National supply shortages and inflation are taking a toll on local food banks, forcing them to redirect their budgets to keep afloat as they struggle to provide the same level
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Sandia National Laboratories employee Tracy Flynn, left, and volunteer Marlene Vega trim branches at the Rio Grande Food Projects urban garden in Albuquerque as part of National Volunteer Month in April. (Photo by Randy Montoya)
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia recently gave more than $538,000 in grants that focus on families and education on behalf of Sandia National Laboratories as part of its corporate contributions program.
One recipient was the Rio Grande Food Project on Albuquerque’s West Side, according to a release from the labs.
“We have been a very fortunate recipient of Sandia grants since 2018,” said Ari Herring, the executive director. “(Sandia has) invested $90,000 in our hunger relief work over the last few years.”
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Volunteers get food boxes ready to distribute at Expo New Mexico on Dec. 1. (Jim Thompson/Albuquerque Journal)
Imagine waiting in line four hours for a couple boxes of food. Sadly, many New Mexicans needn’t imagine it – they’re living it.
The need for food “has gone through the roof,” says Ari Herring, executive director of Rio Grande Food Project on Albuquerque’s West Side. “New Mexico is a fragile state when it comes to food security, so this pandemic is hitting us hard. It’s the holiday season now, and a lot of people are really struggling.”
The Journal’s “Help for the Holidays” series found the pandemic and its economic fallout have made food insecurity a crisis. According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report, just three states – Mississippi, Louisiana and West Virginia – had higher rates of food insecurity than New Mexico from 2017 to 2019. That was bef