More Program Updates

appreciates agencies like Christ Lutheran Church that see alleviating food insecurity as more than handing out boxes of food - they offer kindness and dignity to the community.

Food Mobile Program Expands to Provide Choice for Seniors

Survey Results: Hearing from The Food Depot’s Partner Agencies

Christ Lutheran Church

Santa Fe’s Christ Lutheran Church, one of The Food Depot’s smaller, choice-based pantries, offers a weekly distribution to 20-30 households. For these families, the weekly pantry visit is warm and welcoming. While they wait, participants can sit, chat, and help themselves to coffee and cookies. When it’s their turn, they receive a bag of pantry items, including eggs, and then choose their own bread, produce, and meat. Volunteers have created a space of care and community; they know participants’ names, ask about their families, and remember their stories. Customers give this back: on distribution morning, one woman arrived early and swept the church walkway, while another brought a box of mangoes to share. The Food Depot feedback.

In January 2023, the Food Mobile program launched two new distribution sites focused on serving different senior apartment complexes in Santa Fe. Seniors were receiving food with no choice. However, community members voiced a need for more options, more choice, and fresher food. The Food Depot heard these concerns and decided the Food Mobile is the best program for their needs. Instead of having the same produce and shelf stable items dropped to their doorsteps every month, seniors will now be able to choose from the Food Mobile menu. Options include produce, dairy, protein, bread, and healthier shelf stable items. We anticipate serving approximately 200 senior households a month.

In fall of 2022, The Food Depot’s partner agencies completed a survey to assess their experience with our services, food, and assistance in their hunger-relief work. This survey, a tool to move us toward goals in our Strategic Plan, asked questions about food ordering, deliveries, customer service, food quality, and program opportunities.

Agencies reported feeling supported, in communication, and like a part of The Food Depot team. They also reported interest in learning about nutrition education, food safety, and the SNAP program.

We were glad to see that constructive feedback largely fell into categories that are already being addressed, such as user experience with our ordering system and prevalence of nutritious, culturally appropriate, and local foods.

Example of Survey Question asked to help The Food Depot Serve their Partner Agencies Better:

Advocate for a Lasting, Hunger-Free New Mexico

Advocating at a National Level: The 2023 Farm Bill

The Food Depot is advocating for expansion and improvements to two vital nutrition assistance programs, SNAP and TEFAP.

Improvements to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)

• Increase benefits for families with children and older Americans

• Remove barriers for program enrollment for college students and immigrants

Improvements to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP)

• Enable Tribal governments to administer all federal nutrition programs

Get Involved!

We urge you to contact your NM congressional delegation and speak up for The Food Depot:

Senator Martin Heinrich

Senator Ben Ray Luján

Representative Teresa Leger Fernández

Representative Melanie Ann Stansbury

Representative Gabriel Vasquez

The Food Depot Supports Public Policies and Programs that Lift People Out of Poverty

Our advocacy work engages with partners at local, state and regional levels to find creative and lasting solutions for food insecurity.

Everyone is invited to this vital part of The Food Depot’s hunger-relief work.

At The Food Depot, we believe access to food is a human right.

Advocating at the New Mexico Roundhouse

During the 2023 New Mexico Legislative Session, The Food Depot, along with the NM Association of Food Banks, championed

• Increased, recurring funding for food banks

• Universal free breakfast and lunch for schoolchildren

• Increased SNAP benefits for seniors

• Simplifying the process for hunters to donate game to food banks

• Increase TEFAP storage and distribution funds

• Provide food banks with funding to buy locally-produced foods for the TEFAP program

Join The Food Depot’s Advocacy mailing list to receive policy updates. Email Executive Director Sherry Hooper at shooper@thefoodepot. org.

Update: Santa Fe Report to the Mayor

On June 21, 2022, a voluntary force led by Sherry Hooper released the “Report to the Mayor: Ensuring Every Child In Santa Fe Has Access To Sufficient And Nutritious Food”. The report details poverty research and ambitious proposals to end childhood hunger in Santa Fe. To read the report and join the continued advocacy work, visit thefooddepot.org.

honored for the continued support of the Atencio family, owners of local El Parasol and El Paragua restaurants. The family recently reached the $100,000 mark of donations to The Food Depot.

“Through the extreme ups and downs of the last decade, the Atencio family has continued to give, even during an incredibly challenging time for restaurants and their family business. It especially warms my heart when a longstanding, local business makes this kind of commitment to us,” shared Sherry Hooper.

The legacy of the Atencios' commitment has led to additional Food 4 Kids school based pantry sites in Rio Arriba County, the opening of Casita de Comida in Española, construction of additional warehouse space on Siler Road, and 400,000 provided to people across nine counties. May this family’s resolve in supporting change in their community be an inspiration to us all, to give back at whatever level, and in whatever way works best for each of us.

El Parasol’s history started in 1958 with the brothers selling their mother’s Mexican food on the side of the road, outdoors, under an umbrella.

The Atencio family has six locations spanning three cities in northern New Mexico: Española, Los Alamos and Santa Fe:

1. Española North/Ohkay Owingeh, Hwy 68 Travel Center, San Juan, NM 87566

2. 603 Santa Cruz Rd, Española, NM 87532

3. 1903 Central Ave, Los Alamos, NM 87544

4. 30 Cities of Gold Rd, Pojoaque, NM 87506

5. 1833 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505

6. 298 Dinosaur Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87508 elparasol.com

Highlights

More than 150 individual donors came together on #GivingTuesday to support The Food Depot’s critical hunger-relief work in Northern New Mexico. On November 29, $60,000 was donated - the equivalent of 240,000 meals! Thank you to the incredible support of all participants on Giving Tuesday and the matching donors.

Grant Updates

United Way of Northern New Mexico

A United Way of Northern New Mexico Community Action Fund Grant in the amount of $25,000 will support Casita de Comida’s work in Rio Arriba County. The fund awards community partners focused on education, financial stability, and health and wellness.

We are thankful for valuable partners who support program expansion at The Food Depot.

TJX Foundation

The TJX Foundation awarded two grants to The Food Depot in December of 2022.

A $12,500 award will support the work of Kids Kitchen, while a $10,000 award will support food purchasing for Food 4 Kids school-based pantries.

The TJX Foundation strategically invests in non-profit organizations that address their mission of helping families most in-need, build a valuable future – one where families and children are safe and secure, and have the opportunities they need to thrive.

We are thankful to the TJX Foundation for supporting our programs focused on child hunger.

We “Filled The Lensic”!

On November 30, The Food Depot, with support from The Lensic and Century Bank, filled every seat of the auditorium with donations for hunger relief.

The fundraiser raised over $6,800, enough to provide 27,000 meals! Thank you to The Lensic and Century Bank for their leadership.

Annual Holiday Card Drive

Thank you to those who supported our annual holiday card drive. Over $15,500 was raised for The Food Depot’s hunger relief programsenough to provide 62,000 meals!

A special thanks to Sally Dillon and Cheryl Brown for their support of the holiday card drive – Cheryl for her donation of printing costs and Sally for her beautiful, handcrafted design.