Lifelong Peshastin resident knows her community is there when she needs them

Marisol Reyes, 29, and her son Damian, 7.

When Marisol Reyes’ 7-year-old son Damian got sick with the flu this winter, she had to take a week off work to take care of him. As a single mom, the 29-year-old didn’t really have another alternative. And since January is inevitably a slow time of year for most businesses in the Upper Valley and she only earns minimum wage at the restaurant where she works, she didn’t have the kinds of tips she needed available to her to cover that lost week’s worth of income.

Knowing she had to pay rent and also had a car payment coming up, she knew she wasn’t going to be able to cover all her expenses. Marisol reached out to Liz Hurtado, MEND’s social worker. Through its financial assistance program, MEND was able to cover a month of Marisol’s rent, giving her the breathing room she needed to get back on track.

“It was a weight off my shoulders, especially being a single mom. I was thinking, ‘how am I going to pay for this?’” Marisol said. “I’m really grateful I got it covered. I love to know the community is here. You have a backup if needed. I’ve been here all my life and I love this area and this community.”

Help When She Needs It

Marisol is aware that not all the reasons she may need help are within her control. She has to hope her son won’t get sick again, or another issue won’t come up that will require her to take more time off work. Fortunately, MEND is able to offer assistance to community members once every six months, so she knows that help is available if she needs it again in the future. She’s also used it in the past when she needed help, too.

When Marisol was going through a divorce during the pandemic, MEND covered a month’s rent for her while her finances were being used elsewhere.

“I was paying a lawyer, which was not cheap,” she said. “It was tough.”

She has also used the swim lesson vouchers MEND offers to make sure Damian knows how to swim.

“Being a single mom is really tough. He’s an only child, and I want him to be able to do all sorts of activities,” she says. “I want him to learn to swim because, where we live [near the river], it’s a much-needed thing. I feel like it’s one of the most important things a kid should learn.”

Marisol, who grew up in Peshastin and still lives there, first learned about MEND’s programs because her mom shopped at the Community Cupboard food pantry. Now, Marisol often tells people about MEND, especially her single mom friends who may need help. She sometimes even mentions it to customers she waits on at her job if they tell her they’re struggling with something she thinks MEND might be able to help with.

“I guess we all go through tough things at some point, and it’s nice be able to tell people about this resource,” she said. “We’re really thankful that MEND offers this.”

Recently, Marisol told a friend about the Community Cupboard.

“At that moment, she didn’t know there was that kind of resource,” Marisol said.

“What if they criticize me?” her friend said.

So Marisol offered to go with her so her friend could see that she’d be welcomed.

“We all go there for the same reason,” Marisol told her. “No bad vibes.”