House Hunger Caucus Gains More than 80 Members in One Year

A little over a year ago, Rep. Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Rep. Lynn Jenkins, a Republican from Kansas, joined forces to relaunch the bipartisan House Hunger Caucus. The two representatives chose the DC Central Kitchen to announce that the caucus was back.

The next step was to recruit other members of the House to join in the effort. So Rep. McGovern and Rep. Jenkins put together a Dear Colleague Letter inviting all 435 members of the House of Representatives (as well as six non-voting members) to join the caucus.

Dear Colleague:

We invite you  to join us as members of the newly re-established House Hunger Caucus.  The House Hunger Caucus is a bipartisan forum for Members and staff to discuss, advance and engage the House's work on national and international hunger and food insecurity issues. 

Ending hunger at home and around the world is a popular idea, but it is a goal that, for a variety of reasons, has yet to be accomplished.  There are many programs, plans, and organizations dedicated to ending hunger, just as there are governmental programs that are successful but underutilized in some cases. In addition, corporations and small businesses are active in fighting hunger, as are churches, faith-based organizations, and other non-profit organizations. 

Specific functions of the House Hunger Caucus include:

• Bring awareness to national and international hunger and food insecurity issues,
• Serve as a forum for Members and staffs to receive information through briefings, hearings and meetings about hunger and food insecurity issues
• Create a coalition of Members to support legislative initiatives and funding requests that help address hunger and food insecurity
• Serve as a vehicle for local, state and national hunger non-profits to communicate to Congress about hunger and food insecurity issues
• Enhance public and private partnerships to support hunger and food insecurity initiatives
• Create a forum for academic discussion of long term solutions to hunger and food insecurity issues

We are concerned about the number of people who go hungry every day and this Caucus re-established to address this important issue. We are committed to working together in a bi-partisan way and we hope you will join us in addressing these serious matters as a member of the House Hunger Caucus.

A year later, nearly one-fifth of the House of Representatives (83 voting members and three non-voting members) have joined the House Hunger Caucus. The list includes New Mexico Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham from the First Congressional District and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan from the Third Congressional District. These representatives elected to address hunger and food insecurity in a very intentional way and deserve our gratitude.  If your representative is on this list, please send him or her a note of thanks for "Voting to End Hunger."

Our deep gratitude to Jennifer Chandler, chief of staff for Rep. McGovern, for supplying the list of members of the House Hunger Caucus.

Member	State and District	Party
Adams, Alma	NC-12	D
Aguilar, Pete	CA-31	D
Benishek, Dan M.D.	MI-01	R
Bishop, Mike	MI-08	R
Bishop, Sanford	GA-02	D
Bordallo, Madeleine	GU	D
Brady, Robert	PA-01	D
Capps, Lois	CA-24	D
Capuano, Michael	MA-07	D
Carson, Andre	IN-07	D
Clark, Katherine	MA-05	D
Cleaver II, Emanuel	MO-05	D
Connolly, Gerald	VA-11	D
Conyers, John	MI-13	D
Costa, Jim	CA-16	D
Courtney, Joe	CT-02	D
Crenshaw, Ander	FL-04	R
DeFazio, Peter	OR-04	D
DeLauro, Rosa	CT-03	D
Deutch, Ted	FL-21	D
Dingell, Debbie	MI-12	D
Doggett, Lloyd	TX-35	D
Doyle, Mike	PA-14	D
Edwards, Donna	MD-04	D
Ellison, Keith	MN-05	D
Forbes, Randy	VA-04	R
Frankel, Lois	FL-22	D
Goodlatte, Bob	VA-06	R
Granger, Kay	TX-12	R
Green, AL	TX-09	D
Griffith, Morgan	VA-09	R
Hastings, Alcee	FL-20	D
Honda, Mike	CA-17	D
Huffman, Jared	CA-02	D
Hultgren, Randall	IL-14	R
Jackson-Lee, Sheila	TX-18	D
Jenkins, Lynn, CPA	KS-02	R
Johnson, Eddie Bernice	TX-30	D
Kaptur, Marcy	OH-09	D
Kelly, Mike	PA-03	R
Kind, Ron	WI-03	D
Kildee, Dan	MI-05	D
Kuster, Ann McLane	NH-02	D
Larsen, Rick	WA-02	D
Larson, John	CT-01	D
Lawrence, Brenda L.	MI-14	D
Lee, Barbara	CA-13	D
Levin, Sander	MI-09	D
Lewis, John	GA-05	D
Lipinski, Daniel	IL-03	D
LoBiondo, Frank	NJ-02	R
Loebsack, David	IA-02	D
Lowenthal, Alan	CA-47	D
Lujan, Ben Ray	NM-03	D
Lujan Grisham, Michelle	NM-01	D
Lynch, Stephen	MA-08	D
Maloney, Carolyn	NY-12	D
Matsui, Doris	CA-06	D
McCollum, Betty	MN-04	D
McDermott, Jim	WA-07	D
McGovern, James P.	MA-02	D
Moolenaar, John	MI-04	R
Murphy, Patrick E.	FL-18	D
Neal, Richard	MA-01	D
Nolan, Rick	MN-08	D
Norton, Eleanor Holmes	DC	D
Pallone, Frank	NJ-06	D
Pingree, Chellie	ME-01	D
Price, David	NC-04	D
Rangel, Charles B.	NY-13	D
Reichert, David	WA-08	R
Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho	MP	D
Schakowsky, Jan	IL-09	D
Schiff, Adam	CA-28	D
Scott, Robert "Bobby"	VA-03	D
Serrano, Jose	NY-15	D
Smith, Adam	WA-09	D
Speier, Jackie	CA-14	D
Thompson, Glenn "GT"	PA-05	R
Trott, David	MI-11	R
Tsongas, Nikki	MA-03	D
Upton, Fred	MI-06	R
Van Hollen, Chris	MD-08	D
Walberg, Tim	MI-07	R
Welch, Peter	VT At-Large	D
Young, Todd	IN-09	R

Celebrating Donna McNiel

A meeting with congressional candidate Marty Chavez

When Rev. Donna McNiel was hired as director of the New Mexico Conference of Churches six years ago, she stepped into some big shoes. She had to carry on the great work that Rev. Wally Ford and Rev. Barbara Dua had started in this community.

She succeeded in a big way, expanding on the solid foundation that was already here. Under Donna's watch, the NMCC worked with the Ecumenical Institute for Ministry and other organizations to promote ecumenical connections among churches in the state, providing resources for growth (through the congregational vitality series).

She also helped facilitate connections with interfaith organizations that worked on very important issues, including immigration and refugees, climate change and the environment, hunger and poverty, and peacemaking (at the local and global levels). Part of this work included advocacy. And she worked hard to promote relationships between Christian congregations and other faith communities. Donna left her own footprint in our community (and the accomplishments that we mention in this post are just a small cross-section of her work here). Now it's time for someone else to step into her shoes.

Farewell Celebration

for Donna McNiel's ministry 

with the 

New Mexico Conference of Churches

Friday, April 1 

4 pm - 7 pm 

Appetizers & Beverages 

at the NMCC Office 
1019 2nd St. NW, Abq 

Vote to End Hunger: 'Will this Legislation Help Put Food on the Table?'

Imagine if legislators asked of every bill, every time, Will this create a job?” “Will this help put food on the table?” “Will this make families more secure?” So much clutter of the session could be removed, to focus on improving the state from the ground up.  Editorial on Feb. 21, 2015, in The New Mexican (Santa Fe)

The New Mexican newspaper asked that question in an editorial published more than a year ago but relevant today and probably in the future. The Santa Fe daily made the comment as the New Mexico State Legislature was in the midst of its 60-day session. The editorial raised the question in the context of the traditional addresses to the legislative body by the five members of the federal Congressional delegation. 

The question posed by The New Mexican is very much in the spirit of the Vote to End Hunger, which seeks to make hunger a political priority. "Vote to End Hunger is a broad coalition of individuals and organizations all committed to ending hunger in the U.S. and around the world by 2030, We believe that it will take the combined public and political will to do this and are working together to elevate the issue of hunger with candidates during the 2016 election cycle." 

Bread for the World is one of seven members of the steering committee for the Vote to End Hunger Coalition. The others are The Alliance to End Hunger, Feeding America, the Food Research and Action Center, Meals on Wheels, No Kid Hungry and RESULTS.

The editorial in The New Mexican included quotes from our three members of the House and Sen. Tom Udall. Sen. Martin Heinrich had not yet addressed the legislature when the editorial was published, but his comments were carried later by the Las Vegas Times.

The New Mexican singled out comments from Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is a member of the Subcommittee on Nutrition of the House Agriculture Committee.

“It’s time that you declare war on poverty in New Mexico. It is time that the New Mexico Legislature flat-out declare war,” Lujan Grisham said, reminding everyone that poverty is the underlying issue with every problem in the state. “There’s not a single member here, from the House or the Senate, Republican or Democrat, who doesn’t have poverty issues that you’re working to address in the neighborhoods that you represent. There’s not a single elected leader here today who doesn’t have a hungry child or a school with a nutrition program that’s in trouble.”

All three members of the House are running for reelection in November, so it's relevant to include their comments from 2015 in the context of the Vote to End Hunger campaign.

Rep. Ben Ray Lujan: “As a state and a country, we cannot reach our full potential without a vibrant middle class...I am not naïve. I know that for too many New Mexicans, this vision feels like it’s slipping away. I’ve sat across from many kitchen tables in many homes across New Mexico and looked into many parents’ eyes and seen the hurt and fear as they struggle to provide the next meal for their children.”

Rep. Steve Pearce: He spoke of ways to diversify and revive our state economy, including efforts to boost the technology, agriculture and perhaps the timber industry. “What people want is not complex at all. They just want financial security and independence."

According to the New Mexico Secretary of State's office, businessman  Richard Priem is challenging Rep. Lujan Grisham in Congressional District 1. In District 2, Merrie Soules, an employee of General Motors' Packard Electric Division, is challenging Rep. Steve Pearce. In District 3, three candidates will face each other--Rancher Michael Glenn Lucero, ski tech Jerald Steve McFall and Air Force veteran Michael Romero--in the New Mexico June 7primary election for the right to challenge Rep. Ben Ray Lujan in the general election on Nov 8.
We also include comments from Sen. Tom Udall and Sen. Martin Heinrich from 2015.  Neither of our two senators is facing re-election this year.

Sen. Tom Udall:“Thirty percent of New Mexico children and 44 percent of Native American children live below the poverty line.We should work together to improve that. No American who works full time should be in poverty.”

Sen. Martin Heinrich: We need to take a holistic approach to addressing the needs of children along with their parents. Leaving either the child or the parent behind decreases a family’s chance at success. Imagine if we were able to bring all these resources together, working as one to support the family. 

Resurrection: A Kaleidiscope Turning in the Light

Embracing connection over division, mercy over punishment, resurrection releases us from prisons of the past. When we practice resurrection, the fragments of world shift, as our heart-like-kaleidoscope turns in the light. -(Excerpt from The Practice of Resurrection, Still in the Storm blog by Joe Grant)

 We celebrate this day of Christ's Resurrection with Easter traditions from three distinct spots around the world: Zambia, Peru and Spain. The third video depicts the traditional swinging of the incense botafumeiro at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.

Seventh Station: Feeding Our Children

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.   Isaiah 58: 7-8

George set the tone for the Seventh Station by  reading a few verses from Isaiah 58. Kathy followed with a reflection on child hunger in New Mexico. One in three children in our state are at risk of hunger.  When children are hungry, this means that families are hungry. That is not right. School teachers are having to reach into their own pockets to feed hungry children in their classrooms. That is not right. Albuquerque's Urban Way of the Cross was not just about stating the problem, but also about telling stories of redemption. So, we celebrated those same teachers--Sonya Romero, Marvin Callaghan and many of their colleagues--who used their own resources so children would not go hungry.  Kathy asked pilgrims on this walk to think of one word: change. What can we change structurally to ensure that children in our state no longer have to go hungry?

Sonya Romero Smith

Connecting the Dots
The 2016 Urban Way of the Cross was also about connecting the dots. There are deep connections among the issues that we addressed.

The clearest connection was between Station Four (Poverty Matters) and Station Seven.  It was by coincidence that Sonya Romero Smith was offering the reflection on child poverty. She spoke about how she had to provide a home for two children who would have gone homeless. Kathy made sure to connect the dots, mentioning the link between Sonya's reflection and our reflection on hunger.

The pilgrims on the walk also heard reflections about the challenges of women who had been in prison; immigrant children at the detention center in Artesia, New Mexico; veterans; and people who suffer from homelessness.

To state the problem and talk about the challenges was necessary. That's what Good Friday is all about. The stories of redemption were also important. That's what Easter is all about. The biggest lesson this day is that Good Friday and Easter are intricately interrelated. This was a day about connecting the dots. Our journey ended with a dab  of oil on our foreheads and a personal prayer.

Here pictures of some of the pilgrims who walked on the 2016 Good Friday journey through downtown Albuquerque:

Sweet Jazz (The Tenth Annual): A Fundraiser for Family Promise of Albuquerque

Image: OpenClipArt

Those who have attended fundraisers for Family Promise of Albuquerque are familiar with Sid Fendely and friends (Donna Hughes, Patty Stephens, Kari Simmons, Linda Myers, Michael Anthony, Milo Jaramillo, John Bartlit, and Rodolfo Gonzalez). For years, the group has provided entertainment for  Sweet Jazz, which raises money for an organizationthat has provided shelter for 400 families experiencing homelessness in Albuquerque during the last 11 years.

There is an accomplishment that you might not know about Fendley. According to the entertainment site IMDb, he wrote the music for two films: In the Wake (set in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina) and The Sun Never Sets (about the award-winning weekly newspaper The Rio Grande Sun in Española in northern New Mexico).

The 10th annual Sweet Jazz fundraiser is scheduled for this coming Friday, April 4, at Sandia Presbyterian Church, 10704 Paseo del Norte NE (map), at 7:00 p.m. Tickets ($20 for one, $35 for two) are available online, at the door, or at two restaurants: The Egg and I, 6909 Menaul Blvd NE in Albuquerque (map), and Joe's Pasta House, 3201 Southern Blvd SE, in Rio Rancho (map). 

Good Friday Around the Country

For over 20 years, we have gathered on Good Friday to commemorate the passion of Christ through a Way of the Cross among D.C. institutions. The observance of Christ’s passion is an opportunity to reflect on the ways we have broken our covenant with God at the expense of other persons and creation. In the suffering of the earth and its creatures, we have crucified Divinity in our midst. At each station we will focus on a different economic or ecological challenge or sign of hope for our times. Economic & Ecological Way of the Cross, Washington, D.C.

United Methodist Minister Greg Henneman was part of the team that help bring back a Good Friday procession to Albuquerque, a role that once belonged to the Center for Action and Contemplation. Greg, Episcopal priest Susan Allison-Hatch and other lay organizers and clergy decided to call the new pilgrimage through the streets of downtown Albuquerque The Urban Way of the Cross. During the the first two years of the Urban Way of the Cross, the pilgrimage started at Wells Park near St. Martin's Hospitality Center. The next three years (including this year), the starting and ending point is Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, a Jesuit congregation in downtown Albuquerque.

Greg left for Columbus, Ohio, in 2014, where he provided input for a downtown pilgrimage in that community, organized primarily by the Community Development for All People. The procession starts at Livingston United Methodist Church and ends at the Church for All People.

As people of faith in Albuquerque and Columbus walk to pray with the community of need and mercy, pain and hope in their respective cities, other communities around the country have also organized pilgrimages around Good Friday: New York City; Washington, D.C.; Madison (Wisconsin); Indianapolis; Kansas City; Houston; Richmond (Virginia); Rochester (Minnesota) and many more cites. The pilgrimages of reflection are generally organized by local Pax Christi, Catholic Worker and Maryknoll groups but have broad ecumenical participation. Here is a partial list from Pax Christi of cities organizing a Way Of the Cross.  The link also includes a list of resources.

This year’s theme is “Do you see me? What will you do?” The journey is meant to challenge people to see those on the margins whom we so very often ignore or fail to see. Each of the 14 stops along the way will provide an insightful reflection on a segment of our population right here in the greater Atlanta area that suffers from injustice and relegation to the shadows. We will end with a reflection on building the Kingdom here on earth by making the decision to do something about those we meet along the journey that day; a true Christian call to action that asks us to really live our faith. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta

A Holy Thursday Reflection through the Eyes of a Salvadoran Refugee

Here is an excerpt of a reflection that Jean Stokan and Scott Write wrote for the Pax Christi site on Holy Thursday, 2016

On this night we recall our own journey to freedom and our passage to new life. And we can learn from other peoples who have made this journey, such as this testimony from a refugee who fled El Salvador during its civil war, only to return to celebrate Holy Thursday night with the gratitude of one who has known great suffering and great joy:

Just as the people of Israel recalled their liberation from slavery in Egypt, in the paschal supper we, too, recall our own history, how we lived under oppression, how we organized to struggle against injustice, how we had to flee to the hills to take refuge, and how we prepared ourselves there, learning many things so that when we returned one day we could help rebuild our country.

What is our experience of Passover? How have we passed from slavery to freedom in this Lenten journey? How have we experienced the liberation that comes from our identification with Christ suffering in the “crucified peoples” of the planet, in those whom we encounter along the way, in those who are entrusted to our care each day? Read full reflection

Creating a Fusion Coalition in New Mexico

'We' is the most important word in the social justice vocabulary. The issue is not what we can't do, but what we CAN do when we stand together. With an upsurge in racism/hate crimes, criminalization of young black males, insensitivity to the poor, educational genocide, and the moral/economic cost of a war, we must STAND together now like never before." Rev. William Barber, President of the North Carolina NAACP

Rev. William Barber is coming to New Mexico at the invitation of Rev. Holly Beaumont and Interfaith Worker Justice-New Mexico to help facilitate A Vision and Strategy Retreat; Creating a Fusion Coalition for People of Faith Conscience in our state. He comes with very impressive credentials; he is founder of the Forward Together Moral Movement, president of the North Carolina chapter of the NAACP in North Carolina, and pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Greensboro, N.C. Prominent theologian Cornel West has gone as far as to describe Rev. Barber as "the closest person we have to Martin Luther King, Jr. in our midst."

"Dr. Barber and this coalition has aided in the passage of the Racial Justice Act of 2009, which allowed death row inmates to appeal their sentences on the grounds of racial bias in the court system; and successfully advocated for voting reforms such as same-day registration and early voting, and has re-framed marriage equality as a civil rights issue and helped mobilized black churches to support a ballot initiative in 2012," said the North Carolina NAACP

Now that we've established Rev. Barber's impressive credentials, the next question is what is a fusion coalition?  The closest example would the  Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) Peoples Assembly Coalition, a broad alliance of more than 140 progressive organizations, with over 2 million memberships. The coalition has come together to champion a 14 point anti-racism, anti-poverty, anti-war agenda. This article in The Nation magazine has more information.

The Vision and Strategy Retreat
Wednesday, April 13, beginning at 9:00 A.M., to Thursday, April 14, ending at Noon.
Canossian Spirituality and Retreat Center
5625 Isleta Blvd. SW in Albuquerque (map)
Registration Cost: $45. plus meals and overnight accommodations (available on Tuesday and Wednesday nights) See below for costs of accommodations and meals.
Scholarships are available.   Space is limited!
For more information and/or to register contact Holly: hbeaumont@iwj.org or 505-660-5018

Meal costs (per person) for day conferences: Breakfast $6.00, Lunch $10.00, Dinner $14.00
Rates for Overnight Accommodations (which include meals).
Double occupancy room with private bath $65.00 per person per night
Double occupancy room without bath $60.00 per person per night
Single occupancy room with private bath $75.00 per person per night
Single occupancy room without bath $70.00 per person per night

Here is a video of Rev. Barber, followed by quotes from prominent individuals.


"William Barber is the closest person we have to Martin Luther King, Jr. in our midst. His life and witness is shot through with spiritual maturity, subversive memory and personal integrity...prophetic vision, historical analysis and courageous praxis." ---Cornel West, Union Theological Seminary

"The Rev. William Barber and his allies are at the forefront of a new movement for justice that our nation's children and families desperately need". --Marian Wright Edelman, Founder of the Children's Defense Fund

The Reverend William Barber knows what ails us and--what is rare in this day and age --he knows what to do about it." --Thomas Frank, author of What's the Matter with Kansas?

'The Born Frees' Author Coming to The Duke City & The City Different

Book launch at Busboys & Poets in Washington, August 2015

Kimberly Burge has made appearances at bookstores, churches, seminaries and universities in Washington, Cleveland, Fairfax, Va., Cincinnati, and the San Francisco Bay area to promote her book The Born Frees. Boston is scheduled in the next couple of weeks. And on April 30, her tour brings her to Albuquerque and Santa Fe!

We invite you to attend the readings at Noon at Op.Cit Books, at DeVargas Mall, 157 Paseo de Peralta (map) in Santa Fe or at 3:00 p.m. Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW (map) in Albuquerque to hear Kimberly talk about her experiences working with a group of remarkable young women through a writing group she helped organize in the township of Gugulethu, South Africa. See listing on the Bookworks calendar of events

These young women belonged to the first generation born into a post-apartheid world. Though they were “born free,” the young women of the townships around Cape Town still face daunting challenges. 

Girls such as irrepressible Annasuena, whose late mother was one of South Africa s most celebrated singers; bubbly Sharon, already career-bound; and shy Ntombi, determined to finish high school and pursue further studies, find reassurance and courage in writing. Together they also find temporary escape from the travails of their lives, anxieties beyond boyfriends and futures: for some of them, worries that include HIV medication regimens, conflicts with indifferent guardians, struggles with depression. Driven by a desire to claim their own voices and define themselves, their writing in the group Amazw Entombi, Voices of the Girls, provides a lodestar for what freedom might mean.

The readings at Op.Cit and Bookworks are the two events where the public can meet Kimberly. She also has events scheduled at Amy Biehl Charter High School and the University of New Mexico (sponsored by the Fulbright Association-New Mexico) on April 29. There is also a possibility that she will appear on the KUNM radio show Women's Focus (via a phone interview) on Saturday, April 23.  Stay tuned for details.

(Posters courtesy of Steve McKiernan)

Albuquerque Rescue Mission to Hold Annual Foot Washing on Saturday

Anyone who is experiencing homelessness (men, women and children) is invited to Albuquerque Rescue Mission (ARM)'s annual Foot Washing event on Saturday, March 26, from 10:30 am to 1:30 pm. ARM is located at 525 Second St. SW. (map) The video above was produced in conjunction with the 2010 Foot Washing.

ARM will be reaching out to the homeless community by providing socks, shoes, snacks, and health assessments: "As Jesus washed the disciples' feet, so will the volunteers, podiatrist, and chaplains minister to the homeless guests of the ABQ area."

As part of its annual washing of the feet, ARM held a "Sock n' Sole Shoe & Sock Drive" to collect new socks and new or gently used shoes to distribute to participants. Even though the campaign for the drive officially concludes today, ARM might still need shoes and socks (especially shoes in these sizes: 10-13 for men and 6-9 for women). Call 346-4673 for info.

Lenten Prayers and Reflections for Holy Week

Readings for Palm Sunday
Isaiah 50:4-9a    Psalm 31   Philippians 2:5-11    Luke 22:14-23;56

from Bread for the World

Rep. Lujan Grisham Seeks More Money for Emergency Food Banks

“In New Mexico, families are suffering more than most. One of three children in New Mexico is at risk of hunger, and 18 percent of families are at risk of hunger. That’s unacceptable.” -Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham

Photo: Roadrunner Food Bank

Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham has proposed an initiative to provide more direct federal funding to affiliates of Feeding America and other independent food banks. She announced the proposed Food Bank Assistance Act of 2016 earlier this month at press conference on Pajarito Mesa, an unincorporated area outside of Albuquerque that is home to people without access to basic services and other necessities of life, including food. Roadrunner Food Bank's mobile food pantry distributes food at the site on a monthly basis.

One of the purposes of the increased federal funds, which would increase  the amount of money available to help emergency food banks with costs for distribution and storage. This means that Roadrunner Food Bank, the Food Depot and other food banks around the country would be able to devote more of the money that they raise on their own to food.

 "Food banks throughout the country have to divert private donations to support the cost of storing and distributing foods to communities, like Pajarito Mesa, here in Bernalillo County,” said the congresswoman.

“In every case, that means that the food bank is unable to use this money to improve programs and services for their clients, or increase the purchase of fresh locally grown foods to augment the quality and variety of foods available, ” said Lujan Grisham, who has been at the forefront of anti-hunger efforts in her role as member of the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition.

“We’re not going to make Roadrunner or any other program choose between having to store the food and feeding those families,” added Lujan Grisham, whose press conference was covered by KRQE-TV,  KOB-TV, The Albuquerque Journal and the Roadrunner Food Bank blog. Below are videos of the press conference from the two TV stations.
 

Happy 20th Birthday to New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty

Federal District Court blocks NM state's illegal SNAP work requirements. Major victory in fight against hunger.

— NM Poverty Law (@NMPovertyLaw) March 8, 2016

We believe every New Mexican should have an equal access to justice, regardless of economic status.  -New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty

The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. For 20 years, this organization has been fighting for the rights of low-income families in our state, and this is something to celebrate.

The tweet at the top of this post describes the NMCLP's latest victory: an injunction from a federal judge that suspends the state of New Mexico's punitive rules requiring thousands of New Mexicans to prove they are working or looking for a job in order to receive benefits under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

The ruling means the state cannot institute the work rules until Dec. 31, 2016, unless it proves to the judge that the rules won’t result in New Mexicans illegally being denied food benefits, said The New Mexican, quoting NMCLP staff attorney Sovereign Hager.

This battle with the state over SNAP rules has extended over several years, and the NMCLP has been at the forefront of the fight from the beginning. One of the biggest arguments against the state directive is that low-income New Mexicans are being forced to find a job in a state that has few employment opportunities.

Staff lawyers Sovereign Hager and Louise Pocock

The center is most commonly known for its work to protect  public benefits (we aim to protect and improve the public benefits safety net which helps struggling New Mexican families meet their basic human needs and ultimately escape from poverty). However, over the past 20 years, the NMLC has worked in some very important areas:  health care (we work to advance quality healthcare for all New Mexican children and families), workers' rights (we strive to improve pay and working conditions for low-wage earners), education (A quality education can be a reliable route out of poverty), and civil legal services (we believe every New Mexican should have an equal access to justice, regardless of economic status).

So after 20 years of very important work, we salute the NMCLP and are happy to promote its 20th anniversary celebration on Thursday, April 14, at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center 2401 12th St. NW (map), beginning at 5:00 p.m. The NMCLP will celebrate its accomplishments and honor the people who have made a difference in the organization’s work. "As we gather with old friends and introduce new partners, we will look forward to our next steps in the fight against poverty in New Mexico," said the NMCLP.

Tickets are $75, as the event is also a fundraiser for the NMCLP, allowing the organization to continue its important work.  Former Sen. Jeff Bingaman and State Sen. Michael Sanchez are featured speakers. CLICK HERE to buy tickets  For more information contact Kelsey O'Keefe (kelsey@nmpovertylaw.org) 505.255.2840 x118

Turkish Coffee Night and International Women's Day

Raindrop Women Association New Mexico

 

warmly invites you to  

Turkish Coffee Night 

A celebration of 

International Women's Day

 Friday, March 25

6:30 p.m.

Raindrop Foundation 

7901 Mountain Rd. NE 

Suite A&E 

Albuquerque, NM 87110

Keynote Speaker: Phyllis M. Skoy

Author of What Survives*

who will discuss the role of women in peacemaking

RSVP here (abq@turkishhouse.org)

Suggested Donation $10

*Nominated for Santa Fe Writers Project award in 2015

Greg Henneman Coming to Albuquerque for Workshop on Urban Ministry

Rev. Donna McNiel & Rev. Greg Henneman

An old friend is coming back to New Mexico in April as a featured presenter for a spring workshop sponsored by the New Mexico Conference of Churches. That friend, Rev. Greg Henneman, will reflect on a very timely topic, Who is my Neighbor? An Invitation to Ministry.

Greg worked as associate pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Albuquerque for five years. As part of his ministry at Central UMC, he help found the Community of Hope, an opportunity for the housed and unhoused communities to share a meal and worship on Sunday afternoons.

In 2014, he left Albuquerque to take on the role of coordinator of the HEAL (Healthy Eating and Living) Initiative of Community Development for all People in Columbus, Ohio. "This embodiment of compassion is my goal in ministry," Greg says in his Looked with Compassion blog. "As much as I enjoy feeding people who are hungry, I have seen people’s lives changed because they were treated with the dignity and respect of a child of God."

 We invite you to attend Greg's workshop on Saturday, April 9, from 9:00 a.m. to Noon, at the office of the New Mexico Conference of Churches, 1019 2nd St. NW, Albuquerque (map). If you plan to attend, please RSVP to hugginsnmcc@mail.com (so they know how many chairs to set up).  More information in the poster below.

- See more at: http://www.umcmission.org/explore-our-work/missionaries-in-service/missionary-profiles/henneman-greg#sthash.uqFGotaX.dpuf