center, said for the last eight years the group has helped thousands of underserved families in the community.
'What you see here is going to feed 900 families tomorrow,' he said.
'We serve essentially the neighborhood,' said Narucki. 'The neighborhood is largely comprised of refugees and immigrants. Right now we're serving for example our food pantry, we're feeding over 4,000 people a week.'
The nonprofit also offers wrap-around services and a community farm that grows culturally appropriate food for the different communities they serve.
'We have cultural navigators if someone is coming for food and they have the needs we're providing resources and places for them to go to serve their needs,' said Narucki.
That work has helped people like Darwin Gonzalez who has been picking up food for his family at the center for the last eight months.
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'I don't have the words to explain how grateful I am I have been in circumstances. I rely on this place a lot,' said Gonzalez.
Lately, that mission has been made harder.
'Funding in these last few weeks has been literally cut off,' Narucki said. 'So starting with the big FEMA federal grants that stopped a couple of weeks ago. Essentially we lost over 2 million dollars for our food pantry. Most recently we lost about $650,000 for health access programs. Just today I came from a meeting with some of our staff. We're having to let two people go, cut hours for several people. Both are single mothers, they are basically the face of a lot of people we serve. When I say fear, multiply that fate by hundreds and thousands.'
In addition to those challenges, a surveillance camera from outside the center captured video from Thursday night around 8:30 p.m.
It shows a woman walking around the dumpster. She makes a motion with her hands, and moments later you see large flames coming from the dumpster.
'We can't say the intent, we don't know, but what we see in the footage is a fire intentionally started,' said Narucki. 'We're already struggling with severe limitations and our ability to be able to serve people. When it happens at this moment it just makes us feel so much more vulnerable.'
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Fire crews arrived quickly and were able to put out the fire before it damaged the building. Narucki says he still has fears not knowing a motive or where the future of the nonprofit stands.
'We'll have to see,' he said. 'We're really in a vulnerable place right now and looking at not being able to help and respond to the people in need.'
An Aurora fire spokesperson told FOX31 they are investigating the fire, but there are no further details to share. Meanwhile, if you want to help the Village Exchange Center you can visit their website and click the donate tab.
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