We are just 3 days away from some major changes happening at the federal level that will make everyday life much more difficult for approx 450,000 New Mexicans, including 170,000 kids and 65,000 seniors statewide – they will all lose their SNAP and WIC benefits, which are federally funded and state-administered. The Governor will offer details on what the state will do to assist with this very troubling issue during a news conference at an Albuquerque grocery store this afternoon. As a state, we have the highest per capita use of SNAP. The last time this country faced this type of potential hunger and food security issues was during the Great Depression.
What can we do? We can band together as a community and help. HRA will be accepting donations of food items on Saturday morning at The PRIDE Center (1189 Parkway Drive, Suite E2) from 8:30 am to 11:30 am. We will work with local food banks and directly provide whatever food we have to those in need. It will take a village to help those who are the most vulnerable.
Please consider donating canned items, shelf-stable healthy foods, etc.
Also, if you know anyone or a family who will be impacted, please have them go to USDA.gov to apply for the Emergency Food Assistance Program. This is also a way to get food items – all 50 states and Puerto Rico offer this program. They provide monthly boxes of essentials. Apply – if you need further assistance, please let us know: info@hrasantafe.org
Watch our social media for additional posts and information about this and other issues.
