Six Legislators Speak on Anti-Hunger Efforts in New Mexico

House Bill 207, the Food, Hunger and Farm Act, is an ambitious initiative that seeks to connect a wide range of actions and policy initiatives to address hunger in New Mexico and strengthen local agriculture. Some of those initiatives--supporting school meals for low-income students, expanding nutritional opportunities for senior centers, creating opportunities for small-scale farmers and creating a mechanism to tie all the divergent efforts (i.e. hunger council/caucus)--had already been proposed during the past three years.  

A handful of legislators spoke about these initiatives in public forums (in 2018, 2019 and 2020) like the End Hunger Summit, held every year in Albuquerque, and statements in the rotunda of the Roundhouse. Two of those legislators--Rep. Joanne Ferrary and Sen. Liz Stefanics--are co-sponsors of HB207. In her address a couple of years ago, Sen. Stefanics mentioned an effort to promote New Mexico grown fruits and vegetables for senior meals.SB185, which forms part of individual legislative initiatives promoted via HB207 this year, reflects that priority.

Rep. Ferrary, Rep. Rebecca Dow, and former Rep. Sarah Maestas Barnes, also strongly promoted the legislative Hunger Caucus (HM90 in 2018 and HM65 in 2019). Many legislators spoke in favor of a collective approach in the 2019 session, when House Memorial 65 (HM65) was approved that year. Sen. Mimi Stewart's comments were in support of Senate Memorial (SM65) in 2018.

We are hoping HB207 comes to the floor of the House for a vote before the session ends. Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a leading architect of HB207, is confident that the structure is set for hunger in New Mexico to be addressed in a collective manner for years to come. 

This video has statements from six legislators about the importance of addressing hunger in New Mexico. 

 

There is a free and reduced lunch program in the United States. We want to make sure that the schools are focused on taking the children who should be in those programs... If a child can pay for lunch, then the family will continue to pay for lunch. But if the child cannot pay for lunch, why are we penalizing a 6-year-old and a 9-year old in something called 'shaming'? Why would we shame these children? Because they carry that for the rest of their lives...they see themselves very differently. Maybe some of them don't think they're quite as good."  -Sen. Michael Padilla

"One of the things that has been most surprising to me since I've been in the legislature is how little this issue of hunger was addressed or even talked about...It really wasn't until (Sen. Michael Padilla's) legislation was brought forth that we really had a discussion. This was something that really struck home for me. As a child I grew in poverty... I was those children I had free and reduced lunch  I was one of those kids got shamed on a couple of occasions. It was so phenomenal for the senator to introduce this legislation. -former Rep. Sarah Maestas-Barnes

There is so much being done to eradicate hunger and  improve nutrition in our state. But there is much more that needs to be done and we see the need in surveys on rural health.  Hunger is the number one issue that people see in their areas. And we also see the adverse childhood experiences. Hunger is the number one life-sustaining problem. But we have a great hunger policy coalition of non-profits and agencies represented here that are working together. We also have a legislative hunger coalition to support those needs through legislation and funding....   -Rep Joanne Ferrary

The hunger council has been working during the interim to identify priorities...We recently learned that the average age of the farmer in New Mexico is 60 years of age. We do have young farmers who are starting out and they're ready to sell their crops...And we have this farm-to-table program, and if they're lucky enough to sell to a school district, they can sell their entire crop. Sometimes that is not enough, One of the initiatives that I'll working on during the interim;; is adding that farm-to-table to include our senior meal sites in our rural communities and to include our other childhood providers. -Rep. Rebecca Dow 

Let me tell you, teachers use their own money to bring snacks into their classrooms... We are promoting community schools  Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque works with community schools.  Once a month, they set up an entire outlay of food for families in those schools.Most of those schools are in poverty areas We have the schools working, we have the food banks working, we have the restaurant association  ..We are trying to get some regulations in place so that we can take that food not eaten at the school, cafeterias, or restaurants to also be available to homeless, etc...We're all working on it. We can't do it without everyone of the organizations here.  -Sen. Mimi Stewart 

We have a great network across the state addressing hunger, but it's not enough. We do have several pieces of legislation. We have the money to buy fresh produce for children in the schools. This year, I also tried something different. I have a bill to add an amendment to House Bill 2 to purchase fresh produce for the senior centers...When you look at all the networks...The Food Depot, Roadrunner and food banks all over the state... the advocacy groups...It can be a small group handing out sandwhches at the park, it can be a group handing out bags of food to immigrants who don't want to be identified. Let's take care of everybody.  We also have a task force of grandparents raising grandchildren, but we also have to expand the language to many people taking care of grandchildren...It can be aunts and uncles,  it can be a next-door neighbor who really cares about that person.  -Sen Liz Stefanics