We'll Keep the Lights On for You!

It’s an old saying with a timeless message: “We’ll keep the lights on for you!” It suggests a warm welcome and an open door, a promise that someone stands ready to help in times of need.

Yet when it comes to the essential operations that undergird the day-to-day work of Crossroads Ministry of Estes Park, the fact is that paying the light bill rarely seems much like a worthy cause. Staff salaries, building maintenance, copier costs, and the like, can sometimes be perceived as obstacles that drain resources which should instead be used to directly address the many basic needs of persons struggling with financial insecurity in our community.

As I move through a second year of service at Crossroads, however, I’ve come to a deeper appreciation of what it means to “keep the lights on.” Consider our partnership with the Estes Park Extension of the Salvation Army, for example. Thanks to the generosity of the many volunteers and donors who support the Salvation Army locally, Crossroads Ministry was able to administer about $43,000 worth of assistance on their behalf in the past year. This makes the Salvation Army one of our most vital partners. 

But imagine the administrative costs the Estes Park Extension of the Salvation Army would incur if they were forced to hire their own staff to do the kind of case management that is necessary in order to effectively provide individualized assistance for local households in need. Because our humble Crossroads facility is here with the space necessary for receiving and distributing food, and because we have the personnel and office space necessary for qualifying clients and determining the best ways to help, 100% of those Salvation Army funds are in fact able to provide direct assistance to persons struggling to make ends meet. Similar partnerships with non-profits like Bright Christmas and other local organizations and businesses enable us to multiply the effectiveness of caring persons and the time or financial resources they generously commit to further the well-being of less fortunate neighbors.

At the same time, we literally help persons “keep the lights on” by providing assistance to prevent eviction or shut-off of utilities, as well as food, transportation, limited medical needs, and much more! In the process, we often provide compassionate “light” to brighten dark days and difficult times, too.

I continue to be overwhelmed by the generosity of our neighbors and our friends across the country. The need is great, and we are grateful for your help. Every gift matters. Every donation counts. Every hour of volunteer service makes a difference.

Whether it’s serving about one out of every 12 persons in the Estes Valley each year, providing a place for volunteer service, or helping partner organizations and individuals most efficiently and effectively apply charitable gifts and services, Crossroads Ministry is thankful for the privilege and the responsibility of “Keeping the Lights On” in the Estes Valley!

This post is from our December 2016 newsletter.

Read the entire newsletter here.

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(Photo courtesy lockandstockphotos.com)

"I Just Threw Away 180 Steaks"

“I can’t do this any longer.” He was deadly serious as he shared his frustration – and determination – with the staff at Crossroads Ministry of Estes Park.

He knew us from our food pantry’s partnership through the years with Estes Park Center YMCA of the Rockies, where he worked in the food service department. He also knew firsthand from having lived in Africa what severe hunger looks like.

“I just threw away 180 steaks.”

It is a painful reality for most caterers. When preparing to feed a large group, reputable food service professionals will almost always prepare at least 5% to 10% “extra” to avoid the embarrassment of running out of food and to ensure customers are getting their money’s worth.

On the other hand, not everyone who plans to attend a catered event is able to make it – especially when inclement weather or other unavoidable circumstances intervene. The challenges are multiplied when preparing meals in a large dining hall where it is impossible to determine with precision the number of persons who may drop in to eat on any given day.

As the largest food service operation in the Estes Valley, YMCA of the Rockies regularly prepares meals for hundreds of persons at a time. In this painful instance back in 2013, only about 120 out of 300 anticipated guests were able to attend and enjoy the fine steak dinner.

Volunteers repackaging YMCA food.

No one wants to throw away food – especially freshly-prepared high-quality meals. But the obstacles are formidable. The essential need to ensure food safety and comply with all applicable health regulations, plus the logistics of storage, packaging, transportation, and distribution, complicate even the most noble intentions.

Crossroads Ministry of Estes Park had struggled in the past to find a practical way to repackage food from the YMCA. “The traumatic experience of having to throw away those 180 steaks was what finally changed things,” says Virgil Good, who was serving as Executive Director of Crossroads Ministry at the time. In response to an appeal from the aptly named Mr. Good, in 2013 the San Antonio Area Foundation generously provided $15,000 toward the $20,000 cost for a commercial-grade repackaging room and refrigerator, coolers for transportation, and other necessities.

Volunteers pick up YMCA food for transport to Crossroads.

Since completion of the repackaging room in 2014, Crossroads Ministry volunteers have picked up tasty and nutritious food about three times per week from Estes Park Center YMCA of the Rockies. 

Upon delivery to Crossroads, another team of volunteers spends several hours repackaging the much-needed food – often high-quality protein like beef, chicken, and pork, that can be especially difficult for food pantries to obtain – in preparation for immediate freezing and subsequent distribution to persons in need.

In 2015, Crossroads Ministry of Estes Park distributed more than 120,000 pounds of food in our community. Of that total amount distributed, some 14,000 pounds of prepared food went to persons in need – instead of the landfill, thanks to our vital partners and friends at Estes Park Center YMCA of the Rockies.

God satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. 

–from Psalm 107:9

Long Road to Independence

The journey began in May 2000, when he first came to Crossroads Ministry along with his wife and their one-year-old. Over the course of the next dozen years, as the child’s special needs became more pronounced, Crossroads was there to help the struggling family.

Crossroads Ministry was there…

Ø  …with carefully-prepared boxes of food from our pantry to provide essential nourishment for a low-income family with a young child;

Ø  …with a little gasoline in the tank when there wasn’t enough to make it to work.

Crossroads Ministry was there…

Ø  …when they simply didn’t have $55 to pay for electricity or $59 for natural gas;

Ø  …when they didn’t know where they’d get the $47 to pay for a prescription;

Crossroads Ministry was there…

Ø  …to help ease their pain when urgently needed dental care would not have been possible without a $124 medical assist;

Ø  …when it made all the difference just to get a set of clean, used bed linens with their monthly food box, or $10 worth of clothing from the local thrift shop.

Month after month, he worked hard to make ends meet.

Year after year, the burden took its toll.

Still, Crossroads Ministry was there…

Ø  …when the growing child needed school supplies;

Ø  …when the prescription costs went up faster than his modest paycheck;

Ø  …when a devastating flood washed away the desperate family’s last reservoir of hope, and he worked as hard as he could to stay current with child support.

Crossroads Ministry urges clients to avail themselves of food from our pantry, not only to help ensure balanced and consistent meals, but also because saving on the monthly grocery bill can free up scarce financial resources for myriad other needs.

The same principle is true for Crossroads Ministry’s many volunteers and donors. Just as 20 pounds of food a week becomes a thousand pounds a year, so also small expressions of compassion add up. From the time his one-year old grew into a high school junior, a stunning 10,721.8 pounds of food helped a desperate family survive and grow.

After a decade-and-a-half of walking together, faces grow familiar, understanding deepens, hearts expand. We became concerned when regular visits became less frequent, and sad when all contact was lost shortly after he unexpectedly lost his job and his housing last year.

But sadness turned into joy when he surprised us with a phone call on June 1. He was proud to have found a home with his brother and sister-in-law in another Northern Colorado town, and glad to report that a steady job now enabled him to fully meet all of his financial responsibilities. He simply wanted to share his gratitude for help through the years past and, as he stood at a new crossroads in his life, newfound hope for the journey ahead. 

Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us.                    –from Ephesians 5:2 (NKJV)

"It's a miracle!"

She was taking a neighbor to a doctor appointment in Denver when the radiator blew. With a total monthly income of less than $900, a $600 car repair can be catastrophic.

The kindly woman has been a Crossroads client since July 2000, but her requests have always been modest – mostly food, occasional help getting a prescription, assistance with rent twice in the course of the past 16 years, two recent repairs for her old car.

It is heart-rending to review the financial situation of this disabled senior citizen who lives alone. Even with a small food stamp allowance and low-income housing, her disability and pension income is barely enough to survive on.

So it is that, when Crossroads received a call from a generous neighbor who had a reliable car to donate, our Case Manager knew right away where the vehicle was most needed. The Estes Park Extension of the Salvation Army made the much-needed gift complete by covering the cost of license plates, which otherwise would have been beyond the client’s means.

She and the Crossroads staff all brushed away tears of joy as we presented the vehicle. “It’s a miracle!” she exclaimed, again and again. “Now I can take my neighbor to her doctor appointment in Denver without being afraid of breaking down.” Remarkably, even in that special moment the opportunity to help others – rather than her own considerable needs – was uppermost in her heart.

Crossroads Ministry cannot cure chronic poverty, but we are thankful to provide food for all in need in our community and blessed to stand in the gap with special assistance in times of crisis. It is the generosity of individuals and families, local churches and area businesses, and partner agencies like the Salvation Army, that makes it possible for us to fulfill our mission of providing basic human services for Estes Valley residents in need.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied.

–from Psalm 22:26 (NRSV)

I would have been hungry & cold.

When I met him earlier this year, the discouragement was palpable. Although he officially retired several years ago, he was actively searching for employment to supplement a low fixed-income. “I have applied all over town,” he wrote in a personal letter to me, “but no luck yet.” His despair and bitterness was compounded by continuing grief over the death of his wife of 30 years.

Crossroads Ministry was able to provide immediate help to prevent eviction and termination of utilities, as well as ongoing assistance with food and – perhaps just as important – heartfelt compassion and encouragement.

A few days ago, in reply to our case manager’s invitation to share his story in writing, we received the following handwritten note:

I am 64 years old, on retirement and don’t make enough to live on. I went to Crossroads to apply for food and found out the many ways they could help me! They paid up my back rent and helped me with my elec. bill. They continue to help me!

They do a lot of good in the Estes community. Without them I would have been hungry & cold. And they helped my dog too!

Whether it is helping a stranger passing through or lifting up a neighbor suffering in silence, Crossroads Ministry is thankful for the generous churches, local businesses, partner organizations and many individuals whose support helps alleviate human need in the Estes Valley.

One does not live by bread alone…   –from Matthew 4:4 (NRSV)