Espanola State Farm agents Donna Casados, far left, and Manuel Valdez, far right, present a check for $2,500 to Las Cumbres Community Services. Courtesy photo
LAS CUMBRES NEWS RELEASE
Española State Farm agents Donna Casados and Manuel Valdez presented Las Cumbres Community Services (LCCS) with a $2,500 State Farm grant in support of the non-profit’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG) program.
The extra funding will assist with established direct services for GRGs by allocating the dollars toward a portion of concrete resources and other expenses for families in service. Introduced in 2012 in the agency’s Rio Arriba offices, the demonstrated and growing need for GRG programming resulted in the subsequent establishment of LCCS GRG programs in Santa Fe and Taos counties. The program currently provides services to more than 40 grandparents and over 120 grandchildren yearly. LCCS’ goal is to maintain current service capacity and grow to serve a potential 10 additional families this year.
“Manuel and I are honored to present Las Cumbres Community Services with this big check representing our support for such an important community program. At State Farm, we are committed to helping build stronger communities,” said Casados.
“For us, it’s not enough to simply say we’re a Good Neighbor,” added Valdez. “Donna and I embrace the responsibility to make our community better by being a part of a solution.”
LCCS GRG Program Manager Naomi Diamonds said the award will help deserving grandparent families to close a number of the gaps that are part of challenging economic times that families are living through.
“A recent grandmother of seven shared with me, in tears, that it is often impossible to even put enough food on the table as the price of everything is going up,” Diamonds said.
About Las Cumbres Community Services: Las Cumbres Community Services today is one of the largest social service employers in the northern part of rural New Mexico providing for upwards of 6,000 individuals annually across Child and Family and Adult Service programs. Having just passed their 50th Anniversary milestone, Las Cumbres is working to build a world where everyone connects and thrives in their community. Services are available in four counties, Rio Arriba, Santa Fe, Taos and Los Alamos.
For more information, visit the agency website at https://www.lascumbres-nm.org.