Feeding New Mexico’s Children By KATHERINE MAST
New Mexico’s children are among the most food-insecure in the country. The nonprofit organization, Feeding America, estimates that roughly 28 percent of New Mexico youngsters — more than one in four — don’t have adequate access to food for part or all of the year. While New Mexico consistently ranks among the most food-insecure states, the national average of 21 percent isn’t much better. The implications for children who struggle with food security are serious. “It gets in the way of sitting in a classroom and concentrating,” says Sonya Warwick, communications officer at Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico. Hunger can build social barriers and also affects children’s cognitive development – and can leave them more susceptible to diseases like asthma and anemia, she said. Numerous local people and organizations are dedicated to improving access to healthy food. Throughout the state, farmers markets and community supported agriculture, or CSAs, are seeking solutions that are economically sustainable for both families and farmers. Federal and state funding helps support children through school and summer lunch programs, and nonprofit organizations are working to fill the gaps where those assistance programs fall short. Roughly a quarter of foodinsecure families throughout New Mexico are not income-eligible for federal assistance. At the same time, educators are working to instill healthy eating habits through school and community programs. Below are a few examples of the programs and organizations working to meet the need for healthy food in New Mexico.
A “Mobile Food Pantry” visits Edward Gonzales Elementary School, which is one of about 50 schools receiving food from Roadrunner Food Bank’s Childhood Hunger Initiative. Courtesy photos.
Food through Schools: School nutrition programs are one of the most important avenues for helping hungry kids get the food they need. “A lot of these kids rely on meals at school,” says Warwick. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, more than 215,000 New Mexican children received federally subsidized free or reduced-price lunches in 2014, and nearly 150,000 participated in national breakfast programs. But school breakfast and lunch programs do not meet all of the needs for hungry children, many of whom don’t have meals during evenings or weekends. The Food Depot in Santa Fe operates Food 4 Kids, a food backpack program that supplies children with kid-friendly meals that they can prepare on their own over the weekends and at night. The program reaches about 25,000 children in 19 counties in northern New Mexico, providing nutrition that meets federal guidelines through items like packaged meals, peanut butter, dried fruit and tuna snacks. The program launched in 2001 at just three schools. “Teachers were telling us continued on page 14
Albuquerque
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New Mexico Kids!
September/October 2015