Food bank director says output up

Despite food and monetary donations being down in the last year, things have been looking up for the Food Bank of Eastern New Mexico, according to FBENM Director Dianna Hernandez.

Collaboration among local non-profit organizations has increased efforts for food donations and distribution to families substantially and had a major impact across the eastern New Mexico region, which includes Roosevelt, Quay, Curry, De Baca and Guadalupe counties.

“You can see us inching towards success,” said Hernandez. “Donations have been down, but on the other hand, what money we did come up with, we were still able to increase our output.”

While food donations were down and overall revenue fell nine percent from last year, Hernandez said the food bank was able “to maximize our buying power.”

Hernandez said food banks across New Mexico bring in food from various retailers across the state.

She said if food doesn’t sell in a store, the food banks are able to purchase it at a much cheaper price “to offset the costs of transporting it.”

“Forty-five percent of what we distributed (so far this year) was fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Hernandez. “We reach about 9,000 people a month.”

That number amounts to 575,256 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, according to the 2016 Donor Impact Report from FBENM — a 26 percent increase from last year, according to Hernandez.

Hernandez said 1.3 million pounds of food have been distributed across the five eastern New Mexico counties this year — an 18 percent increase from last year.

She said FBENM collaborates with 30 other organizations across eastern New Mexico, including several partners in Roosevelt and Curry counties.

Hernandez also said FBENM works with the Roosevelt County Health Council and the Mitch Gray Three7 Project.

“We can’t do it by ourselves,” said Hernandez. “We are the distribution center for all these agencies. Collaboration has really been key in all the success we’ve had in the last year.”

Hernandez said she hopes to increase food distribution up to two million pounds by 2018 and hopefully engage more organizations, adding that the food bank is also discussing new ways to use limited resources.

“We’re strategically planning,” said Hernandez. “How will we make the biggest impact locally with our limited resources and funding?”

Hernandez said one of these goals includes expanding the Weekend Food for Kids Backpack Program, which donated 15,000 bags of single-serve ready-to-eat meals to children this past school year.

“Oftentimes, it was going home and being divvied up to a family,” said Hernandez. “Instead of kids getting a small bag, we’re going to have a food referral-based pantry (for whole families).”

While success has been significant locally, Hernandez said New Mexico is still high for childhood hunger.

“Statewide, the outlook is still pretty bleak,” she said, adding that collaboration with the Produce for People and the Ideas for Cooking and Nutrition campaigns helped raise awareness at the local level.

“It’s a lot about healthy eating for people, who can’t afford to eat healthy food,” Roosevelt County Health Council Coordinator Riki Seat said of the Produce for People campaign, adding that the program is available to anyone, and there is no income requirement to participate.

Seat said the People for Produce drive will be held 1-3 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the Memorial Building, and volunteers are welcome to help unload trucks at 8:30 a.m.

The ICAN program also educates low income adults and youth on healthy eating, according to Roosevelt County Extension Office Nutrition Educator Carol Calderon, who said the program works with FBENM to reach out to limited resource audiences.

“It’s free, fun, hands-on education,” said Calderon. “We hope to encourage them to choose healthier foods by sharing our resources.”