Omayra Acevedo, Peak to Peak. I’ll be the first to admit, that since my mother passed away, the holidays and I don’t exactly get along. I’ve tried to celebrate them to no avail. I tend to spend every holiday either working or alone at home with my cats. I am more than okay with this. It’s how I manage. 

This year, I was given the task of putting together the Holiday Mountain Market benefiting the non-profit Nederland Area Seniors. In case you don’t know about Nederland Area Seniors and Mountain Peak Life, allow me to help you discover the big things this small organization is accomplishing. 

NAS & MPL provide food to anyone that would like nutritional meals. Every Monday and Wednesday, lunch is served at noon. As part of the fundraising efforts, one social brunch and dinner are also hosted once a month. Everyone is invited! Anyone 60 years of age or older is never turned away for the inability to contribute $5. Prices range between $8 and $12 dollars for anyone under 60. Meals are hosted in the multipurpose room of the Nederland Community Center and all contributions benefit Nederland Area Seniors.

Imagine, if you will, sitting at home ill or injured; you have no money, no means of transportation and no help. The pain in your stomach tells you you’d give anything to have something to eat. Anything! We’ve all experienced hunger, but not all of us know when our next meal will be coming from. I’ve discovered that this is happening in our very own backyard.

Currently, a home delivery meal program is being expanded in hopes of bringing weekly meals to those who are home-bound and/or ill. As of October, there were 50 hungry individuals on a waiting list. You want to help? It’s easy. Attend one of our meals, ask questions, socialize with the elders of our wonderful community, volunteer or make a donation, and be part of the difference in someone’s life. It is truly a remarkable feeling to know you are a positive impact. 

How will I cope during a difficult time? I decided that I would set aside my feelings and focus on the task at hand. For those that struggle with things like holidays (and even those that don’t), I personally invite you to join me Friday, December 6th for the Town of Nederland Tree Lighting and Celebration (time TBD). As well as, Saturday, December 7th and Sunday, December 8th at the Holiday Mountain Market fund raiser. Entrance, entertainment and window shopping are all free.  Besides, helping raise funds to feed those in need is so much more important than my own struggles. I’ll survive pushing through my pain, but no one survives without food…

For more information or to make a reservation to lunch, brunch or dinner, please contact: mountainpeaklife.nas@gmail.com, 303.258.0799, www.mountainpeaklife.org.

(Originally published in the November 14, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)