MISSION — As Kayla Montaño waited just outside the perimeter of a yellow-painted wooden house here near the corner of Karen and Azul streets, the 50-degree weather appeared to be a merciful respite from the freezing temperatures of previous nights.
But each gust of wind seemed to cut through the layers of threads of fabric with piercing efficiency, and each gust carried the faint scent of burning wood.
Soon after, Montaño was greeted by Angelica Reyes, who apologized for making Montaño wait, explaining that she had been gathering wood from an area of trees behind her house so that she could make a fire and cook for her family.
Montaño, a community organizer with La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, was there to give Reyes and her family a $50 Walmart gift card. LUPE donated 50 of these cards Wednesday to families in need who reside in colonias in Hidalgo County.
It was a small gesture, but for the families, it meant a world of difference after incurring freezing temperatures during the winter storm that stunned Texas, leaving it largely powerless. Here, in an under-resourced community, it meant more suffering without electricity.
“We’re trying to be of help to all the colonia residents in the Valley that are without light or electricity,” Montaño said. “There hasn’t been much help from the county, from the government, from anywhere. It’s already been about three days with no light. We’re trying to help them as best we can — providing them with these gift cards so they can try to get gas for their generators, heaters, warm food. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Montaño had four gift cards to hand out Wednesday. Reyes, who lives with her husband and their two daughters, 11-year-old Danna and 10-year-old Tabatha, was one of the four families in the colonia to receive one of the cards. The family had been without electricity and water, and was forced to adapt.
A trip to the back of the yellow house revealed a pot of water boiling over a small fire. Reyes said the water was going to be used to bathe. On the back patio, another fire in a barbecue pit was used to warm up a pot of beans and another pot of hot chocolate.
“It’s been really cold,” Reyes said. “I haven’t been able to do much. All you can do is be under the blankets at this point. We have a generator, but we couldn’t find any gas so we had to be outside by the fire.”
Reyes said that the gift card was a huge relief for her and her family. She said that she would use the card to buy food. She also praised LUPE for always helping her family and other families during times of crisis.
Soon, Reyes’ two daughters made their way outside the house. They said that it’s warmer outside than inside. While the situation seemed dire, the two girls wore permanent smiles.
“It’s really hard, especially when you can’t do anything except stay inside,” Danna said.
Both girls said that they try to keep themselves occupied with their phones, whether it’s listening to music or playing their favorite games.
“I’m very good,” Tabatha said. “I have a favorite game, Piggy. It’s a scary game and my mom says not to play it, but it’s not that scary.”
Danna and Tabatha both said that they enjoy reading books. Danna said she prefers books in the fantasy genre.
“I like dragons the most because it’s real adventurous,” Danna said. “I want to go to normal school, not online school, because sometimes it gets boring when you can’t do anything in the school. I miss my friends and reading books. I haven’t gotten any new books and I’m starting to get bored.”
“It’s really hard, especially in the colonias,” Montaño said. “If you look around, these aren’t the best quality homes. They don’t have the best insulation, so we can only imagine how cold it is inside. The people who live in the colonias are very low income, so it’s harder for them. They might not have a job right now because of this situation.”
Montaño, who has worked with LUPE for six years, said that she is able to empathize with those struggling in the colonias because she is going through a similar situation.
“I live in a colonia, and I’ve been without heat and water for almost three days,” Montaño said. “I know exactly what they’re feeling, how cold it is inside the house, how hard it is to get warm food on your plate. Being able to give just a little bit feels good.”
Another family in need received assistance Wednesday thanks to LUPE’s gesture.
Eufemia Cardenas lives a short walk away from Reyes and her family. She lives with her husband, their two daughters, and her sister-in-law.
She said that she planned to buy a heater for her freezing home.
“It’s been very difficult because we can’t do anything except be inside the house,” Cardenas said. “We have two daughters who have been stuck in their rooms under blankets. After all this cold weather, they’re starting to get sick.”
Those willing to make a donation to LUPE can visit their website, www.lupenet.org, or call one of their many offices located throughout the Valley.
Needs have mounted since the cold snap this past week, in which a lack of basic resources such as food and water followed power outages that left many such families in the cold.
In the Rio Grande Valley, some grocers reported a lag in supplies due to road conditions slowing deliveries, with so much as milk and eggs becoming a tough find these days.
The Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley is another nonprofit doing what it can to help meet the need.
From 7 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, the food bank will be holding a mass food distribution at Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, with enough supplies to provide for 3,500 families.
