As the Cerro community enters its second month without running water, one local business owner has turned compassion into action, organizing meals, supplies and other assistance for residents facing daily hardships.
Frank Rael, owner of Frank’s Eats and Sweets, has spent the past several weeks coordinating donations and volunteers to help families in the village, where many residents are elderly and continue to struggle without reliable water service.

Rael said helping Cerro was a natural decision. He grew up around the community, where his two sisters still live, and he continues to spend much of his time there. His mother also had deep family ties throughout the village.
“I know everyone there,” Rael said. “It’s home.”

His efforts began with preparing and serving dinner for the community’s elders. From there, the project grew as Rael reached out to local grocery stores and businesses for donations.

Working alongside volunteers Gloria Vigil, Frances Martinez and Lita Mead, Rael helped collect fresh fruit to assemble baskets for families throughout Cerro. Volunteers also assisted with delivering the baskets to residents.
The support has expanded beyond food. Rael organized donations to help residents with laundry expenses, collecting about $700 in quarters along with detergent and other laundry supplies so families could wash their clothes while coping with the ongoing water shortage.

In July, Rael and volunteers served a turkey dinner to local families, providing a hot meal while eliminating the need for residents to cook or wash dishes at home.

The efforts continued through July as Capo’s donated 10 large pizzas along with 10 additional large pizzas and wings, to provide another meal for families affected by the outage.

Rael said the response from local businesses has been overwhelming, with many eager to contribute once they learned about the community’s needs.

“Everyone has been willing to help out,” he said. “People have been very appreciative.”

He said the prolonged outage has been especially difficult because many Cerro residents are senior citizens, making everyday tasks significantly more challenging.

“It’s exhausting because right now I’m going the extra mile,” Rael said. “But it’s worth it for me. We’ll continue to do what we’re doing to help the community.”

Rael credits his late mother for inspiring his commitment to serving others.

“My mom used to tell us, ‘Never get tired of doing good,'” he said. “She was a cheerful giver, and I’ve carried that with me.”

He hopes the community effort encourages others to lend a hand when they can.

“You never know when you’ll be the next one who needs help,” Rael said. “Hopefully it inspires more people to give.”

While Rael has become a familiar face in the relief effort, he said recognition has never been his goal.
“I’m not doing it for publicity or a tax write-off,” he said. “I’m just doing it out of the kindness of my heart.”

As Cerro residents continue waiting for a permanent solution to the water crisis, Rael said he plans to keep helping in whatever way he can.

If your interested in supporting Frank’s efforts, stop by Frank’s Eats & Sweets in Questa to learn how you can get involved.