The downturn in the economy has increased the number of

families seeking aid from food pantries nationwide. Contributions

and donations are not keeping pace with the increase in demand.
Fresh produce is particularly scarce.

The Corrales Food Pantry Project is a non-profit, collaborative

effort between Corrales property owners and the Sandoval County
Master Gardeners (SCMG) that addresses hunger in New Mexico
by providing fresh produce to families in need through three local
food pantries.

Participating property owners provide the land, electricity and

irrigation water. SCMG volunteers supply the irrigation system,
plants, seed and manpower to weed and to harvest the garden, as well as deliver the fresh produce to the
food pantries.

This summer SCMG volunteers are planting three gardens in Corrales. Two of these gardens are on
Manierre Road. Our goal this year is to harvest 20,000 pounds of tomatoes as well as green beans, squash,
broccoli, carrots, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers and melons.

This endeavor was made possible through the generosity and support of many. Numerous Corrales
residents and SCMG volunteers have donated land, time, labor, equipment, supplies, resources and moral
support. This could not have been accomplished without the support of so many within the community.

Participating property owners:

• Victor and Nora Scherzinger

• Dr. Robert Lynn & Janet Braziel
• Jim and Tommie Findley

Financial and fiscal sponsors:

• Sandoval County Master Gardeners

• New Mexico State University
• Public Service Company of New Mexico
• Rio Grande Food Project (fiscal sponsor)
• ARCA/La Paloma Greenhouses
• Jiffy Lube
• Justice Systems
• Dura-Bilt
• Dr. Stephen Christiansen (DDS)
• Seidman Family Foundation

Food pantries served:

• St. Felix Pantry (Rio Rancho)

• Storehouse West (Rio Rancho)
• Rio Grande Food Project (Albuquerque)
What you can do to help:

• We are in need of T-tape, T-posts, scales and porta-potties

• Financial contributions should be directed to our fiscal sponsor. Please reference Seed2Need in
the memo section of the check, or in a note included with the contribution, to allocate the funds to
this project.

Rio Grande Food Project, 501(c)3

PO Box 66498
Albuquerque, NM 87193-6498
505-831-3778
rgfp.wordpress.com

• We would welcome assistance from church groups, scout troops, school groups or corporate
community groups to help us harvest and drop off produce to the pantries. Email
seed2need@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list regarding maintenance and harvest
scheduling.

Hunger in New Mexico

A landmark study, recently released by the New Mexico Association of Food Banks and Feeding
America, reports that nearly 40,000 New Mexicans are seeking food assistance each week. That’s the
equivalent of having a city the size of Farmington need emergency food every seven days.

Some of the statistics pulled from the study are included below:

• 40% of the members of households served are children under the age of 18.
• 13% of the members of our client households are elderly.
• 54% of surveyed clients report having to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities
• or heating fuel.
• 38% had to choose between paying for food and paying their rent or mortgage.
• 45% had to choose between paying for food and paying for medicine or medical care.
• 42% had to choose between paying for food and paying for transportation

This is the first large scale research study to capture the correlation between the recent economic
downturn and the increased need for emergency food assistance.

This national hunger study includes data collected from February through June 2009. There has been an
increase of 36% over the hunger statistics released one year ago by the USDA, which found that 36.2
million Americans were at risk of hunger.

“It is tragic that so many people in this nation of plenty don’t have access to adequate amounts of
nutritious food,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America. “Although these new
numbers are staggering, it should be noted that these numbers reflect the state of the nation one
year ago, in 2008. Since then, the economy has significantly weakened, and there are likely many
more people struggling with hunger than this report states.

The study discussed the nutritional impact on the more vulnerable members of society, specifically
amongst the elderly and children.
 More than 12 million children in the United States are food
insecure – unable to consistently access adequate amounts of
nutritious food necessary for a healthy life. “Children are the
engine for economic growth in the United States. Hunger creates
unbearable, unsustainable costs that ripple through the
economy and prevent economic success,” said researcher John
Cook, Ph.D., of the Boston Medical Center and Boston
University School of Medicine, a nationally-recognized expert on
child hunger, who conducted the analysis. “If we fail to give them
the nutrition and health supports they need in the first three to
five years of life, our economy cannot fulfill its potential.”

The first three years of life are the most critical period of brain growth and development. Child hunger
causes physical and mental impairment that may never be reversed. Child hunger also creates tremendous
costs that are completely unavoidable. There is no better investment in a prosperous future than investing
in ending childhood hunger.”

“The startling fact that so many very young children in this country do not have adequate nutrition
necessary to grow and develop into healthy adults is heartbreaking. It is all the more tragic when one
considers that it is also entirely preventable,” said Vicki Escarra, president and CEO of Feeding America.
“We know that a child who is hungry and cannot learn; they become a man or woman who cannot earn.”

The states with the highest rates of food insecure children under 5 years of age are:

1. Louisiana 24.2%
2. North Carolina 24.1%
3. Ohio 23.8%
4. Kentucky 23.3%
5. Texas 23.3%
6. New Mexico 23.3%

The full report is available at http://feedingamerica.org/childreport