EDITOR’S NOTE ELISABETH MONAGHAN MANAGING EDITOR WHEN VENDORS VISIT the Denver VOICE office to pick up their papers, either they will tell me, or I will overhear them telling someone else about someone they met or conversations they had while vending the VOICE. Frequently, when someone stops long enough to focus on what the vendor is telling them about the VOICE and suggests a $2 donation in return for a copy of the paper, the passer-by will ask something like, “Why should I give you $2 for that paper?” Hearing vendor Raelene Johnson talk about her latest encounter with someone who asked why the paper was worth $2 was what prompted the Ask a Vendor question for this issue. (For those who are not familiar with how the process works, Denver VOICE vendors purchase each of their papers for 50 cents. Anything they receive over that amount is theirs to keep, so for the suggested donation amount of $2, the vendor keeps $1.50.) Sometimes, a vendor’s response to the question in Ask a Vendor is just a few words. Other times, it is a long answer woven around an experience, but before they answer, every one of the vendors takes time to think about the question. If, as you read this or some future issue of the VOICE, you wonder how the vendors might react to or think about a situation, I hope you will take a minute to send an email to editor@denvervoice.org and let me know. That way, we can pose that question to our vendors. Not only does this give the Denver VOICE community a chance to get to know the vendors better and learn more about the difference a donation makes to a vendor, but it also gives the vendors another opportunity for their voices to be heard. ■ NOVEMBER CONTRIBUTORS PAULA BARD is an award-winning fine art photographer, writer, and activist. She lives on a mountain top southwest of Denver. DENVERVOICE.ORG CE.ORG @OCE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jennifer Seybold GILES CLASEN is a freelance photographer who regularly contributes his work to the VOICE for editorial projects, fundraisers, and events. He has also served on the VOICE’s Board of Directors. MANAGING EDITOR Elisabeth Monaghan PROGRAM COORDINATOR Andrew Klooster GRAPHIC DESIGNER Hannah Bragg ROBERT DAVIS is a freelance reporter for the Denver VOICE. His work has also appeared in Colorado Public Works Journal, Fansided, Colorado Journal, and Medium.com. VOLUNTEER COPY EDITORS Kate Marshall Aaron Sullivan Laura Wing PHOTOGRAPHERS/ILLUSTRATORS Paula Bard Giles Clasen WHAT WE DO The Denver VOICE empowers homeless, impoverished, and transient individuals by creating job opportunities through our vendor program. We give our vendors a job and help them tell their stories; this creates a space for them to be part of a community again. Vendors purchase copies of the VOICE for 50 cents each at our distribution center. This money pays for a portion of our production costs. Vendors can buy as many papers as they want; they then sell those papers to the public for a suggested $2 donation. The difference in cost ($1.50) is theirs to keep. WHO WE ARE The Denver VOICE is a nonprofit that publishes a monthly street newspaper. Our vendors are men and women in the metro Denver area experiencing homelessness and poverty. Since 2007, we have put more than 4,000 vendors to work. Our mission is to facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities for the impoverished community. We are an award-winning publication, a member of the International Network of Street Papers and the Colorado Press Association, and we abide by the Society of Professional Journalists code of ethics. WRITERS Paula Bard Rea Brown Giles Clasen Jerome Cotton Robert Davis Shaleen Vanese Figueroa Raelene Johnson Jerry Mullenix Benjamin Eric Nelson Janis Olson BOARD OF DIRECTORS Nikki Lawson, President Michelle Stapleton, Vice President Lori Holland, Treasurer Jeff Cuneo, Secretary Donovan Cordova Raelene Johnson Josh Kauer Craig Solomon Zephyr Wilkins EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT editor@denvervoice.org VENDOR PROGRAM program@denvervoice.org • (720) 320-2155 ADVERTISING ads@denvervoice.org MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 1931, Denver CO 80201 VENDOR OFFICE 1600 Downing St., Ste. 230, Denver, CO 80218 With the money they make selling the VOICE, vendors are able to pay for their basic needs. Our program provides vendors with an immediate income and a support group of dedicated staff members and volunteers. Vendors are independent contractors who receive no base pay. OFFICE HOURS: For the immediate future, we will be open on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Orientation is held every day we are open. New vendors must arrive between 9 and 10 a.m. 2 DENVER VOICE November 2020 STAFF CONTRIBUTORS BOARD CONTACT US
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