Mayor Declares Jan. 30 As 'Denver Human Services Staff Appreciation Day'
DENVER (CBS4)- The City of Denver is thanking its Denver Human Services employees for putting in extra hours during the government shutdown. Those employees helped furloughed workers affected by the shutdown.
Those employees got a big thank you on Wednesday morning from Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. That's where he officially made the "Denver Human Services Staff Appreciation Day" proclamation.
Hancock says he's proud of the way the team rallied to help support people struggling to put food on the table without a paycheck. That department helped nearly 4,000 people fill out paperwork so they could re-certify their benefits that help with food.
Staff stayed late and opened offices early to serve those in need.
"It was really great to help families when they need it the most and to get them in here to get services when they needed it the most," said DHS employee Angelica Martinez.
"I was on the other side at one point. Just like the families that we helped. So it is an honor that the mayor appreciates not just DHS, but our community," said DHS employee Rosita Portugal.
The staff also organized two weekend resource fairs for things like housing assistance, workforce training and services.