Hunger in NM

According to the The Food Depot, based in Santa Fe, “Groundbreaking research about Missing Meals in our state is now available for the very first time through support from the NM Collaboration to End Hunger and funding from PNM. The research discovered that low-income New Mexicans are missing 117,140,870 meals every year. This means that vulnerable families, children, seniors and individuals do not have enough food in their homes. The purple wedge in the chart shows the number of meals missed by low-income New Mexicans.”

Every week, families in New Mexico have to choose between necessities, such as groceries and utility bills, having only the means to pay for one. Unfortunately, this means that the most vulnerable – children and the elderly – are also hit the hardest.

Another study, conducted by the New Mexico Association of Food Banks and Feeding America, found that around 40,000 New Mexicans seek food assistance every week, and that 40% of household members who are served by food banks are under 18 years of age.