Food insecure families find support in schools

With the school year underway, food banks around Albuquerque are working through schools to provide for food insecure families.

School can be more than a place of learning for people experiencing food insecurity, and both public K-12 schools and universities have put renewed effort into their food resources.

“That stability once kids start in school can help keep hunger at bay a little more,” said Sonya Warwick, director of communications and events for Roadrunner Food Bank. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean that the whole family gets to eat, right.”

One of these food assistance programs aims to support the families of these school-aged kids. Run by Roadrunner Food Bank, the Childhood Hunger Initiative distributes groceries through schools to families.

“Families will count on that to prepare dinners with, to prepare meals on the weekends with,” Warwick said.

In addition to food banks, many families across the city rely on educational intuitions for access to healthy meals for themselves and their children. Public schools and universities like the University of New Mexico offer many programs to individuals who are food insecure.

Albuquerque Public Schools’ partnership with the Community Eligibility Provision — a non-pricing meal service option for schools and school districts — allows low-income students access to breakfast and lunch for free. APS also offers after school snacks and at-risk dinners, or “Energy Boosters,” to children who stay at school later into the day. APS meals consist of lean proteins, whole grains and at least one fresh fruit or vegetable.

“School meals are really one of the healthiest meals that kids can get. … Some people think it’s just like hamburgers and fries. No,” said Sandra Kemp, executive director of APS Food and Nutrition Services.

UNM also offers food assistance to its student population through its Lobo Food Pantry. The pantry is a donation-based resource that offers perishable and nonperishable foods for free to enrolled UNM students. While it operates through the summer, the start of the fall semester means more volunteers, allowing the pantry to operate for longer hours.

“And then that opens up my time to be able to do a little bit more one on one with students,” said Amanda Martinez, the basic needs specialist for the Lobo Food Pantry.