The 'Perfect Storm'

The Food Depot Needs Your Help to Weather the ‘Perfect Storm’

The Food Depot calls upon the community for immediate support to help meet the rising costs of food and increased numbers of people seeking services.

At the height of the pandemic, The Food Depot Thursday morning drive-through distribution lines stretched for miles, serving an average of 2,500 individuals each week. In 2023 food lines have only increased, filled with hungry people turning to their food bank for help.

The strain of rising food costs, decreased food reserves, and the end of COVID benefits has now created a hunger-crisis: a ‘perfect storm.’ The Food Depot can only weather this crisis with support from our community.

The Winds of Change:

The pandemic changed how The Food Depot serves hungry New Mexicans. Direct programming through the Food Mobile, Kids

Kitchen, and drive-thru pantries now serves thousands of individuals each month. Our fleet of vehicles drove over 162,000 miles in 2022, taking food to partner agencies and Mobile Food Pantries across nine counties.

Now, more than ever, the most vulnerable in our community rely on The Food Depot’s direct programs and partner agencies for their groceries.

Families who are already struggling with the increased cost of living will feel even more anxiety in the coming months. In March, SNAP (formerly food stamps) payments expanded during COVID will end, affecting the 1 in 4 New Mexicans enrolled in the program. 67% are families with children. With SNAP grocery payments cut in half, people will be forced to find other ways to feed their families.

Braving the Storm, TOGETHER:

These food-related crises are threatening to overwhelm The Food Depot, but we believe our community is stronger than the storm.

Today, we are calling upon every person to step up and support our critical work.

• Host a food drive

• Donate to fund our programs

• Call your elected officials at all levels of government to request funding to New Mexico food banks

The Tide Rises:

Since October, food prices at the grocery store have increased more than 12 percent. Families are feeling this strain, and so is The Food Depot. By the end of November, The Food Depot had exhausted our food purchasing budget. The cost of fuel continues to rise as well, impacting transportation for food banks and the families we serve.

Low stock of food on hand is amplifying the crisis. Traditionally, The Food Depot has relied on The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), a federal funded program, for nearly 30 percent of its food inventory – but in 2022, that supply dropped to 21 percent. The Food Depot experienced a decrease in this food source by 25 percent 2021 versus 2022. Availability of rescued food from donor grocery stores and food manufacturers and distributors have declined due to increased efficiencies by those businesses.

Financial support of charitable gifts, once at an all-time high during the pandemic, has returned to prepandemic levels.

Every can collected and dollar donated brings healthy food into local communities. Every call alerts policy makers of the crisis. Be part of The Food Depot’s mission this year and a part of the solution.

To host a food or fund drive, email events@thefooddepot.org.