The year was 1974. In downtown Denver, five ministers representing five churches (Trinity United Methodist, Central Presbyterian, Saint Paul Lutheran, First Baptist of Denver, and Saint Paul’s United Methodist) and four denominations met regularly for breakfast.  Each of these men had experienced a sense of helplessness and overwhelm due to the increasing numbers of people seeking help from the church because their basic needs were not being met.  Out of the pastors’ conversations and shared experiences, the idea surfaced that, by working together, the downtown churches could offer emergency assistance to people in need.  From these humble beginnings, Central Denver Community Service was formed.

The newly formed organization originally operated in the basement of Central Presbyterian Church, corner of 17th and Sherman Streets in Denver, Colorado. During the first ten years of the organization, Central Denver Community Service, served approximately 47,600 household and 128,500 individuals; providing more than 300,000 hours of counseling, 470,000 bus tokens, and 500,000 tons of food. For the first 20 years, the organization was supported by 22 local congregations and experienced a change in the population of people requesting services: single mothers, people dealing with mental health issues and the first wave of people with HIV/AIDS.

In 1993, the organization changed the name to Metro CareRing and set the goal of providing a “ring of” care to those in need in metro Denver. Metro CareRing began serving 30,000 people/households each year and provided food, help with utility bills, prescriptions assistance, identification documents, transportation, infant needs, toiletries, household linens and kitchen items, referrals, and advocacy support from over 100 community organizations, utilizing four full-time staff members and 120 volunteers.

In 1999, Metro CareRing acquired its current location at 18th and Downing and extended the services offered to the Capitol Hill and Uptown neighborhoods of Denver. Centrally located, the new location was more accessible (5 major bus lines stop nearby) and the ability to increase services offered.