BY CATHY SCHALLER
Los Alamos

I am really concerned about food security in New Mexico and the cliff we’re about to fall off of with the projected loss of SNAP benefits (food stamps) due to the federal government shutdown. I don’t believe this is a productive time to argue our political views and try and prove one party or the other at fault. Rather, my intent is to share info and brainstorm.

First, here’s a resource: Roadrunner food bank has a searchable database of food pantries and food aid. Using the link below, each of us can search for our desired geographical area. I suggest using this in a couple of ways. You can find food aid if you need it.
https://www.rrfb.org/find-help/find-food/

Next, for those of us with money, pick an organization and make a monetary donation. Money can help more than taking shelf stable goods. Due to purchasing power, most food banks and food pantries can buy more with our money than we can buy individually. They can also buy fresher, healthy foods. I suggest trying to pick an organization that aligns with your particular beliefs and priorities. For me, that was the Food Depot, since they already have the infrastructure to reach various areas across northern New Mexico. I felt that directing my donation to them meant that it would be scaled up in impact and increase the power of the money I gave.

Next, let’s work together to fill in the gaps.

Do a pantry clean out. Take everything you can spare to a local free pantry. Expired shelf stable foods are fine (within reason). In Los Alamos, you can find these at some area churches (Unitarian church, First United Methodist Church, Trinity on the Hill, maybe others). List any additional spots in the comments.

Contribute $, food, or your labor to LA Cares for their next food distribution. https://www.lacaresnm.org/

Donate to the Senior Activity Centers. https://larso.org/donations

Make choices that maximize your efforts. That means spending your time on immediate ways to contribute (so much better than doom scrolling), and your money where it will have a multiplied effect.

Community groups, this would be a great time to do a food drive—now, as soon as possible.

Consider working with one of the nearby Pueblos to get food to areas that don’t have as much shopping access. I did this a couple of times during the pandemic—collected a van load of community donations each time and delivered them to Jemez Pueblo, with the valuable aid of the Los Alamos Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

I am actually reluctant to publicize my own efforts here, but what I want to achieve by doing so is to encourage multiple individuals and groups to try this out. It doesn’t take a huge amount of effort, and regular people really can make a difference. Each time I did a drive like this, 5-10 people worked together to collect and sort goods. I publicized the opportunity via our local newspapers. And I delivered the collected goods to the designated location, having previously established contact to make sure someone would be there to receive the donations. With Jemez Pueblo, their tribal health service was my point of contact.

I have collected donations for asylum seekers in the past, and for Espanola Pathways Shelter. With each of those efforts, community support and engagement were there. There was a large response to a somewhat small investment of time. I know the community response will be there if you plan and publicize a food drive. Although I’m not in a space personally where I feel that I can head up a drive, I want to encourage individuals and groups to do so. If you find yourself knotted into worry about hungry people, then choose to act, in whatever way makes sense to you at this time. Doing so is deeply powerful in unknotting worry and filling up with hope. And through our individual actions and our joint efforts, we make the world better.