New Mexico Appleseed: Impact Report 2019-2020

IMPACT REPORT 2019-2020 Message from the Executive Director

4

New Mexico Appleseed: Who We Are

5

Our Theory of Change

6

Multiple Dimensions of Poverty

6

2019-2020 Impact 7

CHILD HUNGER CHILD & FAMILY HOMELESSNESS FAMILY ECONOMIC STABILITY EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING

Our Work Ahead 11 2019-2020 Donors 12

Mission Statement New Mexico Appleseed's mission is to end poverty in New Mexico. We want to ensure that every child and family has the necessary support and opportunities to lift themselves out of poverty. We seek permanent and dramatic positive change.

Method New Mexico Appleseed focuses on systemic solutions to the causes and consequences of poverty. We work from the tiniest communities to the state, tribal and federal government to define problems and create solutions. New Mexico Appleseed's work is thoughtful, innovative, and effective.

ENDING POVERTY THROUGH SYSTEMIC CHANGE

New Mexico Appleseed's work ensures New Mexico’s children will see dramatic and permanent changes in their lives, but the only way we can match the size of these problems is with a bigger and stronger voice.

We know that child poverty—though complex—can be solved.

We need more help and most of all WE NEED YOU. Your donations make our work happen.

EMERITUS BOARD MEMBERS Cathy Allen Kyle Armstrong Joseph Goldberg, Founding Chair Debbie Johnson Don Kidd* Gregory Levenson Larry Lujan Tony Monfiletto Robin Otten Conchita Paz Bonnie Paisley Ruth Schifani *Deceased

2019-2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dale Dekker, Chair Caroline Garcia, Treasurer Anne Bingaman Sarah Brown Lisa McCulloch Linh Nguyen Dawn Nieto-Gouy Jennifer Ramo John Ulrich

nmappleseed.org

Message from the Executive Director Dear New Mexico Appleseed Family, New Mexico Appleseed addresses the multiple dimensions of poverty, and thanks to our generous donors, every year our work impacts tens of thousands of low income New Mexicans. From working to keep more than 200,000 kids fed during the shutdown to creating a pilot in which 120 homeless students received basic needs stipends in exchange for attending school and participating in tutoring, Appleseed advocates for New Mexico's most vulnerable families.

New Mexico Appleseed creates permanent solutions that will immediately improve and ultimately prevent poverty.

The harm the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and what promises to be dramatic and prolonged damage, is a complex but urgent problem for all. Despite the challenges, New Mexico Appleseed’s staff is hard at work and has accomplished remarkable feats.

We have partnered with communities across the state—alongside other nonprofits, school districts, advocacy groups, state and federal agencies, and Governor Lujan Grisham’s office—to keep vulnerable New Mexicans safe and thriving.

We start by listening to our communities. We then apply an innovative datadriven approach to craft and expand policies that are life changing—like the law banning lunch shaming.

Our work requires a long-term commitment from all of us, and success happens incrementally. To that end we promise to lead the fight on the right side of these issues, in a spirit of collaboration, with all the tenacity we can muster and for as long as we’re needed.

On the following pages we have outlined New Mexico Appleseed's impact and our work ahead—together, we will continue to plant the seeds of lasting transformation.

With sincere gratitude for all you do,

We're leading the poverty prevention movement with the goal of ending poverty in New Mexico.

The end of poverty is in our sights. Join us and make a donation today.

nmappleseed.org

Jennifer Ramo Executive Director 4

ENDING POVERTY THROUGH SYSTEMIC CHANGE

Who We Are Jennifer Ramo, Executive Director jramo@nmappleseed.org

Daniel Valverde, Director of Community Action dvalverde@nmappleseed.org

Jennifer Ramo is the founder and Executive Director of New Mexico Appleseed. An experienced attorney, she designed New Mexico Appleseed’s effective system of change and created Appleseed’s first-in-the-nation programs such as the Hunger-Free Students’ Bill of Rights (prohibited lunch shaming children whose parents owe school meal debt), the Breakfast After the Bell law (requires all high poverty elementary schools to serve breakfast during the school day that has been replicated by over a dozen states and districts) and the Food Access Navigator project on the Navajo Nation (awarded a USDA innovation demonstration grant). Her anti-hunger and homelessness work has received international attention and been highlighted in the New York Times, CNN, USA Today, Le Monde, BBC and Al Jazeera, among others.

Daniel Valverde is responsible for bringing awareness about child hunger issues across the state and helps support federal programs, such as school breakfast, school lunch, and after school meals. He helps assist after school programs in receiving free reimbursable meals and snacks using federal funds. He also works on Appleseed’s McKinney-Vento program. His work includes supporting school districts around the state with their McKinney-Vento programs, offering technical assistance, and identifying issues on the ground that require policy changes. Mr. Valverde received his bachelor's degree in anthropology at Eastern New Mexico University, and his master's degree in cultural anthropology and food studies at New Mexico State University.

Ms. Ramo’s professional focus is on multi-generational systems involvement and using community voice/ qualitative data and quantitative data to improve poverty outcomes. The lens of racial equity in the poverty arena is a natural extension of this work.

Ms. Ramo is a graduate of the Albuquerque Academy, the University of Southern California and Tulane Law School.

She was a recipient of the Coro Fellowship.

Meghan Mead, Director of Law and Policy mmead@nmappleseed.org Meghan Mead is the staff attorney at New Mexico Appleseed and has worked on child and family homelessness for over three years. She has done extensive policy and legal research and advocacy around the McKinney-Vento act and issues related to child and family homelessness, including on compliance with federal and state laws and best practices, eviction, and supportive housing for child-welfare involved families. She also works on the Family Success lab project, providing policy and legal analysis, and technical assistance to state partners.

Prior to her work at New Mexico Appleseed, Ms. Mead was in private law practice, primarily focusing on health care and nonprofit tax and governance. She is a graduate of Stanford Law School and received her undergraduate degree magna cum laude in history and economics from Mount Holyoke College.

Rosalie Nava, Director of Research, Equity and Community Empowerment rnava@nmappleseed.org With a background in public health and social work, Rosalie Nava brings expertise in equity issues and program management. She helped develop trainings and educational material for school districts prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Nava received master’s degrees in social work and public health from New Mexico State University. She served in the United States Peace Corps as a community educator and micro-business developer in the South Pacific, Kingdom of Tonga in 2006-2008.

Rebecca Anderson, Director of Advancement randerson@nmappleseed.org Rebecca Anderson has extensive experience in multichannel fundraising campaigns, communication management, and public information campaigns. Prior to her work at Appleseed, she directed alumni relations and annual giving programs at a 7-12 grade school. She has also directed fundraising and communications campaigns for non-profits and social enterprises focused on college-readiness, poverty-alleviation, and advocacy for students with learning differences. Ms. Anderson received her undergraduate degree in English from Colorado College and pursued postgraduate studies in graphic design and visual communication at the Rhode Island School of Design and Colorado State University.

5

nmappleseed.org

Our Theory of Change New Mexico Appleseed corrects structural barriers to opportunity by designing and advocating for effective solutions to poverty through policy, legislative, and market-based reform. While many organizations offer important direct services—serve meals, educate children, and assist the poor—New Mexico Appleseed’s goal is to make systemic change that yields permanent or long term improvement on issues like hunger, homelessness, family economic security, child maltreatment and education.

New Mexico Appleseed designs, tests, and implements practical solutions that address the causes and consequences of poverty.

#1 #6

#2

#5

#3 #4

Addressing the Multiple Dimensions of Poverty The problem: New Mexico only treats the symptoms of poverty—not the root causes.

Ample research shows that many symptoms of vulnerable families are causal and/or correlated. For instance, a child's lack of stable housing is a risk factor for child neglect. Food insecurity is a risk factor for low educational outcomes. The correlations are too many to list, but critical to recognize if you want to understand and address the needs of New Mexico's most vulnerable families.

Despite all best and well-intentioned efforts by government and philanthropy, too many New Mexican families are unable to escape the inter-generational effects of poverty. All of New Mexico Appleseed's work uses a multi-dimensional lens to address the complex root causes of poverty.

6

ENDING POVERTY THROUGH SYSTEMIC CHANGE

2019-2020 IMPACT

CHILD HUNGER CHILD & FAMILY HOMELESSNESS FAMILY ECONOMIC STABILITY EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING

Poverty is more than economic deficiency. It is rooted in social inequality and injustice, marked by instability, lack of resources and opportunity, and often times spirals into chaos and despair. Its devastating effects can plague families and entire communities for generations—physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Poverty’s symptoms are not singular, but a tangled web of: hunger; homelessness; lack of healthcare, education, and employment; drug abuse; violence; neglect; and crime. New Mexico is typically on the bottom of every list regarding child welfare and social justice issues—and the devastating effects of poverty in New Mexico fuels our passion to create change.

In every society throughout history, some have more and some have less. However, we believe everyone should have enough, and we won’t stop fighting until every person in New Mexico truly has enough— stability, opportunity, resources and equality to reach their potential.

AT NEW MEXICO APPLESEED, WE'VE HAD ENOUGH OF NOT ENOUGH. THANKS TO YOUR INVESTMENT IN OUR WORK, HERE IS A LOOK AT WHAT WE ACHIEVED IN 2019-2020 AND A GLIMPSE OF OUR WORK AHEAD:

CHILD HUNGER In 2018, one out of every four New Mexican children experienced food insecurity. During COVID-19, the number increased to one out of every three (162,960 children), and in many rural communities the numbers are as high as one out of every two (Roadrunner Food Bank & Feeding America, 2020).

In a state like New Mexico, where poverty and food insecurity has held a strong grip on many families prior to this outbreak, the fight to meet a family’s basic nutritional needs is even more profound.

12,500 LOW-INCOME CHILDREN ANNUALLY WILL NOW EAT FOR FREE BECAUSE APPLESEED ELIMINATED REDUCED-PRICE SCHOOL MEAL PAYMENTS FOR ALL ELIGIBLE CHILDREN During the 2020 legislative session, Appleseed wrote and successfully advocated for a law that eliminated reduced-price lunch payments for children whose families’ income is too high to qualify for free school meals and too low to afford full-priced meals. From now on approximately 12,500 children annually will receive free breakfast and lunch without worry. This also means children will not accumulate meal debt if they eat and their families cannot afford the copays, nor will they go hungry because they can not afford lunch. This

effort involved both obtaining $650,000 in funding from the legislature and passing a bill prohibiting the collection of co-pays.

EXPANDED FREE BREAKFAST TO OVER 8,000 STUDENTS ANNUALLY AT LOW-INCOME MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS In 2011 New Mexico Appleseed successfully created and advocated for the nation’s first law that required all high poverty elementary schools serve breakfast after the start of the school day. Offering breakfast during the first 10-15 minutes of the school day has proven to be one of the most effective strategies for increasing participation and improving academic and behavioral outcomes.

In 2019 and 2020, New Mexico Appleseed successfully advocated for a regulation expanding that mandate to high poverty middle and high schools. Because we know that hunger doesn't stop when you are in elementary school, this expansion helps middle and high schoolers focus and learn.

SUCCESSFULLY ADVOCATED FOR STATEWIDE COMPLIANCE WITH THE BREAKFAST AFTER THE BELL LAW AFFECTING OVER 116,000 CHILDREN EVERY DAY Through our advocacy work, we ensured strict compliance with the law that requires all the

7

nmappleseed.org

children in high-poverty elementary schools be offered and served breakfast after the bell.

An innocuous change to the law had resulted in schools and districts misinterpreting the requirement of serving children breakfast after the school day has started to mean that if schools served breakfast before the bell, children wanting breakfast after the bell had to ask for it and miss class if they wanted to eat. This led to a dramatic decrease in children accessing school breakfast.

Our regulatory changes and strong advocacy ensured that schools comply with the law and children eat without having to miss school or request a meal when nobody else is eating.

SPEARHEADED STATEWIDE EFFORT TO ENSURE ALL LOW-INCOME CHILDREN HAD ACCESS TO FREE USDA MEALS DURING THE FIRST THREE MONTHS OF THE SHUTDOWN AND THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER* Our advocacy team created a state-wide task force, which included school districts, state agencies, national organizations, and the Governor’s office to open drive-through meal sites in every school district in New Mexico. For example, Appleseed worked in partnership with APS to create 89 drive-through meal sites throughout Albuquerque, resulting in 4,000,000 meals in the first three months of the COVID-19 outbreak. This win resulted from a blend of local coordination, legal research and state and federal advocacy.

CREATED AND SPEARHEADED A STATEWIDE POLICY LEARNING NETWORK TO BETTER UNDERSTAND AND LEVERAGE FEDERAL FEEDING PROGRAMS DURING COVID-19* Organized and led statewide meetings to answer the questions of school nutrition directors and after-school programs relating to the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and school meal operations. The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC), New Mexico Public Education Department (PED), and Children Youth and Families Department (CYFD) staff collaborated with Appleseed to assist school districts plan and implement their feeding sites during school closures due to COVID-19.

WORKED SUCCESSFULLY TO HELP ENSURE THAT $45 MILLION IN FEDERAL FEEDING BENEFITS REACHED 243,000 CHILDREN’S FAMILIES AUTOMATICALLY AND WITHOUT AN APPLICATION* New Mexico Appleseed played a critical role in ensuring that federal benefits meant to address

8

*APPLESEED'S COVID-19-RELATED RESPONSE

food security during the shutdown reached all eligible children and their families. We advocated with the state to change its United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) application to eliminate the requirement that families fill out applications to receive benefits. This meant that undocumented families and families who might not know these benefits existed simply received them instead of having to apply. Through Appleseed's relentless advocacy, New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) and PED also extended PandemicElectronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits to approximately 243,000 children for August and September. This action provided an additional $45 million in federal funds to feed vulnerable children throughout the state. For months, PED believed this was not a possible option, but through Appleseed's technical assistance and persistence, PED and HSD received the guidance needed to make this a reality.

Finally, we investigated the data on who had and had not received cards, highlighting the fact that only 60% of the benefit cards had actually been activated. This meant over $20 million of benefits had failed to make it into families’ pockets. After New Mexico Appleseed worked with HSD on this issue, they initiated a process of follow-ups and outreach resulting in a much higher number of families being able to access their benefits.

CONNECTED RURAL COMMUNITIES WITH THE PHILANTHROPIC DOLLARS TO ENSURE CHILDREN HAD ACCESS TO SUMMER FEEDING* Appleseed partnered with the New Mexico Foundation (NMF) to create a statewide hunger survey targeting rural districts to learn more about barriers facing food service authorities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through our research we discovered that transportation of meals was the single largest issue stifling rural school districts. Through our partnerships, we helped ensure meal delivery in rural communities by connecting districts to NMF grants awarded to offset transportation costs. For example, Lordsburg received $1,000, Wagon Mound received $1,000, Cimarron received $1,350. The grants were used to add additional routes to deliver more meals to rural communities.

SUCCESSFUL FEDERAL AND STATE ADVOCACY AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR WAIVERS THAT ALLOWED MORE CHILDREN TO BE FED DURING THE SHUTDOWN

ENDING POVERTY THROUGH SYSTEMIC CHANGE

THROUGH DELIVERY AND MULTIPLE DAYS OF MEALS SERVED AT ONCE* During normal times, the USDA rules regarding school and summer feeding are very clear. Children must eat those meals together and they must consume them at certain times. Because of the shutdown, USDA has granted waivers to states to allow multiple meals to be served in one day and for multiple days. This means school districts can give a week’s worth of meals out at once in a drivethrough setting.

Appleseed was able to work with national partners to advocate on the federal level for waivers in New Mexico. We trained districts on the new waivers and what they meant from a legal and policy perspective. Because feeding programs are a benchmark for certain Title I and other funding, Appleseed is making sure that districts know that children must still fill out the application for free and reduced-price meals even though they are picking up free meals at feeding sites. These applications are critical for determining the poverty rate at that particular school.

CHILD & FAMILY HOMELESSNESS Early on in our work we discovered the vast amount of academic research showing that housing insecurity and homelessness are drivers for poor life and well-being outcomes.

Appleseed hypothesizes that housing instability is a significant problem for New Mexico’s school children – far greater than the data show – and that it plays a more significant role in New Mexico’s dire picture of child wellbeing than previously understood. Housing unstable children experience higher rates of abuse and neglect, mental health challenges, and substance abuse problems than their stable housed peers. Homeless status also impacts academic performance and increases a student’s risks of becoming housing unstable as an adult.

There is no definitive picture of how many children in New Mexico schools are homeless or housing unstable. Different data sources in New Mexico have painted startlingly different pictures of how big the housing instability problem is for New Mexico’s children and families. What we know is that since COVID-19, more families are finding themselves in housing unstable situations due to the loss of jobs and income.

PROTECTING THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF THE 8,00012,000 HOMELESS STUDENTS IN THE ACADEMIC SETTING* Under federal law, homeless students and housing insecure students have the right to access the same education as everyone else. Even before the pandemic, these students are often afterthoughts and marginalized. They can be punished for absences even though those absences are out of their control. As soon as the shutdown came, Appleseed moved into action to ensure that school districts knew they were required to provide these students with laptops and hotspots if the districts were offering virtual learning. While approximately 8,000 to 12,000 students are identified statewide as homeless, we suspect the number has grown exponentially during the shutdown.

Appleseed did extensive surveying of districts and their homeless liaisons to discover that far too many homeless students were without any access to education. In response, we drafted a nationally circulated legal memorandum outlining the legal obligations schools have to remove barriers to distance learning opportunities to 8,000+ students who qualify as homeless under federal law.

This memorandum drew from federal law and guidance and also included some suggestions for best practices on how schools could meet this obligation. The memorandum was sent to PED and school district superintendents around the state. Through our continued advocacy, we have made sure that these students have access to the technology and connectivity they need to attend school. We continue to monitor this issue to ensure that districts are in compliance with federal law.

DEVELOPING BEST PRACTICES FOR ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS DURING DISTANCE-LEARNING* New Mexico Appleseed provided technical assistance and training to districts by developing best practices for liaisons in school districts during the pandemic. This included new strategies for outreach and identification and meeting the needs of homeless and housing insecure students.

We also helped draft easy to use documents liaisons could use to log their weekly check-ins with homeless and housing insecure students, identify their basic needs, and enroll newly homeless and housing insecure students in the federally mandated homeless program. We also

*APPLESEED'S COVID-19-RELATED RESPONSE

9

nmappleseed.org

offered a training for attendees around the state to walk through the legal obligations and how best to provide support to those students.

INCREASING IDENTIFICATION OF HOMELESS AND HOUSING INSECURE STUDENTS* Due to our deep knowledge of the communities with which we work, Appleseed’s hypothesis is that there are far more students who qualify as homeless under federal educational laws than are identified. The robustness of districts’ outreach and identification efforts are highly variable. To better understand the scope of the problem and develop a more accurate snapshot of how many students are housing unstable, we are currently working with PED to determine the best avenue to require all school districts and charter schools to implement a housing status screener for every child. Some districts and charter schools already do this each year and report that it is enormously helpful in identifying housing unstable families. We want to replicate this successful approach statewide.

To help support districts in rural communities, Appleseed also issued mini-grants of $3,000 to 15 districts and charter schools to provide support for students during COVID-19 and identify more students who might be eligible for McKinney Vento services.

This money helped districts who receive minimal to no funding to support this federally mandated program. Homeless liaisons have reported using this money to pay for stipends to other school staff to help contact missing children or families experiencing homelessness, purchase devices or hot spots for families, and reimburse for staff time to get in their car to get actual eyes on the students.

FAMILY ECONOMIC STABILITY A well-studied intervention in global development that is now catching on in the United States is the concept of providing cash transfers to support low-income families. The purpose of these cash transfers is to provide income for these families so that their children can go to school, their basic needs are met, and they have the opportunity to move beyond the cycle of poverty. Whether designed as basic minimum income for all or a stronger cash assistance-based safety net, this is a developing field and Appleseed is at the forefront in the United States and in New Mexico.

With the support of a $250,000 grant from Western Sky Community Care and a $300,000 grant from the Los Alamos National Labs Foundation we have been piloting cash transfer pilots for homeless families with children in eighth grade to 12th grade and unaccompanied high school youth.*

10

*APPLESEED'S COVID-19-RELATED RESPONSE

Students and families are eligible for $500 a month in basic needs stipends if their children meet certain academic and social emotional support participation requirements. The hypothesis is that a financial incentive that helps meet basic needs will encourage children and families to engage in academics and socio-emotional support and that this engagement will improve academic and life outcomes. Our goal was to both help now, during the COVID-19 shut down, while contributing to the larger evidence base and conversation around a low-income family’s simple need for cash.* New Mexico Appleseed, in partnership with Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) and Las Cruces Public Schools (LCPS) developed a summer intervention for housing insecure and homeless 8th grade and high school age youth at risk of dropping out. The interventions lasted for 4 and 3 months, respectively, and consisted of a $500 a month financial stipend to families when students met certain participation requirements such as summer school and high school readiness classes. Sixty-five children participated, and all but one successfully completed the pilot. We will follow these children’s academic outcomes and school graduation metrics to see if the engagement and the financial support improved outcomes. This pilot was supported by funding from Western Sky Community Care.

Building on these summer pilots Appleseed, through a generous grant from The Los Alamos National Labs Foundation, has launched two more pilots for the duration of the 2020-2021 school year in West Las Vegas Public Schools and Cuba Independent Schools, two districts who experience high rates of poverty and have populations who have been historically underserved.

These pilots will run from November 2020 until June 2021 and will serve 42 students and their families.*

EVIDENCE-BASED POLICY MAKING: FAMILY SUCCESS LAB New Mexico lacks the basic infrastructure to make evidence-based decisions on how to best address the generational cycles of instability, poverty, and chaos. There is a wealth of administrative data and a dearth of tools to operationalize the data. There is no governance infrastructure for data sharing across state agencies and there is little use of data within agencies to provide feedback on program efficacy. Policymaking and service delivery are done in vacuums, without evaluation or outcomes baked into funding, resulting in lost dollars and lost time for families. Low-cost randomized controlled trials using administrative data

to evaluate programs, interventions, and policies are virtually impossible.

OUR WORK IN PROGRESS

Families bouncing between multiple social services systems (“multi-system families”) have each of their co-occurring factors dealt with by different agencies.

Their care is based on triage and not prevention. They often spend their weeks meeting the requirements of each agency, whose case management process and data is completely divorced from those of other agencies.

Different agencies that treat members of the same family do not connect the data to understand the entire family’s constellation of problems or see patterns when looking at larger groups of families. The result of this lack of data sharing and collaboration between agencies is that there is no way to accurately describe or understand who is at risk for what, who gets what spectrum of services, and whether or not those services worked as intended.

“1,2,3 EYES ON ME” PROPOSED INTERVENTION ADDRESSING PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL NEEDS DURING THE PANDEMIC

The mission of the Family Success Lab is to use integrated administrative data to discover and deploy evidencebased, data-informed and scalable solutions to common challenges facing vulnerable children and families. The Lab will link historical, record level, administrative data across state agencies, which will be anonymized before it is shared with agency staff or researchers. Linked data offers significantly more granularity in understanding key risk factors for poor outcomes and evaluating how a program may have affected participants. Integrated data can be used to identify risk and protective factors to better assess family strengths and challenges, target evidence-based programs to high-risk groups, and evaluate programs, policies, and interventions for efficacy and cost.

Work on this endeavor continues to progress. New Mexico Appleseed secured $50,000 in funding for DOH during the 2019 legislative session for the agency to hire a data linkage epidemiologist. The epidemiologist was hired at the end of 2019. DOH has devoted more resources to this initiative, which has support from many staff because of its potential to better understand family outcomes and address the root causes of poor outcomes. Other agencies have also begun to recognize the value of this endeavor, including PED and ECECD. The current work includes determining the initial research questions to show proof of concept, identifying existing state resources that can be leveraged for the Family Success Lab, and developing the governance structure to share data, so staff resources are not continually devoted to renegotiating MOUs for each data sharing effort. Appleseed is participating in the process by sharing our extensive knowledge of integrated data systems and convening key stakeholders to help bring all partners along in the process.

APPLESEED DOESN'T EVER LOOK AWAY THE NEED One of the amazing things about New Mexico Appleseed is that we are able to be nimble when needed. As the schools closed down in March 2020, we realized that a humanitarian disaster was looming. Unfortunately, that seems to be prescient.

The Public Education Department is reporting that over 12,000 children cannot even be found right now during this shutdown. Child maltreatment reports have taken a nosedive, in part because there are fewer eyes on children.

While the focus on mitigating COVID-19 risks is critical, we must also account for the equally dangerous risks of education loss, food insecurity, heightened abuse, and mental and physical health struggles. Assuming that the teachers and districts are unlikely to return to in person learning during the 2020-2021 school year, we must work around this fact to create a responsive and tightly-woven safety net for these children.

As the state focused on mitigation of the virus, Appleseed is addressing some of the out-of-school needs of children. Out of whole cloth, Appleseed conceived of and is proposing interventions that can be replicated and scaled in nearly any context.

“1,2,3 EYES ON ME” “1,2,3 Eyes on Me” is a flexible intervention that seeks to mitigate some of the damage being done to children who are disconnected from school and all that it offers. For each identified issue children face, this intervention seeks to find a reasonable solution while maintaining safety from COVID-19 exposure.

“1,2,3 Eyes on Me” seeks to create a model that could scale up or down depending upon viral spread, but with certain consistent offerings (drivethru food and health screenings and referrals) with added features (peer interaction, exercise, academic support) as viral spread goes down. It is worth noting that this may be a possible vehicle to ensure the New Mexicans get both COVID-19 vaccinations when they become available.

Learn more about this initiative: 123eyesonme.org 11

2019-2020 DONORS Anonymous (3) Thomas and Carol Aageson Mary Margaret Acosta Samantha Adams Hussam Albanna Albuquerque Academy Garrett and Emily Allen Carl and Linda Alongi Jonathan and Kathleen Altman Foundation Victoria Anaya Derek Anderson Jennifer Anderson and Chris Boone Becky and Chris Anderson Lorraine Archibeque Adelmo Archuleta Fred Arfman and Georgie Ortiz Armstrong Energy Corporation Associated Contractors of New Mexico Leslie Atler Bank of Albuquerque Paul Bardacke and Lisa Enfield Barker Realty Beck Total Office Interiors Howard Becker Candace Beeke Barry and Natalie Beller Dan and Kristen Benedict Jeri Berger-Hertzman Betty's Bath and Day Spa Jeff and Anne Bingaman Alrenzo Black Kathleen Blake MD and Robert Ballance David Blanc Alan and Bronnie Blaugrund Jamie Blosser Stuart Bluestone Bryan Bobrick Kara Bobroff Tim and Cynthia Bonafair Bradbury Stamm Construction, Inc. Braman Group International Mike and Lisa Brennan Brindle Foundation Marilyn Bromberg Scott and Kay Brown Sarah and Doug Brown Martha G Brown Peter Brunson Brycon JD Bullington Government Relations Sonya Burke Matt Butzier David and Shelly Campbell Neil Canavan Wendy and Dan Caruso Phil and Catherine Casaus Tesuque Casino Paul and Connie Cassidy Christopher Cassidy Paul and Lisa Cassidy

Carlton Caves and Karen Kahn Cynthia and Jeremy Chavez Damian and Angie Chimenti Christus St. Vincent Gloria Chynoweth Jessica Chynoweth Clifton Larson Allen Jennifer Cohen Joan Z. Cohen Consensus Planning Chrissa Constantine Michelle and Bill Coons Pepper A Cooper Sydney Cooper and David Cantor Stephanie Cousins Jack Crawford John Cronin and Susannah Stern Dick and Peg Cronin Anthony Cucciara Pat and Bob Curtis Callie Darsey David Williams Eric Davison and Kristin Bradbury Wendy Deetz Dekker/Perich/Sabatini Richard Dekker Linda Donnels and Lawrence Logan Penny and Don Dudley US Eagle Mel and Mary Ann Eaves Elizabeth Eden Marina Efroymson Miriam Efroymson Elemental Risk Management Gretchen Elsner Exerplay Inc. Wells Fargo Jeremy Farris Abigail Feldman Natalie FitzGerald Food Research and Action Center/Walmart Wendy Forbes Peter Frank Amanda Frederickson Talia Freedman Diana and Chester French Stewart Family Foundation Frost Foundation Eleanor Gage Caroline Garcia Tomas Garcia Art Gardenschwartz Benjamin Gardner Pea Garr Marc Geller and Beth Beloff Gemini Rosemont Property Management of Albuquerque Van and Sandy Gilbert Jewell Glavey Jane Goldberg Lori Gomez

Victoria Gonzales Martha D. Goodman Berto and Barbara Gorham Ayako Goto Chris Green Marilyn Gregg Eugene Gritton and Gwendolyn Owen-Gritton Diana Gurule Lesley Gustafson Robin Hardin John Harre and Joan Meschino Eric Harrigan Gary and Caroline Harrington Felicia Harris HB Construction Lori Hewig Sue Hilts Lenore Horowitz Michael Hoskins and Tiffany Warren Andrew Hsi Tom Hubbard Matthew Hurteau Illinois #3 Foundation Isaacson and Arfman Inc. Dan Jameson Jennifer Jernigan Deborah Johnson Lynn Johnson Aubrey Jones Victor Jr. and Mary Jury G. King Herb Koffler Kristen Kohlstrik Paul and Ruth Kovnat KPMG Linda Krull Mia Lardy Erin Law Alaena Romero David Leith Leonardi and Paz LLC Katherine Leung Gregory Levenson David Levi and Nancy Ranney Linton and Associates Laura Little Jodie Lord Bruce and Marilynn Lovett Rita Lucero Michael and Maddy Mahony Sophie Martin David Matteucci Mattophoto, Inc. Sallie McCarthy Claudia McCulloch Frank and Lisa McCulloch Patricia McCulloch Randi McGinn Steve McKee Bill Meyer Esther and Ralph Milnes Mary and Timothy Mitchell Mittler Family Foundation Modrall Sperling Roehl Harris

and Sisk, P.A. Steve Moise Molzen Corbin, Inc. Ruth Mondlick Paul Mondragon Rich and Nancy Montoya John Moore Associates Kathleen Moore Shirley Morrison Yuki Murata and Chris Long Bob Murphy David and Nicole Musolf Nanopore Inc. Fred and Arlyn Nathan Jennie Negin and Harold Folley New Mexico Mutual Linh and Kristina Nguyen Dawn Nieto-Gouy and Robert Gouy Gabriel and Amy Nims Melissa Nunez Nusenda Nancy Oakes Sylvia Obledo Deborah Ocallaghan Old Republic Title Thomas O'Leary William Orr Robert Parra Stuart and Janice Paster Lara Patriquin and Ian Paul Deborah Peacock and Nathan Korn Jade Peterson Julie Polhamus Matt Proctor Barry and Roberta Ramo Jennifer Ramo and David Kutz Joshua Ramo Jennifer Rasmussen REDW Kathleen and Robert Reidy Jay Rembe Penny and Armin Rembe Renal Medicine Associates Resilient Solutions 21 Ann and Russ Rhoades Elizabeth A. Rice Molly P. Ritz Roberta Rivera Bradford Robb Sherry Roberts Gwenn Robinson and Dwight Burney Val Romero Jontelle Romero-Bennett Jan Avent and Dave Rossetti Josh and Katie Rubin Carol Russell John and Terri Salazar Jonell Samberson Jon Sanchez Sandia Foundation Sandia National Laboratory (Honeywell) Leah and Todd Sandman

222 East Marcy Street Suite 20 Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 505.814.1200

|

info@nmappleseed.org

|

nmappleseed.org

Santa Fe Community Foundation Aaron Schalk James Austin and Ray Schreiber Scout Design Zaid Riadh Seleem David Shaffer Yolanda Shannon Michael Todd Shenberger Siarza Social Digital Martin and Sidney Kistin Paul Sievert Melanie Silva Lynn Slade Aimee and David Smidt SO Branding Kurt and Cheryl Sommer Ruth Stein Ethan Stewart Still Point Fund Sunny 505 Duffy and Jean Swan Becky Swords Dennis Swords Richard Tang Alexander Tappan Arnold and Lorlei Tenenbaum The Santa Fe Group Toni Theisen Thornburg Foundation Tinkertown Museum TLC Plumbing and Utility Steven Tolber and Louise Campbell-Tolber Sonia Torres Aaron Trevizo Kersti Tyson Ulrich Consulting Group UNM Foundation Health Sciences Center Marcia and Gregory Unnever Teresa and Marvin Valverde Kay Vugrin W.K. Kellogg Foundation Doris Goodwin Walbridge Foundation Sarah Washburn Asa Weber Chuck and JD Wellborn Priscilla Wells Western Sky Community Care Lisa Wheelis Andrew and Kristen Wiese Janislee Wiese Rod and Marty Wilson Nancy Wirth Lynne Withey Robbi Woltring Woods Design Builders, Inc. *We have made every effort to ensure this list is as accurate as possible. Please accept our deepest apology if your name has been omitted or listed incorrectly.

Questions? Please contact Rebecca Anderson, Director of Advancement, randerson@nmappleseed.org Thank you.