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Saturday, February 06, 2010
40,000 in N.M. Get Food Aid
By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Journal Staff Writer
About 40,000 New Mexicans per week are getting food assistance, including many children and elderly residents, a new report said.
Kathy Komoll, director of the New Mexico Association of Food Banks, is most concerned about the increase she sees in the number of children and elderly seeking assistance, because those groups need to be especially careful about what they eat.
"Our goal is always to get fresh food out to people, and we'll be spending the next few months trying to work with people around the state to get more produce and healthy food to children and senior citizens," Komoll said.
The report, based on surveys with emergency food providers and clients, is the first one completed in four years. No exact figures about increases were available.
Dan Giuliano, the school counselor at Edward Gonzales Elementary School on the southwest mesa, said his school runs a program that gives kids a sackful of food to take home over the weekend. It contains items such as milk, juice, crackers, a fruit cup and pudding. He said over the last year the number of kids wanting to participate in the program has risen dramatically.
"Our school has about 650 students. When we first started the program, four or five years ago, we had 35 students participating. Now we have about 200," Giuliano said. "I only have enough food for about 135 of them."
He said the kids who don't get a sack one week are given a voucher that guarantees them a place at the front of the line the next week.
Most of the kids new to the program have said financial difficulties at home are to blame, Giuliano said.
He said parents have lost jobs, homes or apartments and generally are getting by on less.
The Hunger in America 2010 report was prepared by Feeding America, a national hunger relief charity.
The Association of Food Banks compiled information about New Mexico for the report by surveying more than 450 people seeking emergency food assistance and more than 450 emergency food providers.
The survey asked food providers questions such as how many clients they serve and how much food goes out each week.
Komoll said reports from across the state indicate demand has shot up at food banks.
"Even though 40,000 people are being served, there are others who are going to be turned away. There are pantries that run out of food halfway through the month," Komoll said.
The New Mexico Human Services Department reported a 30 percent increase in the number of residents using food stamps in the month of December, from 109,069 in 2008 to 142,174 in 2009.
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