{"id":2458588,"date":"2020-05-18T23:12:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-19T05:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/giving-thought-building-community-is-key-in-times-of-crisis\/"},"modified":"2020-05-18T23:12:00","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T05:12:00","slug":"giving-thought-building-community-is-key-in-times-of-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/giving-thought-building-community-is-key-in-times-of-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"Giving Thought: Building community is key in times of crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image p402_hide\">\n<div class=\"caption-container\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"413\" height=\"620\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/acf-atd-091019.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/acf-atd-091019.jpg 413w, https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/09\/acf-atd-091019-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 413px) 100vw, 413px\"><\/p><figcaption><strong>Tamara Tormohlen<\/strong><br \/><em>Steve Mundinger<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">From the ruptured supply chain to the growing ranks of the unemployed, COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc with Americans\u2019 lives, and the need for helpers, caregivers and everyday heroes is ever more apparent.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Most of us are trying to do our part by sheltering at home, wearing masks and\/or gloves during our few trips into public spaces, and generally taking care in all of our activities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. That in itself is vitally important to minimize the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Today, however, I want to thank those among us who are going a bit further \u2014 not only to prevent more infections, but to provide help and direct support to those whose lives have been upended by the pandemic.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe spend a lot of time talking to people,\u201d said Graham Frontella, a property manager with roughly 100 rental units in the Rifle area. \u201cIt\u2019s important that they feel heard. Do you really have what you need? How many days of supplies?\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col\" readability=\"6\">\n<div class=\"row at-donation at-donation-mobile p-0\" readability=\"7\">\n<div class=\"col-xl-4 p-2\">\n<div data-bg=\"url(https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png)\" class=\"p-0 mt-2 mb-2 h-75 text-center rocket-lazyload\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/AT-logo-white.png\" class=\"logo m-0 p-0 invisible\"><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"d-inline mr-3\">Support Local Journalism<\/h3>\n<p><button class=\"btn d-inline\" type=\"button\" onclick=\"handleDonationButtonClickMidArticle()\">Donate<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Frontella is a landlord, and he\u2019s quick to say that his family-owned company is \u201cnot a charity.\u201d But he also takes a uniquely human approach to his work, and views each of his tenants as clients. So, if a tenant has lost a job, or a family member, or the transmission of the family car, then Frontella will try to help. He\u2019ll work with his tenants to settle rent issues.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Since the COVID-19 crisis began, Frontella and his crew have regularly checked in with tenants in an effort to ensure nobody goes without their basic needs. One family might need a box of diapers or a certain medication. For someone else, it could be a plumbing or electrical repair or, yes, a few rolls of toilet paper.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Every tenant, and every situation, is different.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe grew up farming and ranching on the Western Slope, and we\u2019ve always shared what we had, whatever it takes,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been going hard for weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It\u2019s a similar, all-hands-on-deck situation at the El Jebel Mobile Home Park, where Robert Hubbell, manager of Crawford Properties, says his many tenants are either \u201cworking overtime or they have no work at all.\u201d Hubbell and his team use email blasts and social media to get information out to tenants about financial relief, food distributions and other sorts of assistance.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cWe\u2019ve had to hit the pause button in order to work with everybody on a case-by-case basis,\u201d Hubbell said. \u201cWe\u2019re not charging any late fees. We just have to work with each family and hopefully we\u2019ll all get through this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The overall situation evolves constantly as tenants find or lose work, and as the rules change regarding government assistance and food availability. When asked how he\u2019d sum up the current approach to business, Hubbell said, \u201cCommunity and teamwork. We all just have to work together.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">A shining example of those tenets occurs every Thursday at noon in the parking lot at Basalt Middle School. Dozens, even hundreds, of cars and trucks line up in orderly queues that stretch onto nearby streets, but they\u2019re not dropping children at school. They\u2019re picking up food provided by Food Bank of the Rockies and distributed (with gloves and masks) by Aspen Skiing Co.\u2019s events team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Beginning in March, when the grip of the pandemic was first felt, food distribution has been a high priority in local relief efforts. As more members of the workforce were laid off, the cries for help increased and the systems to meet those needs mushroomed accordingly in organization and sophistication. Last Thursday\u2019s food distribution was the essence of efficient, medically appropriate, social-distanced community service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAs the need grew, we worked with the schools to get set up in Basalt,\u201d said Hannah Berman, Skico\u2019s sustainability and philanthropy manager. \u201cAnd it\u2019s just grown every week. At this point, we\u2019ve fed more than 1,600 households.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Aspen-Snowmass ski resorts were closed in mid-March, but Skico\u2019s events people have transitioned smoothly from concerts and banquets into this new, philanthropic variety of food service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAs the largest employer in the valley, we feel like we are the community,\u201d Berman said. \u201cWe\u2019ve always been a company that tries to take the long view.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Frontella, the Rifle property manager, echoes that sentiment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe overarching goal for us has always been to build community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\">Tamara Tormohlen is executive director of the Aspen Community Foundation.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/opinion\/giving-thought-building-community-is-key-in-times-of-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tamara TormohlenSteve Mundinger From the ruptured supply chain to the growing ranks of the unemployed, COVID-19 continues to wreak havoc with Americans\u2019 lives, and the need for helpers, caregivers and everyday heroes is ever more apparent. Most of us are trying to do our part by sheltering at home, wearing masks and\/or gloves during our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2458588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 15:16:34","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2458588"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2458588\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2458588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2458588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2458588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}