Albuquerque's Nancy Pope Among Finalists for Hunger Award

The Conagra Foods Foundation has just chosen Nancy Pope, director of the New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger, as one of five finalists for its Champions Against Child Hunger award. 

Nancy is competing against worthy candidates from Ohio, Texas, Nebraska and New York for this award.  But we want her to get the award, not only because it would recognize all the good work she has done in Albuquerque and the rest of the state, but because it also brings some new grant money home.

The grand prize winner of the Champions Against Child Hunger contest will receive:

- a three day/two night trip for two to New York, NY

- a tour of the Food Network studios (subject to availability)

- $1,000 cash as a reward for his or her advocacy against child hunger

- $5,000 donation by ConAgra Foods Foundation made in their name to Share Our Strength, Feeding America, Feeding America food bank, or a recognized charitable hunger relief organization of the finalist's choice

So please vote for Nancy by clicking on this link. (Be sure to scroll down if you need to. Nancy was listed fourth on the ballot on Feb. 24).  You have until March 19 to cast your votes, and you can participate one time each day per computer.  

"You can vote...once at work and once at home," says Sarah Newman of the New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger.

 

Not only that.  Please urge all your friends, colleagues and family to vote too. 

And every time you vote ConAngra Foods will donate $1 to Feeding America. 

By the way, here's what the ballot says about her:

In 2006, New Mexico had the highest rate of food insecurity in the United States. Nancy Pope was shocked by this statistic and decided to do something about it. With 25 years of business experience, Nancy knew that creating a plan was the right way to solve an issue and wrote the 2010 New Mexico Plan to End Hunger with the goal of moving New Mexico from number one (the worst ranking) to at least number five in the nation in food insecurity. Nancy reached her goal.

The specific goals of the plan included reducing childhood hunger, providing adequate food for seniors, improving access to food in rural and underserved communities, full participation in public food assistance programs, and creating a general awareness of hunger in New Mexico. Nancy left her job in state government to focus full-time on developing the New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger, and began contacting community leaders to join her in this quest.

Today, there are 67 public and private partners in the Collaboration, including state agencies, foundations, corporations, individuals and nonprofit organizations. Over the past two summers, Collaboration partners conducted Intergenerational Summer Food Programs and, during the summer of 2009, 46 sites across the state fed 7,000 children and 500 volunteers participated in the program.

In addition to her foundation and organizing work, Nancy writes a blog. 

By the way, she was nominated for the award by Kelli Cooper of the Albuquerque Community Foundation.