Westside Cares

What Westside Cares does

Westside CARES is a community-based nonprofit organization headquartered at 2808 West Colorado Avenue in Colorado Springs, Colorado, delivering crisis human services to neighbors in need on the west side of the city. Founded in 1984 and operating with 11-50 employees, the organization provides wraparound assistance across food (via six food pantries), clothing, hygiene products, mail services, health programs, rent and utilities aid, seasonal programs, and referrals to partner organizations. Service is restricted to residents within a defined geographic boundary—west of I-25, south of the Air Force Academy, east of the El Paso/Teller County Line, north of Fort Carson—and is delivered in person Monday through Thursday from 9:30am to 12:30pm.

The revenue model is donation-driven, with three streams: financial contributions (including online via PayPal), in-kind gifts of essential items, and event fundraising. The flagship fundraiser is the Feast of Saint Arnold, a family-friendly beer festival that generated $45,000 in 2024 and is scheduled for June 13, 2026 at Chapel of Our Saviour Episcopal Church. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors and led by an Executive Director, with named staff including a Director of Volunteer Engagement (Deb Mitguard) and a newsletter author (Kristy Milligan). Volunteer engagement supplements paid staff across leadership, direct services, food pantry operations, and seasonal programming.

Westside CARES has no proprietary technology platform or mobile application. Community outreach and donor engagement are conducted through Facebook, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, YouTube, and a quarterly email newsletter distributed via Mailchimp. Strategic partners include Empty Stocking Fund, Indy Gives (Pikes Peak giving campaign), and Colorado Gives, alongside event sponsors such as Dynamic Family Medicine (2026 title sponsor), Red Noland Auto Group, and The Colorado Trust (Platinum sponsor).

Name

Westside Cares

Legal name

Westside CARES

Website

https://westsidecares.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Westside CARES is a Colorado Springs nonprofit, founded in 1984, that delivers crisis human services—including food, clothing, hygiene, health, rent/utilities aid, and referrals—to west-side neighbors in need through six food pantries, funded by donations and the annual Feast of Saint Arnold fundraiser.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Human Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Public Health & Human Services Administration (BPAIACAK)

Keywords

• Food assistance services
• Human services nonprofit
• Basic needs support
• Community aid services
• Social services nonprofit

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Financial Donations: The organization accepts monetary donations through online platforms (PayPal) and other means to support its community service operations.
2. In-Kind Donations: The organization accepts essential in-kind items including food, clothing, and hygiene products to distribute to community members in need.
3. Event Fundraising: The annual Feast of Saint Arnold beer festival generates significant fundraising, with the 2024 event raising $45,000 for the organization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Westside Cares is a community-based nonprofit that delivers direct crisis human services to neighbors in need on the west side of Colorado Springs. Its core offerings include operation of six food pantries, plus clothing and hygiene distribution, health services, rent and utilities assistance, seasonal programs, mail services, and referrals to partner organizations. Services are provided free of charge to qualifying community members during in-person service hours (Monday–Thursday, 9:30am–12:30pm) within a defined geographic service area.

Product overview

Westside Cares is a community nonprofit organization in Colorado Springs offering direct assistance services to neighbors in need. The organization operates six food pantries and provides multiple support programs including food assistance, clothing, hygiene products, mail services, health services, rent and utilities assistance, seasonal programs, and referrals to partner organizations. The organization funds its operations primarily through donations and its flagship annual fundraising event, the Feast of Saint Arnold beer festival.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Pantry Services Food assistance through operation of six food pantries providing essential food items to community members in need within the west side Colorado Springs service area.
• Clothing, Hygiene, and Mail Services Distribution of clothing and hygiene products along with mail services for community members in need.
• Health Services Health-related assistance programs for community members in need.
• Rent and Utilities Assistance Financial assistance programs helping residents with rent and utility payments.
• Seasonal Programs Time-limited programs addressing seasonal needs of the community, including holiday assistance.
• Referrals Connection services linking community members to additional resources and partner support organizations.
• Volunteer Programs Volunteer opportunities including leadership and governance, direct services, food pantry management, and seasonal programming assistance.
• Donation Services Financial donation processing (via PayPal and other means) and in-kind gift acceptance for supporting community programs.
• Feast of Saint Arnold Annual family-friendly beer festival serving as the organization's flagship fundraising and community engagement event.

Quantifiable outcome

• $45,000 raised at single annual event (Feast of Saint Arnold 2024)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Dynamic Family MedicineminorOthers · 13 June 2026Title sponsor for the 2026 Feast of Saint Arnold annual fundraising event.
• Red Noland Auto GroupminorOthers · 13 June 2026Event sponsor for the 2026 Feast of Saint Arnold.
• Chapel of Our Saviour Episcopal ChurchminorOthers · 13 June 2026Venue host for the 2025 Feast of Saint Arnold event held on the beautiful grounds of Chapel of Our Saviour Episcopal Church.
• The Colorado TrustminorOthers · 13 June 2026Platinum corporate/community sponsor for the Feast of Saint Arnold event.
• Empty Stocking FundminorOthersAppears as a partner organization listed on the website alongside other community giving programs.
• Indy GivesminorOthersPikes Peak region giving campaign partner organization.
• Colorado GivesminorOthersStatewide giving initiative partner organization listed on the website.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Feeding America: Largest U.S. hunger-relief organization operating a national food-bank network with local pantries; comparable food-distribution model at much larger scale, frequently partnering with community pantries like Westside Cares' six sites.

Direct peers

• Goodwill of Colorado: Colorado-based community nonprofit delivering basic-needs support, workforce programs, and emergency assistance across the Pikes Peak region — comparable donor-funded service mix and overlapping geographic footprint.
• Habitat for Humanity International: Donor-funded nonprofit providing housing-related assistance (rent/utility support, housing stability programs) to neighbors in need through local affiliates — directly comparable on the rent/utilities service line that Westside Cares operates.
• The Salvation Army: Operates food pantries, rent/utility assistance, clothing, and seasonal programs through local corps/community centers — the closest large-scale analog to Westside Cares' multi-category basic-needs delivery model.
• Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado: Regional food bank operating across southern Colorado including Colorado Springs — directly comparable food-distribution mission and pantry-partner operating model in the same service geography.
• Salvation Army Colorado Springs Corps: Local Salvation Army corps operating in Colorado Springs, providing food, rent/utility assistance, and seasonal programs in the same metro — the most direct same-city competitor for Westside Cares' service lines.
• Meals on Wheels America: National network delivering food and basic-needs support to neighbors in need through local affiliates; shares the donor-funded food-relief mission and reliance on volunteers characteristic of Westside Cares.
• Catholic Charities USA: National federation of diocesan social-service agencies that deliver food, rent/utility assistance, clothing, and emergency relief to neighbors in need — directly comparable wraparound service model and donor-supported nonprofit structure.

Regional players

• Pikes Peak United Way: Regional community-funding and coordination organization serving the Pikes Peak region; not a direct service provider but operates adjacent basic-needs referral and grantmaking in the same geographic footprint as Westside Cares.

Others

• National Council of Nonprofits: National network and advocacy body for the nonprofit sector — not a direct service competitor, but a relevant ecosystem peer that supports capacity-building, donor access, and operational best practices for organizations like Westside Cares.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCIAiEhSF2JsEM6bGOjwXYqA
• Facebookfacebook.com/westsidecares
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/westside-cares
• Instagraminstagram.com/westsidecares

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Westside Cares