At Crossroads, as we wrap up 2025, our numbers are showing us that we’ve delivered more services than we had budgeted for to meet the needs of our neighbors. We weren’t planning for a strike at Safeway, government shutdown, or SNAP benefits to be delayed, but when times got tough, the toughness of our community showed up in force to make sure our neighbors weren’t roughed up too much due to the unexpected hardship they experienced. We can’t shield everyone from the storms of life, but we can walk beside them with an umbrella to lessen the number of raindrops that fall on them.
In a way, the moments of crisis proved once again to me that there are sufficient resources in our community to meet the needs of our neighbors. I’m grateful we can serve as a strategic connector to maximize resources to meet the greatest needs in the Estes Valley. We’re committed to our mission, and we want to mobilize resources and services as quickly as possible to make sure needs are being met in a timely manner. I’m mindful today of what President John F. Kennedy had to say as he contemplated decisions for the betterment of our nation: “There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”
A couple of employees from Ferrellgas stopped by a few weeks ago with a donation of groceries that totaled over 240 pounds. They have committed to do this on a quarterly basis in 2026 as a way of locking arms with us to feed the community. We are extremely thankful for the many businesses, organizations, and residents who are contributing to our food inventory. This ensures that we’re fully prepared to feed the community…