Janette Taylor, Peak to Peak Housing and Human Services Alliance. It’s a hard transition, when you’ve always been able to support yourself, to suddenly need to apply for food stamps (SNAP) or use the Food Pantry. But that’s why this is an international crisis -- the world has turned upside down.

My mantra in this time is: “We All Take Turns”. Few of us have been able to completely avoid periods of low income and needing assistance in our lives. I got through college on my dad’s GI Bill, but the income didn’t always feed me; I remember weeks of surviving on popcorn until the next check showed up.

Now is the time for those of us unused to pursuing government assistance to use it to its fullest extent. Here is the important thing: there is local money and there are local resources available. However, they are limited and are especially needed by those who slip through the cracks of the bureaucracy. So, we MUST draw down state and federal options first, before going to Canyon Cares or EFAA and depleting their funding too soon.

If you are currently unemployed, consider completing this process as your job until you have a paying position again. Your first stop is Colorado PEAK.

* Step #1 -- Colorado Peak is the state portal that allows you to apply for all assistance available, acronyms like TAFN, SNAP, LEAP, CCAP. The human services people are telling us to just apply for everything. The system will then let you know what you qualify for, based upon your current income. Just go to your search engine and type in Colorado Peak.

Also apply for unemployment if you haven’t already done so. Search engine: Unemployment Colorado and you will be directed to the state site to apply: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/unemployment. Look for those specific words in the URL, as there are some phony sites being set up. As of 4/20, contractors and the self-employed can apply for unemployment benefits as well.

* Step #2 -- do not go hungry. You don’t have to, you are part of a community that cares. Food options start with the Food Pantries: Nederland, Gilpin County, Ward, Jamestown, Allenspark, Lyons. All of these areas have food either coming from the Nederland Food Pantry or they already had an operating food pantry that has ramped up. Other options: Families can pick up regular food at the high school parking lot, and also at the Youth and Family Center (Teens INC). It may not be exactly the groceries you are used to, but it’s food, it’s fresh, and cooking at home may be possible now if you have more time. Most of these pantries are now set up to be contact free, drive through.

Food Pantry times:

Nederland: Saturdays 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Do not get out of your car, clear your back seat or trunk for your box, volunteers will load. Do not leave behind unwanted items: share them safely with your neighbors.

Gilpin County: Thursdays 1:30 p.m. – 4 p.m. Justice Center Parking Lot.

Allenspark: Old Gallery, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays 3 p.m. - 4 p.m., call to register ahead of time: Linda White, stvrain3@aol.com or 303-747-9172.

Lyons: Lyons Community Church, Wednesdays 3 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Teens Inc: Tues - Thurs., call 303-258-3821 Ext. 12 or email suzie@Teensinc.org to arrange pick up.

Boulder Valley School District: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Nederland Middle/Senior High School parking lot.

Senior Meals: 60+ folk throughout the Peak to Peak area can contact the Nederland Area Seniors and sign up for multiple cooked meals to be delivered to your home. To do so, call 303-258-0799 or email mountainpeak.nicole@gmail.com.

Gilpin County Seniors can sign up for Meals on Wheels by calling 303-582-9800 or email gilpinseniors@gilpincounty.org.

*Step #3 -- Rent and Mortgage, Utilities, Car Payments: No question, this is a hard phone call to make, but it is vital. Contact your mortgage lender, landlord, loan-holder, utility company and tell them you are unemployed or under-employed due to the virus. Many of them have already set up helplines and options for us. They may not be ideal: a payment plan, a request for payment waiving late fees. Some may offer a temporary reduction. Whatever the situation, find out your options first before applying for emergency funding from local sources.

*Step #4 -- Tech: this actually comes first if you fall into this category. Do you have a computer, smart phone, wifi?

The Nederland Community Library has options for you both ways: you can book time on their computers 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Monday - Saturday. They also have loaner tech options and have extended their wifi to include their parking lot for people without wifi in their homes. You can apply for unemployment in your car.

Families with school-aged children at home who are having trouble connecting in via the internet due to lack of funds for wifi should contact their school immediately to see what options are available. There are also additional local funds to help with wifi if the school can’t help, but they will direct you to it.

*Step #5 -- When you run into issues applying for programs, are not being accepted by traditional programs for some reason or have needs that fall outside of them: there is a plethora of local mountain community help available. Here are some numbers to call after you have followed the first four steps!

Mountain Resources Liaison for the Emergency Family Assistance Association: Kristi Venditti, 720-422-7813 or Kristi@efaa.org.

Mountain Resources Liaison for OUR Center, covering Allenspark, Riverside, Raymond and Lyons: Rebecca Major, 303-525-3106, rebecca@ourcenter.org.

Mountain Resources for Seniors via Boulder County Area Agency on Aging: 60+ people call Colleen Sinclair, 303-258-3068, csinclair@bouldercounty.org.

Finally: STAY HOME as much as possible, especially if you are vulnerable to disease or have people in your household who are older or have illnesses that make them prone to infection. In order to do so, there are lots of fabulous volunteers who will run errands for you and your family including runs to Boulder, B&F, prescriptions, and many miscellaneous items. One volunteer running errands for multiple households decreases the risk for the community as a whole.

To connect with this volunteer corp, call or text Claudia Schauffler at 303-258-3387.

Mental Health: There are a lot of mental health options to act as a safety valve during this stressful time. Ari Goodman, mountain liaison for the Center for People with Disabilities can connect you with a group chat. Call her at 720-507-2969 or email her at Ari@cpwd.org.

Parenting has changed, and there is stress around this new situation. Teens Inc has set up a chat line for parents who need some emotional support: 970-363-4945, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.

Finally: ALL of these resources plus plenty more are available on the special COVID19 Resources page at P2PHHS.org. This is a website specifically about mountain resources, covering non-profits and government options as well.

Be well, be safe, and be patient. This, too, shall pass.

(Originally published in the April 23, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)