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.