Mutual Aid Monday surpasses 1,000 meals served

It’s no secret that the past few months in the Gunnison Valley have not been easy for its residents. Mutual Aid Mondays have been a little light in the storm that locals are facing. 

Since early November, Rachel Branham, Tyler Yingling and city council member Audrey Zahradka have been providing free dinners at The Dilly Deli on Monday nights from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and after just a few months, over 1,000 meals have been served. 

In early November, Yingling and Branham recognized the need Gunnison had not only for a little help with a meal, but a place for community to organize. 

“I overhear someone say it’s their first time every week,” said Branham, acknowledging that in the sea of familiar faces, there is always someone new, welcomed with the same smile. 

A Gunnison family of three said they have attended at least a dozen Mutual Aid Mondays since their inception. 

“We get to see friends, and to be honest, I was unemployed for nine months,” the family’s father said. “It’s been so amazing to have one night a week where we don’t have to worry about food.” Their 3-year-old son spends the evening rummaging through the collection of books and games that the Dilly Deli has to offer between bites of his dinner. 

“I love how well received it’s been, and that the Dilly Deli is a place people can gather with their friends, whether the meal is free or paid for,” said Branham, the owner of the Dilly Deli, who says she looks forward to Mondays every week. “I’m just really stoked that it’s serving people. This is the point of having a business on Main Street.”

The Gunnison food pantry helps to provide some ingredients for that week’s meal. Branham says she spends between $50 and $100 every week on ingredients and supplies, but some weeks all ingredients are donated. 

“Mutual aid is one of the most important ways that community can help community. What you put in, you get back,” said councilor Zahradka while passing out a bowl of spaghetti to a patron. Zahradka has been involved in mutual aid work her whole life, and jumped on the opportunity to be involved in this effort to feed the Gunnison Valley. “The need is not going away. The need for food, community and mutual aid never goes away.” 

Chase Mason, who was recently laid off from his welding job, says that he’s been attending the Monday night dinners for multiple months. 

“It’s a wonderful thing. I respect the message, and of course, free food is always appreciated,” said Mason, who echoed a shared concern that their attendance might be somehow taking a meal away from a person who may need it more, but that's the misconception that Branham is trying to quell. There is plenty to go around. 

Excitement has begun to fizzle slightly on the volunteer front. Though there are around eight pretty consistent returners, there have still been days where it’s just the organizers behind everything. Volunteering at Mutual Aid Mondays is a super easy way to give back to your community, plus you get a free meal in the process. 

After over 1,000 meals provided for Gunnison community members, Branham says that she only feels more motivated to keep providing what she can. Every Monday night, the Dilly Deli is open for a meal, a game, or even just a conversation.