IHC July Program: ICNM Sisters' Food Project Feeds the Community

 

The Interfaith Hunger Coalition cordially invites the public to our July prorgram.
Monday, July 19, 6:30 p.m.


The ICNM Sisters' Food Project

 "We feed you only for the sake of God. We seek from you neither reward nor thanks." - Qur'an 76:9

Join us on Zoom to learn about the Islamic Center of New Mexico's Sisters' Food Project in Albuquerque. During the pandemic, volunteers provided food and hygiene items to members of the community on a monthly basis.The project is supported by several local businesses, by donations from individuals and families, and by dozens of volunteers who help put the food items for distribution on a designated Saturday each month.

Aamna Nayyar, public relations coordinator for ICNM Sisters Food Project, is our featured presenter. She will tell us more about how the project came together and what the plans are going forward.

Watch a video of the April Food Distribution

To register, please send a note to nminterfaithhungercoalition@gmail.com
We will send a Zoom link a few days before the event

Other Upcoming Programs
August
Food from the Community Garden
Several faith communities that in the past have grown produce to feed their neighbors were unable to do so during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are at a few exceptions. Gardens at two Albuquerque churches have thrived despite the limitations created by the COVID pandemic. We will feature these churches and the Rio Grande Community Farm as well as the Forest of Bliss, a tree-planting campaign by New Mexico Interfaith Power & Light (a project co-sponsor and an endorsing organization of the IHC). More details soon.

September
LDS in Albuquerque
Learn more about how individuals and congregations of the Church of Latter Day Saints help meet local needs. More Details Soon

October 16   World Food Day
World Food Day 2021 centers on the theme "Our Actions are our Future" and on recognition of food heroes. We hope to put together a video similar to the one we produced for World Food Day 2020.

Click here to watch official food heroes video We are looking for food heroes in New Mexico: those who are taking extraordinary measures to bring food to places of need and those who work to transform food systems. "Behind our food, there is always someone who produced, planted, harvested, fished or transported it. On World Food Day, we thank #foodheroes who, no matter the circumstances, continue to provide food to their communities and beyond."   We welcome any recommendations, particularly in Las Cruces, Southeast New Mexico, Southwest New Mexico, the Four Corners area. Please send any suggestions and contact information to nminterfaithhungercoalition@gmail.com  (Thank you to those who have already sent in some recommendations). Resources, Information & Actions Find free healthy meals for kids anywhere in New Mexico this summer (via the Early Childhood Education & Care Department) Fact Sheet (Food Research and Action Center) on Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021, which Sen. Martin Heinrich has co-sponsored (Send a thank you note). Please urge Sen. Ben Ray Lujan to add his name to the co-sponsor list for S1530, In the House, contact Rep. Teresa Leger-Fernandez. Rep. Yvette Herrell and Rep. Melanie Stansbury asking them to co-sponsor HR3115 Watch a video of Rep. Stansbury advocating on the House Floor for making the child tax credit permanent. A webinar organized by Rep. Leger-Fernandez explores the child tax credit further. An expanded child tax credit would lift millions of children out of poverty. Read more from Center on American Progress, Bread for the World and FRAC. From New Mexico Voices for Children. "Prior to the pandemic, New Mexico was making progress on child well-being and now is ranked 49th in the nation in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Book." Find out how the state fares on each of the 16 indicators of child well-being by downloading this state data profile. Twenty-five Years of Food Security, Good Food, and Empowerment.The first in a series of stories that celebrate 25 years of the Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program (CFPCGP), The author--Mark Winne of Santa Fe--writes, speaks, and consults extensively on community food system topics including hunger and food insecurity, local and regional agriculture, community food assessment, and food policy. As part of its biannual Seed Conference (held virtually this year), Roadrunner Food Bank produced a short video entitled "SeedCon: Anywhere, NM," illustrating where and how food is distributed across the state Watch here. Read a brief summary of the conference from Jason Riggs. Watch an interview (June 11) with Mag Strittmatter, executive director of Roadrunner Food Bank, on the Fronteras 2021 (Episode 9) program, KRWG (public media for Southern New Mexico). The Food Depot in Santa Fe has secured a $15,000 matching donation for funding its 2021 Summer Food program. "I believe we’re the only food bank offering children’s summer prepared meals. We have expanded it to include prepared meals for parents, grandparents and guardians who bring the kids to the meal sites. We’re also taking out our new Food Mobile to provide food bags to families at the sites," said Sherry Hooper, executive director. Donations made through August 15 to the Summer Food program will be matched. Make a donation In Las Cruces, the Luchador food truck schedules one evening per month to prepare a meal for the Community of Hope guests. Casa de Peregrinos purchases the food, based on a joint decision about the menu for the evening (which can vary from red enchiladas, rice and beans, to marinated pork chops, grilled asparagus, and garlic mashed potatoes). Read more here In Gallup, the Wholehearted Food Fund provides local meat protein sources to The Community Pantry, while assisting financially strapped local farmers and ranchers with a viable channel of distribution for their livestock. Watch a video Diné Introspective in Shiprock has redesigned its website.The organization features three programs: Enchant the Environment (Restoring ancestral food ways and traditional Diné agriculture techniques to support and sustain Diné food systems), Arrowhead Lifeway  (Providing pandemic relief in the Northern Navajo Agency Area), and Nurturing Plants (Hydroponic System: an innovative solution to increase food security in the Navajo Nation). A heartfelt THANK YOU! to First Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque for a generous donation to the Interfaith Hunger Coalition. Mark Your Calendars Monday-Tuesday, July 12 & 13 , 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mountain Time Bread for the World's 2021 Advocacy Summit Bread members from around the country will gather virtually to participate in prayer, panel discussions, and small group conversations while learning about legislative priorities ahead of virtual meetings with their members of Congress in August.  Register Now Monday-Saturday, July 12-17 2021 Northwest New Mexico Local Food Summit Theme: Local Food is for Everyone Hybrid Format (Virtual and in Person) Sign up for updates and information, including registration Thursday, August 5, 12:00 Noon-1:30 p.m. Food, Hunger, Water, Ag Policy Workgroup Monthly meeting online (first Thursday of the month)  Other meeting dates: Sep. 2, Oct. 7, Nov. 4, Dec. 2. All are welcome Questions: Sharon@nmfirst.org, 505-553-2876 Monday-Wednesday, September 20-22 The Power of Local Food Systems: Cultivating Equitable Policy Through Collective Action The Center for Liveable Futures at Johns Hopkins University and partner foundations are hosting the very first national food policy forum of its kind this fall.There are 280 food policy councils (including New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council) across the country, and there is much to learn and share. NMFAPC chair Helga Garza has been invited to present! The conference will be held in person in Kansas City, Missouri, but space is limited, so register soon. There will be an option to participate virtually.  Register Here   Join Us! We invite congregations and organizations to endorse the Interfaith Hunger Coalition. The endorsement does not imply any financial contributions, just a commitment to partner with us to address hunger in New Mexico. Here is a list of our current endorsers (25 congregations and 31 organizations). Download the endorsement form and attach in an e-mail to nminterfaithhungercoalition@gmail.com Donate to Interfaith Hunger Coalition  (Via the New Mexico Conference of Churches)