Maria Duran on Catholic Radio

The Food Pantry at St. John XXIII Catholic Community has provided the parish with a great way to reach out and serve the needs of the community. For years, the parish has provided food on Thursday mornings (9 am-Noon) to families in the Montgomery-Tramway area and beyond.

The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to food distributions in March. At that time, the pantry was serving about 200 individuals each Thursday.

Maria Duran, who volunteers as coordinator of the social concerns ministry (including the pantry) at St. John XXIII, said the closure was difficult for clients, many of whom were working families living in the Northeast Heights. But some individuals also came from Cedar Crest in the East Mountains and from the South Valley. "The focus is the hidden poor that we service that are in the northeast heights," Maria said in an interview with host Mary Woods on the Archbishop's Hour radio show.

The inability to serve the public was also hard on the volunteers. "It weighed heavily on all of us when the churches were closed.  My whole team and I were praying that we could figure out a way to open up our food pantry," she said.

*Maria Duran (second from left)

When things started to open,  the St. John XXIII pastor, Rev. Tai Pham, approached Maria about reopening the pantry.  "Father Tai, who is our wonderful pastor, said 'I do want the food pantry open'," noted Maria. 

The volunteers reached out to the community, and clients gradually started to return. Volunteers now serve about 100 individuals on Thursdays while continuing to practice social distancing guidelines. 

Listen to the interview, where Maria also mentions the parish's support for the Interfaith Hunger Coalition. There are other announcements and an interview with another individual before Mary begins her conversation with Maria, starting just before minute 32.  

*Photo: Maria at a fundraiser benefiting the St. John XXIII Pantry and Rio Grande Food Project. Also pictured are Ari Herring from the RGFP, Kathy Freeze from Catholic Charities and Sandy Gaudet, former St. John XXIII pantry coordinator).

Video: A Collective Effort to Fight Hunger in New Mexico

Lilly Irvin-Vitela, executive director of New Mexico First, was the guest presenter at the Interfaith Hunger Coalition's Zoom meeting on July 27, 2020. Lilly spoke about the ongoing collective anti-hunger efforts in New Mexico before and during the COVID-19 health emergency and into the future. The actual presentation with announcements starts at about 7:00 minute mark, and Lilly's talk starts at the 13:00 minute mark

Fellowship in the Desert Hosts Hunger 101 Workshop Online

The Interfaith Hunger Coalition over the past few years has organized several Hunger 101 workshops in partnership with a number of congregations (First Presbyterian Church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Congregation Albert, the Albuquerque Baha'i Center) and organizations (Church Women United, the Jewish Community Center and Presbyterian Women).

We had been planning another one of these workshops with Chavurat Hamidbar (Fellowship in the Desert) in April. But then the COVID-19 health emergency occurred in the U.S. in March, which forced us to postpone the workshop.

We regrouped during the summer and put together a Zoom workshop.  Below is the video of a portion of the workshop, courtesy of Leora Jaeger-Siegel.

Engaging in Cyberspace

Even as we continue to practice social distancing, we realize the importance of maintaining connections on our work to address hunger in New Mexico. In lieu of large in-person meetings, we are planning two educational programs on Zoom over the next couple of months.
Our June program is the Hunger 101 workshop we had originally planned with Chavurat Hamidbar (Fellowship in the Desert). Our July event will offer an update on the work of the Food, Hunger, Water and Agriculture Policy Work Group to address hunger in New Mexico before and during the current health emergency. Both events are open to the public but require registration. We will send the links closer to the date of the event.

Workshop
On Sunday, June 28, 3:00 p.m., will will hold a Hunger 101 workshop for members of Fellowship in the Desert, an eclectic-traditional Jewish community without a building or paid professional functionary. "Our prayer leaders and Torah readers are both men and women. Our prayer books and bibles (Sim Shalom, Revised Plaut, New Machzor) are issued by various movements, and we sit mixed, family-style," the community says on its website.

Our Zoom workshop will follow a similar format as other Hunger 101 presentations at First Presbyterian Church, Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Congregation Albert, the Jewish Community Center, Presbyterian Women, Church Women United, the Albuquerque Baha'i Community. We will offer the most recent statistics on hunger in New Mexico, followed by presentations by a community provider.

This workshop will have its own unique features. Leora Jaeger-Siegel, a member of Fellowship in the Desert, will offer an update on her work with the Fūdrr project. There will also be a brief presentation on the community food refrigerator project used in some countries around the world. There will also be an update on Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger..

Addressing Hunger During the Pandemic
Our practice in recent years has been to hold a bimonthly meeting at First Presbyterian Church every other month. Our last meeting was held on Feb. 25, featuring Patty Keane, Hunger Initiatives Coordinator, Office of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, and Mercy Alarid from the U.S. Census. Our March meeting, scheduled for March 25, was put on the back burner.

We are back online now with an update on the efforts of a broad coalition, called the Food, Hunger, Water and Agriculture Policy Work Group to ensure that people do not go hungry during the current health emergency. The work group, coordinated by New Mexico First, seeks to preserve funding for crucial feeding programs for school kids, seniors, agriculture, food banks and working families in the upcoming special session and in the 2021 session. You might recall, this same coalition (now including more partners) was already working to address hunger in New Mexico before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Our guest presenter for our Zoom meeting on Monday, July 27, is Lilly Irvin-Vitela, executive director of New Mexico First, who is coordinating the work group. This will be more than a month after the special session, which is scheduled for June 18. We hope you can join us for this important update about the work group.

Islamic Group Donates 9.000 Pounds of Food to Diné Relief

Working with New Mexico State Reps. Abbas Ahkil of Albuquerque and Anthony Allison of  Fruitland, the Islamic Circle of North America donated 9,000 pounds of food to the Northern Diné COVID-19 Relief Effort.

The ICNA organized the food donation on May 25, which arrived in Shiprock that evening in a semi-trailer. "We want to make sure people have food," Salina Imam of the Arizona chapter of the ICNA told the Farmington Daily Times. "They don't have to go hungry."

The food will help the Diné relief organization continue with its efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by delivering care packages to families in need in the Navajo nation in the safest way possible.

"As of June 1, the Navajo Nation reported 5,250 positive COVID-19 cases, 1,745 recoveries and 241 deaths. In the Shiprock area last month, three siblings who buried their mother, father, and brother were forced to watch the burial services remotely because they, too, were infected with the disease," Rolling Stone magazine said in a June 3 article.

"In mid-May, the Navajo Nation surpassed New York and New Jersey for the highest per-capita coronavirus infection rate in the US -- another sign of Covid-19's disproportionate impact on minority communities," CNN said in a May 18 report.

"With coronavirus running rampant on Navajo, it has been up to local community members to help with items and supplies so elders and young families don’t have to go to the store and put themselves at risk. But if volunteers aren’t careful, they risk becoming vectors themselves," The Navajo Times said in a recent article.

NM State Legislature Urged to Address Hunger During Special Session

Special Session & FY21 Emergency Relief & Recovery Funding Priorities

The Food, Hunger, Water and Agriculture Policy Work Group recently sent a letter to each member of the New Mexico House and Senate ahead of the special session, which has been scheduled for Thursday, June 18. Legislators will attempt to adjust the state budget to account for the negative financial impact caused by the outbreak of COVID-19. By some estimates, the financial crisis caused a $2.4 billion drop in state revenues.

Work group at 2020 legislative session

The work group, coordinated by New Mexico First, seeks to preserve funding for crucial feeding programs for school kids, seniors, agriculture, food banks and working families. (The members of the work group, which includes the Interfaith Hunger Coalition, are listed at the bottom of this post)

The work group started efforts to address hunger in New Mexico last summer, months before the pandemic occurred. We attained some modest gains during the 2020 regular session of the State Legislature, including a  measure to eliminate co-pays for almost 12,500 students at 185% of the federal poverty level. When the pandemic-related emergency occurred the work group convened quickly to create a plan of action.

'Critical Needs'
"We are urgently requesting that you prioritize policy and funding solutions create access to healthy food and water while strengthening our State's food system,  Addressing the root causes of insecurity, protecting and investing in the emergency food and water relief efforts, and bolstering local agriculture and food systems are critical needs.

Below are snapshots of a consensus-backed blueprint, compiled in consultation with the Legislative Hunger Caucus. 

*Maintain and expand investment to $500K in ALTSD to Support the Purchase of NM Grown Fruits and Vegetables for Senior Meals Programs.

The Food, Hunger, Water and Agriculture Policy Workgroup is comprised of a group of bipartisan policy makers, agricultural producers, the emergency food sector, faith leaders, researchers/academics, and public policy advocates.

The participating groups are Agri Cultura Cooperative Network, Center for Health Innovation, Delicious New Mexico, Farm to Table, Indigenous Life Ways, Interfaith Hunger Coalition, McKinley Collaborative for Health Equity, National Young Farmers Coalition, New Mexico Association of Conservation Districts, New Mexico Association of Food Banks, New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty, New Mexico Farmers' Marketing Association, New Mexico First, New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council, New Mexico Social Justice and Equity Institute, New Mexico Voices for Children, South Valley Economic Development Center, The Montibon Company, Think New Mexico, Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque

How You Can Help Address Hunger During the Current Crisis

For many, keeping up with the rapid communication about food, hunger, water, and agricultural Covid-19 efforts has been challenging. New Mexico First has created this landing page on our website to help folks keep connecting the dots!  Many thanks to everyone who has provided information.  -Lilly Irvin-Vitela,  President and Executive Director, New Mexico First


Emergency Response Contacts
Emergency requests should be made through county and pueblo/tribal emergency managers. Please contact your emergency response manager to initiate a response to emergency food, hunger, and water needs. They are responsible for coordinating resources around food, water, and hunger and fair distribution of personal protective needs with front-line relief providers.

Link: Emergency Response Managers Contact Information- all counties, pueblo/tribal areas      

Community Resources
Community and non-profit responses to urgent needs around food, hunger, and water are not intended to be an alternative to government emergency response efforts.  
 
SHARE NM Website: COVID-19 Resources: Use our Free, open-source Resource Directory to find New Mexico organizations that are responding to a variety of basic needs. Also visit a library of resources by topic to help during the pandemic.

COVID-19 - Roadrunner Food Bank: Consider donating, contributing, and volunteering to support emergency food relief efforts. While our community has rallied, the need remains high with ongoing and expanding relief and recovery efforts.

The Food Depot-COVID-19: Consider donating, contributing, and volunteering to support emergency food relief efforts. While our community has rallied, the need remains high with ongoing and expanding relief and recovery efforts.

New Mexico Association of Food Banks: Consider donating, contributing, and volunteering to support emergency food relief efforts. While our community has rallied, the need remains high with ongoing and expanding relief and recovery efforts.

New Mexico Farmers' Marketing Association: Learn more about efforts to support and sustain New Mexico farmers and value-chain coordination efforts to link communities in need of food to local and regional sources of food.

New Mexico Out of School Time-COVID-19: To learn more about school-based meal options during extended closures, visit this site.

Whole Kids Foundation is dedicated to helping kids eat better—and enjoy it! We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) founded by Whole Foods Market and guided by the same values, principles, expertise and standards for quality ingredients, food production methods and nutrition.

Funders Dedicated to COVID-19, Food, Hunger, and Water Relief 

The New Mexico Community Foundation is New Mexico’s philanthropic partner that is best positioned to identify and respond to needs in the Native American, Pueblo/Tribal communities. Read the press release to learn more. Contact JoAnn Melchor, President & CEO, 505.820.6860 ext. 7000.

Cantena Foundation is pleased to participate in efforts to help Native American communities in New Mexico. It is part of the New Mexico Community Foundation funding support for Tribes and Pueblo Communities in New Mexico and surrounding regions in responding to COVID-19. Contact name: Alex DeGolia,  Alex@cantenafoundation.org.

The Con Alma Foundation’s grants focus is on systemic rather than direct services. They are partnering with other funders to leverage resources towards relief efforts that reach rural and tribal populations, and are supporting efforts that create, strengthen infrastructures or that facilitate awareness of COVID-19 specific wellness webcasts, behavioral health/emotional support hotlines and journalism. Read their funding profile for more information: COVID 19: Con Alma Foundation

COVID-19 Resources for Native Communities: Visit this funding map developed by Roanhorse Consulting to help inform funding efforts in Native American communities across New Mexico.

The Grant Plant, Inc. is deeply concerned about our nonprofit community as we all navigate new challenges in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. This webpage is meant to provide grant-related resources for New Mexico nonprofits.

The McCune Foundation is considering all relief efforts, however, most of our 2020 funds have been distributed. Read their funding profile for more information: COVID 19: McCune Funding Profile
New Mexico Association of Grantmakers

Grantmaker Resources – Philanthropy’s Response for COVID-19

Sandia Labs is encouraging employee donations for, and awarding funding to, specific efforts/organizations including the UWCNM/Alb Community Fund Emergency Fund, Roadrunner Food Bank, and the Native American Relief Fund. We are opening our regularly scheduled Family Stability grant cycle on April 20 and anticipate that some grant requests will be to support COVID-19 relief efforts. Read their funding profile for more information: COVID 19: Sandia National Labs
Sacred Wind Communications Community Connect, Inc. Sacred Wind is pleased to participate in efforts to help Native American communities in New Mexico. An application for funds from our non-profit organization is on our website under the tab “SWC Fund”.

The Santa Fe Community Foundation has established the COVID-19 Response Fund to address the critical gaps in services during the unprecedented Corona Virus pandemic.

The Thornburg Foundation is providing funds to existing grantee/awardees who are addressing COVID -19 hunger relief. Read funding profile for more information: COVID 19: Thornburg Foundation

United Way of Central New Mexico is providing funds to the general public/501c3s/government. Priority will be given to any 501c3 nonprofit in central New Mexico. However, funding awards can be made elsewhere in the state. Apply: https://albuquerquefoundation.org/emergency-action-fund.aspx. Read their funding profile for more information: United Way of Central New Mexico Funding Profile

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) is providing funds to existing grantees that provide relief in NM in rural, tribal and frontier communities.However, they are working with their national office to request additional funds that would contribute to collective efforts/funds (versus specifically for our grantees). Read their funding profile for more information: COVID 19: W.K. Kellogg Foundation
COVID-19 Giving Guide: How To Donate To Reach The Most Marginalized Learn more about ethical giving practices to marginalized communities.

If you are a funder dedicated to hunger relief and would like to join the Food, Hunger, Water, Agriculture Policy Action Team, please contact Lilly Irvin-Vitela at lilly@nmfirst.org.

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Search the free SHARE NM database to identify local food resources by entering your location into the database. Click here to get started.

A Virtual Iftar

For the past four years, the Dialogue Institute invited members and supporters of the Interfaith Hunger Coalition to share an Iftar meal. This is the traditional meal that Muslims around the world consume at the end of a day of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. We were treated in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 to great food, interfaith prayers and background on the purpose and history of Ramadan.

Our first Iftar gathering in 2016

Because of social distancing, we are unable to gather this year with Necip and Rabia Orhan and the Turkish community in Albuquerque. This year, Ramadan runs for April 23 to May 24.

A Series of Interesting Speakers
As a substitute, the Dialogue Institute and Turkish Raindrop House in Albquerque has joined with chapters in other cities to put together a fabulous program, broadcast live on YouTube, featuring interesting speakers from Kansas City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Oklahoma City and Cleveland. Featured presenters include Imam Sulaiman Z Salaam, a community leader and religious teacher in the Islamic faith; Scott C. Alexander, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago; Dr. Imam Imad Enchassi, founder, imam and president of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City; and Dr. Sophia Pandya is a professor and the Department Chair, at California State University at Long Beach.

Two of the programs have already taken place on Thursday, April 30 and Friday, May 1. But there are nine other opportunities: Sunday, May 3, Tuesday, May 5, Wednesday, May 6; Thursday, May 7  Tuesday, May 12, Wednesday, May 13 Friday, May 15,, Sunday, May 17, and Wednesday, May 20.

Each event will also include muslim families which will be sharing their experience about Ramadan. "These events are a great opportunity to discover the meaning of Ramadan and fasting by celebrating the breaking of the fast," said an e-mail sent out to supporters.

Food and Fasting
In past years, some of our members have shown solidarity the Albuquerque Turkish community by conducting our own fast and prayers in solidarity with those less fortunate. The meal would come afterwards.

In lieu of the generous meal provided by the Dialogue Institute and Turkish Raindrop House, there are alternatives this year. On the day you watch one of these programs on YouTube, you  can order food from Anatolia Turkish Mediterranean Restaurant, which offers free delivery on orders of $15 or more.

Or you can make your own Iftar meals. Here are Turkish Recipes and Ramadan Recipes from other countries. 

New Mexico Faith Leaders Offer Earth Day Prayers

New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light put together this video to commemorate Earth Day.  Reflections are offered by faith leaders from Baha'i, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Native, Protestant, Roman Catholic traditions. For some participants, we used only an excerpt of their full reflections.  We offer those full reflections following the main video.



Grandmother Flordemayo


Necip Orhan
 

Keely Mackey-Gonzales

Responding to Food Challenges in New Mexico During a Health Crisis

Chart: House Speaker Brian Egolf's Office

The outbreak of the COVID-19 virus has created many challenges around the country. In an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, municipalities and state-governments (including New Mexico) have ordered residents to stay home and have closed down non-essential businesses, schools, churches and other places where large numbers of people tend to gather.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham issued the stay-at-home order on March 23. As of March 27, the state had reported 191 cases  where patients have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the New Mexico Political Report. 

While the magnitude of the challenge is not as high here in New Mexico as it is in states like New York, Washington,  California, Michigan and Louisiana (among others), the need for social distancing is a necessary prescription to stem potential problems down the road, including the possibility of overtaxing our heath care system.

Finding Food
One of the biggest challenges for New Mexico and other states with high levels of food insecurity is ensuring that food is available to all residents. This is not necessarily an easy task. News of the crisis diminished food supplies around the state. The natural tendency to hoard food during a time of crisis means that items like canned goods and other non-perishables are not as readily available to the food banks.

“People are going out and purchasing a lot of the items that would typically come to the food bank.” Roadrunner Food Bank spokeswoman Sonya Warwick said in an interview with the Albuquerque Journal on March 22. 

Broad Coalition Discusses Strategy
Rep. Melanie Stansbury and New Mexico First have helped bring together a broad statewide coalition to help find solutions to our challenges and coordinate a response.

On March 27, Rep. Stansbury convened a meeting via telephone, in which about 50 people participated. Many participants were already involved in a broad movement  to craft and promote legislation to address hunger in our state in the near future and over the long term.

I won't name all the participants but want to note the participation of key players, including staff from Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and Rep. Deb Haaland and several state government agencies (Health, Public Education, Human Services, Indian Affairs) as well as Gov. Lujan Grisham's office.

State Reps. Phelps Anderson (Chaves, Lea & Roosevelt), Joy Garratt (Bernalillo) and Rudy Martinez (Doña Ana, Grant & Sierra) and representatives from Speaker Brian Egolf offce, as well as officials from the City of Albuquerque, and Grant County (Silver City) took part.

The food banks from around the state were represented, including Roadrunner Food Bank, the Food Depot (Santa Fe), ECHO (Four Corners), The Community Food Pantry (Gallup), and the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico (Clovis).  Other direct food providers also added their two cents to the conversation.

The rest of the participants included advocacy groups (New Mexico Appleseed and the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty), agriculture-related groups (the New Mexico Farmers Marketing Association and the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council). Ellen Buelow and I represented the Interfaith Hunger Coalition.

(Thank you to Lilly Irvin-Vitela from New Mexico First for taking great notes)!

 

Logo for The Community Pantry (Gallup)

A Great Job of Coordination
How did we coordinate all the input?

First, it was important to get the big picture and the challenges. This information came from the food banks and others engaged in direct service.

In addition to tight food supplies, the state's network of food banks has reported other challenges, such as a loss of traditional volunteers (many of whom are vulnerable seniors) and a reduction in operations for food-providing agencies (who are trying to keep employees and the public safe).

Furthermore, there are increased costs for transportation, a lack of sufficient cold storage capacity, the potential increase in demand due to an economic downturn, among other challenges. 

Moving Forward
After getting the big picture, the participants decided to create four task forces: 1) Volunteer Mobilization 2) Food Supply 3) Funding Coordination. 4) Coordinated Communication  You will be hearing more on each of these areas in the near future

Additionally, multiple efforts will be occurring simultaneously, such as connecting producers with food providers, creating support systems for local and tribal communities, tracking and consolidating information on what advocacy and other groups are doing.

The statewide response will be led by Patty Keane, Gov. Lujan Grisham's coordinator for hunger initiatives, with help from many other people.

Photo: Roadrunner Food Bank

How You Can Help Now
While specifics are still in the works for the broader effort, there are existing volunteer opportunities in place. Here are a couple of suggestions. Please Note: This is only a partial list.
Roadrunner Food Bank
Meals on Wheels (Albuquerque and Rio Rancho)
Meals on Wheels (Santa Fe)
Food Banks: ECHO in Farmington (505-326-3770), The Community Food Pantry in Gallup (505-726-8068), Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico in Clovis (575-763-6130), The Food Depot in Santa Fe (505-471-1633).

Stay Informed
Check out Resource and Information pages from 
Share New Mexico
Catholic Charities
City of Albuquerque
City of Las Cruces (Youth and Senior Citizens)
City of Santa Fe
State of New Mexico

Interfaith Hunger Coalition Postpones March Meeting

Kurt Rager

Because of health concerns related to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the steering committee of the Interfaith Hunger Coalition has postponed our next gathering, originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 24. We are working with our featured presenter, Kurt Rager, director of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico, to reschedule the event later this year.

In addition to updates from Kurt about LAM-NM's legislative agenda for this year, we were also scheduled to review other legislative initiatives related to hunger. A representative from New Mexico Appleseed was scheduled to tell us about House Bill 10, which eliminated co-pays for school lunches and breakfasts for many low-income students.

This brief summary contains a couple of updates to the legislative summary sent on March 5, including an appropriations request for nonperishable food products for New Mexico food banks, and a correction to the item on child care assistance. (The original intent was to eliminate co-pays, but the allocation was insufficient to do so).

Responding to the Outbreak
We are tracking initiatives designed to ensure that the crisis response does not prevent anyone from continuing to have access to food. One major concern is that the closure of schools would leave students who rely on subsidized or free school lunches without access to food.  (This week, authorities announced that all schools in the state would be closed  for three weeks, starting on March 16)..

Local authorities are considering measures to ensure that children continue to have access to food. And  local agencies are doing what they can to assist in this effort. "Roadrunner Food Bank will continue food distributions at school sites as long the schools have staff that can continue them during the closures," said one food bank administrator. "Things are moving fast and new variables are happening every hour it seems. But, right now, our plan is continue distributions of food where we have partners that are willing and able to continue."

At the federal level, Rep. Deb Haaland of New Mexico is one of three legislators who introduced the Ensuring Emergency Food Security Act. Advocates around the country are asked to contact their federal representatives to support this initiative. (See Graphic Below).



Partner Events Postponed or Cancelled
The following events organized by or on behalf of our endorsing congregations or organizations have been cancelled or postponed.

March 13-14 (Postponed, Date TBA): What needed gifts do faith communities bring to climate action? A retreat with Dr. Larry Rasmussen hosted by New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, First Congregational Church. Friday: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday: 9:00-12 Noon. Sliding scale donation according to means $10-$50 (no one turned away).

March 14 (Cancelled): Bread for the World-New Mexico Offering of Letters, Saturday, March 14, All Saints Lutheran Church, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. Here is more information.

March 28 (Cancelled): Circo for Community and Justice. Support the New Mexico Conference of Churches, enjoy music by the Peace Pipes and celebrate the awarding of the annual Turquoise Award to an outstanding community leader. At St. John's United Methodist Church. Get Tickets: $35 for individuals, $300 for table of 10.

No Announcement Yet on the Following Events (Watch for Updates)
April 4: Pull for the Pantry. A rowing and fitness fundraiser to benefit The Storehouse. Orangetheory Albuquerque Fitness -Westside. 6361 Riverside Plaza Ln, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87120. You can also “Pull for the Pantry” by forming your own team. Invite friends and family to sponsor you, and join us at Orangetheory Fitness to row 5 meters for every dollar you raise. Donate or Form a Team

April 21-23: 10th Annual Farm to Cafeteria Conference, hosted by National Farm to School Network and Farm to Table in New Mexico. Albuquerque Convention Center. More information here    Register now

June 24  Annual New Mexico KIDS Count Conference, hosted by New Mexico Voices for Children

Promoting Anti-Hunger Legislation in a 30-Day Session

The Interfaith Hunger Coalition is part of a broad movement  to craft and promote legislation to address hunger in our state in the near future and over the long term. We spent weeks discussing a strategy to put forth a three-prong proposal with legislative initiatives that we thought had a chance of gaining approval in this year's 30-day session (which focused on budgetary matters).

One significant measure became law (eliminating lunch co-pays for low-income children), while other important initiatives received allocations via House Bill 2, the overall funding mechanism approved by the House, or by other means.

A few other measures proposed by organizations participating in our coalition were approved in committee or by one legislative body and not the other, and therefore were not enacted. The above picture, which includes some members of our broad coalition, was taken after a hearing of the Health and Human Services Committee, which approved House Bill 75 on a Do Pass basis.

Success Stories

1. Eliminating Reduced-Price Co-Payments for School Breakfast and Lunch Programs:

House Bill 10, co-sponsored by Rep. Melanie Stansbury and Rep. Willie Madrid, allocated $650,000 to the NM Public Education Department (NMPED). The measure would eliminate co-pays for almost 12,500 students at 185% of the federal poverty level. This measure, crafted by New Mexico Appleseed, was signed into law on March 3 by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. (See above picture).

2. New Mexico Grown Fruits and Vegetables for School Meals Program

$400,000 to the NM Public Education Department. This measure was included in House Bill 2.

3. Senate Memorial 3 and Senate Memorial 10 (sponsored by Sen. Nancy Rodriguez) passed:

Working group to develop recommendations to glean unharvested farm produce for food assistance programs (NMDA to host)

Working group to develop recommendations on donating school meals food to students (a food waste issue) (NMPED to host) 

4. New Mexico Food & Agriculture Omnibus Appropriations (House Bill 253)  Sponsored by Reps. Stansbury, Candy Sweetser, Gail Armstrong, Rebecca Dow, and Kelly Fajardo: The approval of this omnibus legislation sets a precedent for a broad anti-hunger measure (similar to the federal Farm Bill)  that our coalition hopes to promote in tje 2021 session. This initiative provided these important allocations.

- $150,000 to the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) to develop and promote market opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and agribusiness in NM (key sponsor Representative Gail Armstrong)

- $200,000 to NMDA to assist the soil and water conservation districts

- $200,000 to the New Mexico State University for experimental station facilities

- $100,000 to the NMSU for 4-H programs

5. -$1.485 million for HSD to create a "Heat and Eat" assistance program for 68,000 families eligible for SNAP benefits was funded at the level requested by the executive.

6. -$3.7 million for HSD to upgrade Employment and Training Program for SNAP recipients who are able-bodied adults without dependents was funded. This would prevent 27,000 New Mexicans from losing SNAP benefits.

7. Child Care Assistance - The budget is $5 million greater than last year's operating budget. This is far less than the $20 million requested by the executive budget.The increase allows eligibility to remain at current levels, and allow for some increases in enrollment.

8. The Legislative Hunger Caucus
The Legislative Hunger Caucus, convened by Rep. Joanne Ferrary and Rep. Melanie Stansbury, held its first meeting during the session. Several representatives and one senator were present at the Jan. 31 meeting, including Rep. Natalie Figueroa of Albuquerque, Rep. Phelps Anderson of Roswell, Rep.  Dan Baronne of Taos, Rep. Stansbury of Albuquerque, Rep. Karen Bash of Albuquerque, Rep. Ferrary of Las Cruces and Sen. Bill Tallman of Albuquerque. The caucus was launched publicly on Feb. 6 with brief speeches from Rep. Ferrary and Rep. Rebecca Dow of Truth or Consequences. The caucus will discuss potential anti-hunger issues to bring before the State Legislature.

 Good News, Bad News
1. TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) Transition Bonus -The budget appropriates $1.8 million to this program, but instead of the general fund dollars requested by the executive, it uses federal dollars. "This is problematic and unworkable, because the federal funds will place TANF reporting requirements on program participants which are difficult to comply with when you have a full time job," said Tim Davis of the New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty. "This means the program will be difficult to administer and will likely result in a low participation rate."

2. No allocations were approved for the New Mexico Grown Fruits and Vegetables for Senior Meal Programs and for the expansion of the New Mexico Senior Market Nutition Program via House Bill 2. However, the House and Senate unanimously approved the Kiki Saavedra Senior Dignity Fund (House Bill 225), which could provide some funding for these senior nutrition programs.

Almost There
A number of important measures proposed by our coaltion did not get a full vote on the floor, although some were approved in committee.These initiatives are likely to come up again in the 2021 session or funded through other vehicles.

1. House Bill 75 and House Memorial 6 would have allocated $200,000 to the Human Services Department (HSD) to develop a Hunger Task Force to study hunger, malnutrition, food production and distribution in our state.

2. House Bill 69  proposed $100,000 for pilot program to fight college hunger.

3.  House Bill 340 requested $500,000 for nonperishable food product for New Mexico Food Banks. Reported by  Health and Human Services Committee with Do Pass recommendation. Sent to House Appropriations and Finance Committee.

4. According to New Mexico Voices for Children, it appears that a request for $200,000 for Tax Help New Mexico was not included in the final budget. The measure would have restored funding for tax preparation help fro people of low income.

Other important measures

House Bill 148  to increase the Working Families Tax Credit passed the house floor. The final vote in the House was 45-23.The measure went to the Senate Finance Committee, which took no action.

Other important measures

House Bill 148  to increase the Working Families Tax Credit passed the house floor. The final vote in the House was 45-23.The measure went to the Senate Finance Committee, which took no action.

Interfaith Hunger Coalition's February Meeting

See You on Tuesday!

We look forward to seeing you at our bimonthly meeting this Tuesday, February 25, at 12:00 Noon, First Presbyterian Church, I-25 and Martin Luther King Blvd.  We are fortunate to have two great guest presenters:

Patty Keane Hunger Initiatives Coordinator, Office of Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. She will offer an update on the governor's initiatives on child hunger and on overall food insecurity.  Here is a short bio.



Mercy Alarid  Senior Partnership Specialist, NM & UT, U.S. Census Bureau-Denver Region. She will speak on the importance of having an accurate census count for New Mexico. An accurate count ensures that our state receives its rightful share of funding for social and infrastructure programs that are underwritten by the federal government, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. More in this article from the Albuquerque Jounal

March Meeting
Tuesday, March 24  Kurt Rager just completed his first legislative session in his capacity as director of the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry-New Mexico. He will tell us which of LAM-NM's legislative priorities succeeded. The meeting will be held at our First Presbyterian Church. Please Note: The starting time of the meeting has been moved back to 12:30 p.m. instead of our usual time at Noon. It will be held in the Fellowship Hall.

Hunger 101
We are planning a Hunger 101 Workshop in partnership with Chavurat Hamidbar-Fellowship in the Desert More details later.

Partner Events
March 13-14: What needed gifts do faith communities bring to climate action? A retreat with Dr. Larry Rasmussen hosted by New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, First Congregational Church. Friday: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday: 9:00-12 Noon. Sliding scale donation according to means $10-$50 (no one turned away). Register Here

March 14: Bread for the World Offering of Letters, Saturday, March 14, All Saints Lutheran Church, 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 Noon. Here is more information.

March 28: Circo for Community and Justice. Support the New Mexico Conference of Churches, enjoy music by the Peace Pipes and celebrate the awarding of the annual Turquoise Award to an outstanding community leader. At St. John's United Methodist Church. Get Tickets: $35 for individuals, $300 for table of 10.

Launching the Legislative Hunger Caucus

The Legislative Hunger Caucus was only an idea two years ago when I brought it up at the End Hunger Summit in Albuquerque in the fall or 2017. This concept of bringing legislators of both political parties and both chambers of the New Mexico State Legislature to discuss, craft and prioritize solutions to hunger in New Mexico became an official "priority" through a memorial that was approved during the 2019 legislative session. 

The caucus is now a reality with the leadership of Rep. Joanne Ferrary and Rep. Rebecca Dow in the House and Sen. Michael Padilla in the Senate. Rep. Ferrary hosted a meeting of interested legislators on January 31.

The caucus became public on Food and Farms Day at the State Legislature, an event sponsored by the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council. Reps. Ferrary and Dow offered their visions for ending hunger in New Mexico (see below). Their comments were brief because they had to return to committee meetings.



Of course, the ongoing effort to address hunger in New Mexico is broader than the state legislature. At the End Hunger Summit in 2017, I also broached the concept of bringing citizen organizations and legislators together to address hunger in New Mexico. This citizen-legislative partnership was contained in the language of a memorial introduced in the 2018 legislative session.

Thanks to efforts by Rep. Melanie Stansbury, a broad coalition is now in place to help propose legislation that would address many aspects of hunger. This coalition, which will work closely with the Hunger Caucus, has offered a set of proposals for the short 30-day session in 2020. The proposals will be much broader during the long 60-day session in 2021, including a possible omnibus bill (similar to the federal Farm Bill) that brings together many efforts to address hunger via a single legislative piece. Stay tuned!

2020 Priorities Fact Sheet

Thank you to New Mexico First for helping put together our discussions/ideas into this document