Born Out of Tragedy, Local Nonprofit Serves Denver’s Unhoused
Story and Photos by Giles Clasen
Darrian Leu-Pierre walks each Denver street looking for people to help. He walks the alleys and the sidewalks almost every day handing out food, clothes, socks, and starting in March – face masks.
Leu-Pierre said his nonprofit L&D Gives is committed to providing opportunity and essentials to those experiencing poverty, and there is nothing more essential than a face mask right now. Leu-Pierre and a few volunteers walk to homeless camps to ensure any individuals they meet have a mask to help keep them safe.
“We just tell people we want them to be safe and how to be safe,” Leu Pierre said.
Leu-Pierre has handed out several hundred masks so far and will continue to as long as the pandemic continues.
L&D Gives is an organization born from tragedy.
“I started (L&D Gives) in honor of my brother who was murdered last year,” Leu-Pierre said.
Leu-Pierre was very close friends with Lloyd Chavez, who was shot in 2019 while selling vaping products. The loss overwhelmed Leu-Pierre. He wanted to find a way to remember his friend in a positive way.
“We used to give out to the homeless when we were younger,” Leu Pierre said. “I started making an organization and helping the homeless because of that.”
Leu-Pierre started a gofundme.org page to raise money and help the homeless. He used the first funds he raised to buy 500 McDonalds cheeseburgers and handed them out. Feeding the unhoused is still an important aspect of the work he does through L&D, but masks are front and center.
For those living on the streets, having a mask isn’t only about preventing the spread of infection. Right now, most people are denied entrance into supermarkets, gas stations, or pharmacies if they aren’t wearing a mask. For those with few resources, buying a mask becomes one more obstacle to getting food or using the restroom.
“We get a lot of smiles,” Leu-Pierre said. “People are shocked. These people are struggling like everybody else. I gave a mask the other day to this guy, and he gave me a painting, a giant painting in return. A lot of love you could say out on the streets.”
Those who volunteer for L&D Gives aren’t worried about getting COVID-19 from homeless individuals. They are taking all the precautions they can to keep themselves safe.
“I am worried about taking it to homeless people,” Leu Pierre said. “But I wear a mask and gloves whenever I go out. I try to be as safe as possible because their safety is as important as mine.”