LOR Foundation

09/30/2026

🌱 LOR Foundation is proud to support Los Promotores del Valle de San Luis in bringing healthy food and essential resources directly to agricultural workers and their families in Monte Vista!

Through 15 mobile distributions, approximately 100 families will receive culturally appropriate food, hygiene items, educational resources, and connections to Spanish-speaking healthcare providers.

By meeting families where they work, Los Promotores is helping reduce barriers and ensure our hardworking agricultural families have access to the resources they need. 💚

Learn more: https://www.projectprotectfoodsystems.org/promotora-network

09/29/2026

🎃👻 Costumes with a Cop! 👻🎃

The Monte Vista Police Department, in partnership with LOR Foundation, is helping make Halloween a little more special! 🧡 Stop by on Saturday, October 17th and let your kiddos pick out a FREE Halloween costume with our local officers!

Come for the costumes, stay for the smiles and community connection! 🎃💜🖤🧡

While supplies last—children must be present.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: September 28, 2026
Subject: Monte Vista Police Department Announces “Costumes with a Cop”
Free Halloween Costumes for Monte Vista Children

MONTE VISTA, Colo. - On behalf of the Monte Vista Police Department, I am excited to announce our first Costumes
with a Cop, a community event made possible through our partnership with the LOR Foundation.

The event will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., or until all costumes are gone, at the Monte Vista Police Department, 95 W. 1st Avenue.

Children Pre-K through 8th Grade will have the opportunity to visit the Police Department, meet our officers, and select a Halloween costume free of charge. Children must be present to receive a costume, with one costume available per child while supplies last. Snacks will also be available.

Costumes with a Cop is about more than providing Halloween costumes. It is another opportunity for our officers to connect with children and families in a positive setting and continue strengthening the relationships between our Police Department and the community we serve.

As Chief of Police, one of my priorities is to continue creating opportunities that bring our officers and community together outside of calls for service and enforcement situations. We want our children to know their police officers, feel comfortable talking with them, and recognize that our officers are members of this community who are here to serve them.

We are grateful to the LOR Foundation for partnering with us and helping make this event possible. Their support has provided us an opportunity to get this program started, and our hope is to build upon that foundation and make Costumes with a Cop an annual Monte Vista tradition.

Community Support
We also invite our community to be part of the program. The Department is accepting donations of new or gently used
Halloween costumes in clean, good condition for children Pre-K through 8th Grade.

As we move forward, we hope to work with local businesses, churches, service organizations, schools, and community
members to help sustain and grow Costumes with a Cop in future years. It does not take one organization doing everything; it takes a community willing to work together for its kids.

For questions about the event, to donate a costume, or to learn about other ways to support Costumes with a Cop, please
contact:
Irene Arellano, Records Manager
Michelle Ingham, Records Specialist
Monte Vista Police Department
719-852-1197

We hope families will join us on October 17, meet our officers, and help us make our first Costumes with a Cop a positive and memorable event for Monte Vista's children.

09/09/2026

LOR believes in working alongside everyday people who have ideas and solutions to improve the lives of Monte Vista residents.

Meet Aneesa Flores, a local community member who turned a personal tragedy into a life-saving movement for her community.

With support from the LOR Foundation, Aneesa is raising awareness about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning; how to detect it, how quickly it can become fatal, and most importantly, how to prevent it.

As part of her efforts, she has provided free carbon monoxide detectors to Monte Vista residents.

Thank you, Aneesa, for allowing LOR to stand beside you in this important work. 💙

Together, we’re building a safer, stronger Monte Vista.

For Aneesa “Neesa” Flores, raising awareness about carbon monoxide safety is deeply personal. After losing her husband to carbon monoxide poisoning when he was just 20, Neesa channeled her grief […]

08/31/2026

LOR Foundation is proud to support the inaugural San Luis Valley Collaboration Summit, bringing people together to build stronger communities through connection and collaboration!

🤝 Join us for the San Luis Valley Collaboration Summit!
📅 September 18–19
📍 Ski-Hi Complex, 2335 Sherman Ave., Monte Vista, Colorado

The SLV Collaboration Summit is open to everyone; you do not need to be affiliated with a nonprofit, business, school, government agency, or any other organization to attend. This gathering is for all community members who care about the San Luis Valley and want to help make it stronger.

Join us for two days of inspiring speakers, breakout sessions, panel discussions, networking, and meaningful conversations. Together, we will exchange ideas, build relationships, and strengthen collaboration efforts throughout the San Luis Valley.

Family Night will also be held Friday, September 18, from 4:00–6:00 p.m. Organizations interested in hosting an informational table during Family Night may email [email protected].

Come share your voice, connect with your neighbors, and help us build stronger communities-together!

08/26/2026

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: To address increasing food insecurity and a growing need for more protein, Cortez ranchers and volunteers came up with an innovative solution: Raise a bison herd to provide local food pantries with protein.

Thanks to Jennifer Brown at The Colorado Sun for highlighting this novel, locally led project, which LOR was happy to support.

As drought shrinks the food supply and federal budget cuts shrink benefits, the Cortez community comes up with a local solution

08/25/2026

📢 LOR Foundation Office Closure

The LOR Foundation Monte Vista office will be closed August 24th through August 28th.

We will reopen on Monday, August 31st and look forward to connecting with our community when we return! 💛

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope everyone has a wonderful week!

08/14/2026

Stop by and support our local farmers market tomorrow! Enjoy some musical entertainment while you’re there! 🎶🎶🌽🥬🍑

Stop by the 2026 Monte Vista Farmers Market tomorrow from 9am-1pm! Fresh, local produce, art, jewelry, gifts, baked goods and more! Music by Matt Wellmann Music, sponsored by the LOR Foundation!
Rancho de Animales
Human Nature Farm
Papas la Tóxica
ROASTED IN THE SLV
Heather David
Slv Extension
Double Up Food Bucks Colorado

08/04/2026

After six years, 500 community projects, and more than $3.5 million of investment, the LOR Foundation ended grantmaking in Lander, Wyoming, in June and moved on to Buffalo. We learned a lot in those six years. Some of the learning confirmed our hunches. For example, if you make funding easy to access—no formal applications, no deadlines, and quick turn-around times so folks have the money they need in a couple of weeks—regular people will make things happen for their community. Lander did; close to 300 locals stepped forward to lead projects that made Lander even better than it already was. And that’s to say nothing of the hundreds of friends, relatives, and volunteers who helped each project become a reality. Meet some of them in this short film, which celebrates the incredible work we got to do with the Lander community.

https://lorfoundation.org/stories/lander-and-lor-six-years-of-community-work/

📹 Kyle Duba

After six years, nearly 500 community projects, and roughly $3.5 million of investment, the LOR Foundation is leaving the incredible community of Lander in June 2026. We’ve learned a lot in those six years. Some of the learning confirmed our hunches. For example, if you make funding easy to access...

07/29/2026

07/27/2026

🩺⚕️🚑💉🩸We had a blast serving our community this weekend. Don’t forget to head out to the Ski Hi Complex tomorrow for the Books & Bites Fair; starts at 5 PM and ends at 8 PM. There are still some vouchers for school supplies available, so be sure to drop by and grab yours! 🚌✏️📓📕📒
Ski Hi Complex City of Monte Vista, CO

07/23/2026

Over the last three decades, rural counties across the U.S. have lost on average 10% to 20% of 15- to 29-year-olds due to migration. Libby, Montana, struggled to retain its young people, too, but investment in a series of local career and technical education (CTE) efforts has started to turn that tide. Over the last four years, Libby residents have launched more than a dozen CTE projects with funding from LOR Foundation. Now homegrown talent is staying local and businesses are tapping into a skilled workforce. Read about what the innovative residents of Libby are doing to change the trend at https://lorfoundation.org/stories/career-pathways-create-opportunity-for-libby-youth-and-businesses/.

07/13/2026

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: Wheelchair ramps are essential pieces of equipment for Weiser, Idaho, residents who use mobility devices to access their homes or other buildings. But they also cost as much as $20,000 each and are rarely covered by insurance, limiting access and freedom of movement for those with mobility challenges.

Fortunately, a Weiser nonprofit had a plan: Secure several temporary ramps and lend them out as needed. Recently, The Daily Yonder explored how Love INC of Washington County is providing this critical resource, a project the LOR Foundation was proud to support.

When Melinda Nelson moved to Weiser, Idaho, in 2019, she bought a house with her mother and sister that has three steps leading to the entrance. Nelson

07/01/2026

Love seeing Lander, Wyoming's innovative local farming community celebrated in WyoFile and the The Daily Yonder. LOR has been proud to support several of the groups and initiatives mentioned in Katie Klingsporn's insightful piece. Keep on growin', Lander!

This story is co-published with Wyofile. A meadowlark fills the air with its melody, singing above the rumble of the nearby Popo Agie River, in central

06/22/2026

The LOR Foundation is excited to support a new grant opportunity with the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable for rural communities across the Mountain West.

The Mountain West Rural Outdoor Health and Recreation Grants support locally led outdoor recreation projects that improve community health, quality of life, and access to the outdoors, from building and improving trails and recreation assets to launching outdoor wellness programs and forging partnerships with local clinics, schools, parks, public health organizations, outdoor businesses, and more.

Applications are open now and close July 10, with selected communities announced in early August.

Learn more and apply on ORR's grant application page:

05/27/2026

The Daily Yonder 's Ilana Newman provides a fascinating look at how rye is having something of a renaissance in the San Luis Valley, thanks to its remarkable drought-tolerance, and two women behind the Rye Resurgence Project: https://dailyyonder.com/rye-resurgence-colorado/2026/05/12/

LOR is happy to support the Yonder's expanded coverage of coverage of rural communities in the Mountain West.

Rye uses less water than barley, potatoes, or alfalfa, other common crops in the San Luis Valley. A local group is helping farmers sell rye.

05/20/2026

SMALL TOWN, BIG IDEA: For years, Weiser, Idaho, locals have been clamoring for a central place to gather outside of their homes and work—a “third space.” With support from LOR, Weiser Public Library director Timbra Long has delivered that space. The library now hosts a variety of classes and workshops for the entire community—digital literacy, adult bookclub, teen takeover nights, among them—and has seen thousands more visitors each year.

“We hear a lot that libraries are just places that have books," Long said. "But they’re really community hubs."

Learn more about this unique rural Idaho project at

Over the last five years, the Weiser Public Library has added computer classes, teen nights, a book club, and other programs, bringing residents together to talk, laugh, and learn. (Photo by Sarah Miller)

05/12/2026

“As an organization dedicated to helping local people improve quality of life across all kinds of issues, LOR regularly sees the critical role local news outlets play in rural communities. Supporting them means ensuring the people who live in rural places… have access to the essential information they need and deserve.” —Gary Wilmot, LOR executive director

We appreciate Martha Ramirez's thorough reporting on the need for rural media funding in Inside Philanthropy. Thank you for including us!

Support for nonprofit local news is on the rise, but there's still vast need in underserved rural areas. Here's how several funding efforts are shaping up.

05/02/2026

How can people in rural towns overcome barriers and transform their communities? LOR spoke with Wyoming mom and volunteer Amber Peckham-Jones about how she launched several projects supporting individuals with disabilities and their families in Lander.

Amber Peckham-Jones, a Lander mom and advocate, has made it her mission to make life better for those with disabilities in Lander. With LOR's support, she has led three community projects, becoming a dedicated champion and leader. (Photo by Kristy Cardinal)