Lattia
Struggle of Love Foundation
What problem does Struggle of Love Foundation solve?
Youth in Denver's Montbello and Green Valley Ranch neighborhoods face cycles of poverty, gang involvement, food insecurity, and limited access to mental health care. Many families don't qualify for existing community assistance programs, leaving them in a gap where they're too resourced for some services but too under-resourced to thrive. Without meaningful alternatives, young people are drawn into violence — and without basic needs met, families can't focus on building a better future.
Who benefits from their work?
Underprivileged youth and families in Denver and Aurora who may not qualify for other community-based assistance programs. At-risk and gang-involved young people ages 8–24 who need alternatives to violence. Families in Montbello, Green Valley Ranch, and surrounding neighborhoods facing food insecurity. Individuals and families who need free mental health services including therapy, couples counseling, and family support.
What makes their approach unique?
Struggle of Love Foundation was born from the personal experiences of its founders, LaKeshia and Joel Hodge, with adversity, violence, hunger, and homelessness. Neither founder takes a salary — they both work two jobs outside the organization. That's how deeply they believe in this work. The organization runs 10+ programs spanning youth mentorship, violence interruption, free mental health therapy (20 sessions per person per year), sports wellness, civic engagement, and a community food pantry that has distributed nearly 1.5 million pounds of food. They're embedded in 7 Denver and Aurora schools, co-chair the RISE Network, and partner with Community Violence Solutions for gang outreach. Their Night Moves program opens gyms on Friday nights with organized basketball and cash prizes — meeting young people exactly where they are. They've been recognized with a Program of the Year award from the Colorado Fatherhood Council and an MBK25 Award from Mayor Hancock.
What does a donation accomplish?
$12 provides a meal pack for a family in need | $50 funds a week of after-school programming for an at-risk youth | $100 covers a free therapy session at the LOVE Center | $300 feeds 25 families twice a month through the Sacks of Love Food Pantry
Where do they serve?
Denver and Aurora, Colorado — primarily serving the Montbello, Green Valley Ranch, and surrounding neighborhoods across 12 ZIP codes.
Our name says it all: showing our love to save our lives. Neither of our founders takes a salary. They both work two jobs outside the organization to keep this mission alive. That commitment runs through everything we do.
From our LOVE Center in Denver's Montbello neighborhood, we operate more than 10 programs that touch every part of a young person's life. Our Spreading Our Love Mentor & Leadership Program is embedded in 7 Denver and Aurora schools, teaching life skills, job readiness, and self-esteem. Our licensed therapists provide 20 free therapy sessions per year to anyone who needs them — individuals, couples, and families. Our Sports Wellness program gives kids ages 8 to 18 a place to compete and grow when their families can't afford organized sports. Our Night Moves program opens gyms on Friday nights with organized basketball tournaments and cash prizes — meeting young people where they are, when they need us most.
On the streets, our Violence Interruption team works alongside Community Violence Solutions to de-escalate tensions and build trust in communities where trust is hard to come by. Our Secondary Youth Violence Prevention specialists identify young people showing early signs of gang involvement and intervene before it's too late — including younger siblings of those already involved.
Our Sacks of Love Food Pantry, launched in 2018 in partnership with Food Bank of the Rockies, has distributed nearly 1.5 million pounds of food and served more than 195,000 individuals across two locations in Denver and Aurora. We prioritize fresh, nutritious, culturally relevant food — because our community deserves more than canned goods.
Every year, we distribute over 1,000 backpacks at our Back to School event, deliver Thanksgiving meals through our Need to Feed program, and make the holidays brighter for 300+ children through our A Time to Give toy giveaway. Our Reach 4 Peace Picnic brings the whole community together with health screenings, resources, and our Father of the Year awards.
We've been honored with the Program of the Year award from the Colorado Fatherhood Council, an MBK25 Award from Mayor Hancock, and recognition from the Denver Urban Spectrum as Top 25 African Americans Who Make a Difference. But our real measure of success is simpler: one more young person choosing a different path, one more family with food on the table, one more person getting the mental health support they deserve.
We serve 12 ZIP codes across Denver and Aurora with 130 active volunteers and a team that believes in this work with everything we have. If you want to help, we'd love to have you.
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