Latest news with #RoadrunnerFoodBank
Hindustan Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Food Banks Are Running Out of Food Exactly When More Americans Will Need Them
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Sarah Aragón glanced at the growing line of people snaking down Central Avenue, waiting for their allotment of everything from melons to pinto beans to frozen catfish. She wondered how she'll keep feeding them all. This year, the federal government has canceled food deliveries and cut hundreds of millions of dollars in annual aid to food banks. For Aragón, the head of programming for Roadrunner Food Bank, New Mexico's largest charitable food operation, that has meant losing more than seven million pounds of food she had been counting on. President Trump's megabill, passed earlier this month, includes cuts to food stamps, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Food banks across the country were already straining under rising demand. Now, they worry many more Americans will go hungry. Some food banks and pantries are pushing for more state, local and private funding. Others are considering cutting back services and the amount of food they can distribute. 'It's getting to the point where we can't fill every single need in terms of food,' Aragón said. 'I don't know how much more creative we can be to make things stretch.' Food banks have seen requests for assistance from households—including those with children—jump sharply over the past few years, driven by the end of pandemic aid programs and the impact of inflation on grocery prices. According to a recent survey from Feeding America, a national network of food banks, over half of 162 food banks reported demand rising this past April compared with April 2024. Sarah Aragón is the head of programming for the Roadrunner Food Bank in New Mexico. Earlier this year, the Agriculture Department canceled millions of pounds of shipments to food banks that were part of its emergency food-assistance program for low-income people. A spokesperson for the department said it had only terminated an additional fund set up by the Biden administration that resulted in inflated spending on the program. Deliveries for the main emergency food effort continue uninterrupted, the department said. A separate pandemic-era program, slated to disburse roughly $500 million this year to food banks to buy produce, dairy items and meats from local farmers, was also cut by the Agriculture Department. The department said it had released hundreds of millions of dollars to food banks that had been previously promised as part of the program. Yet food banks say they are already feeling the impacts of federal cuts. 'This is the most challenging situation I've seen in 17 years here,' said Paule Pachter, president and chief executive of Long Island Cares, a food bank that serves New York's Long Island. 'We've been through Superstorm Sandy, Covid, but this is a self-imposed crisis.' Pachter's organization faces mounting demand, opening two additional pantries over the past few years to add to its four others. In 2019, it recorded just over 59,000 visits from people needing food. In 2024, that number was more than 193,000. A waiting line last month at a Roadrunner Food Bank distribution in Albuquerque, N.M. The Roadrunner Food Bank is pushing state lawmakers to allocate more funding to offset cuts. Earlier this year, a delivery of a quarter million pounds of food from the emergency food program was canceled, Pachter said. Pachter and other food bank leaders say the SNAP reductions included in the new budget bill will strain resources by pushing more people whose benefits have either been cut or reduced toward pantries to get food. Republicans say changes to the SNAP program will ensure people receiving the benefits are working, as required. The budget bill expands work requirements for SNAP, raising the upper age limit for able-bodied adults from 54 to 64, meaning those people will typically have to work for 80 hours a month to qualify for food benefits. Caregivers of children ages 14 and older previously didn't have to work to get SNAP assistance. The new legislation removes that exemption in most cases. These changes are set to go into effect immediately, while other changes that shift some of the cost of paying for SNAP from the federal government to the states will be implemented in the coming years. A congressional analysis of an earlier House version of the bill found that roughly 3.2 million people would lose SNAP benefits in an average month over the next decade. Some food banks have seen a rise in people accessing their services who also get SNAP assistance. A pandemic-era program that provided households with the maximum amount of food benefits ended in 2023. According to data from the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, the number of people who use its pantries and were also enrolled in SNAP jumped by 64% between the end of 2022 and the end of 2024. Zach Zook, chief strategy officer for the Pennsylvania organization, said the rise showed that even before the cuts, SNAP benefits often weren't enough. Families enrolled in the program use food banks to fill the gap. Madaline Yazell, 75, at left, says Roadrunner in Albuquerque enables her to supplement the groceries she buys with her Social Security money. Since April, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank has also had 23 loads of emergency food-assistance program goods canceled. The food bank receives $173,000 a month from the Agriculture Department's local food program to buy local pork, chicken and dairy items, among other products from farmers. The last payment will be in July, before its funds from the program run out, Zook said. The food bank has seen demand soar over the past several years. The number of times it served children nearly doubled between fiscal years 2019 and 2024. Some front-line pantries, the groups that actually distribute the food provided by food banks, are considering reductions in services to conserve resources. The Love Thy Neighbor community pantry in King George County, Va., recently drafted a contingency plan to prepare for the cuts. Among the options being considered: limiting the number of times people can visit pantries from weekly to biweekly, and reducing the 50 to 55 pounds of food each household receives per visit. 'There are different dials that we can spin to try and keep serving people in a reduced way,' said Ryan Ragsdale, treasurer and secretary of the pantry. In New Mexico, roughly one in five residents are enrolled in SNAP—among the highest participation rates in the country. Roadrunner is ramping up food drives and pushing state lawmakers to allocate more funding to offset cuts. Brian Hall, a burly former Army infantryman, is a regular at one of Roadrunner's weekly distribution sites. Hall, 60 years old, said a back injury has left him unable to work at all since 2018. He had been interested in working as a counselor for other veterans, but a recent series of strokes derailed that plan. Brian Hall, a veteran in Albuquerque, says he never thought he would seek help from a food-bank program. Hall said he gets $1,400 in disability payments from his back injury and $140 a month in SNAP benefits. He still relies on Roadrunner each week to help get enough to eat, calling it a lifeline. 'I moved to Albuquerque to help my parents because they're older and I wanted to give them a hand. But now I'm the one getting the help,' he said. 'Never in a million years, did I think I'd be in this situation.' Aragón said that this year, Roadrunner's distributions run out of food more often than they have in the past. 'When we have to tell people that we have no more left, the look on their faces when they walk away is like 'What am I going to do now?'' she said. 'I don't have an answer.' Write to Dan Frosch at Food Banks Are Running Out of Food Exactly When More Americans Will Need Them Food Banks Are Running Out of Food Exactly When More Americans Will Need Them Food Banks Are Running Out of Food Exactly When More Americans Will Need Them Food Banks Are Running Out of Food Exactly When More Americans Will Need Them
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Study: New Mexico ranks 4th in the nation for childhood hunger
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – A recent study shows children in New Mexico are more at risk of hunger than almost anywhere else in the country. Roadrunner Food Bank said they are doing all they can, but are worried about potential federal funding cuts that help put food on tables. According to Feeding America's 2025 Map the Meal Gap national study, New Mexico places 4th in the nation for childhood hunger. Roadrunner Food Bank said the data is similar to years past. According to the study, 1 in 6 people in the state, and 1 in 4 children, are food insecure. 'There is plenty of food in this country. There is plenty of food in this state. There is plenty of food to feed everyone who needs it. It is access that is the problem,' said Communications Manager for Roadrunner Food Bank Jimmy Himes-Ryann. Story continues below Trending: Rio Rancho High baseball player accused of urinating in water jug no longer faces charges News: VIDEO: Albuquerque man accused of killing 14 dogs denies accusations Environment: Researcher explains why earthquakes are rattling parts of New Mexico Access is what Roadrunner is working to improve. The food bank worries about potential cuts to SNAP benefits. That's why they were in D.C. on Wednesday, testifying at a hearing to discuss SNAP benefits, raising concerns about potentially shifting the burden of paying for SNAP onto the states. The food bank worries about the potential need for more food bank services if fewer families have access to SNAP. 'Drastic cuts and changes to SNAP will cause hunger to grow at a exponential rate,' said Vice President of Strategy, Partnerships, and Advocacy at Roadrunner Food Bank Katy Anderson at the hearing. 'It would mean more than tripling our current food distribution output simply to ensure comparable access to what is available today.' Roadrunner Food Bank said their services are especially important right now as children are on summer break and may be missing out on the only meal they depend on during the school day. 'The state of New Mexico provides around 300,000 meals to students who go to public schools in the state. The need in the summer is exceptionally high because a lot of students are getting that third meal at school exclusively,' said Himes-Ryann. According to the study, the counties with the highest rates of childhood food insecurity include Catron, McKinley, and Luna. To learn more about volunteering or donating, click this link. The KRQE Cares Food for Kids program also has donation bins at Smith's stores in the metro, where community members can drop off non-perishables, diapers, and more throughout the summer. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
USPS helps ‘Stamp Out' hunger with food drive
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Not only are they delivering mail, they're fighting hunger too. Letter carriers across New Mexico did more than drop off mail Saturday, they also picked up thousands of pounds of food as part of the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. Residents spent the morning filling bags with non-perishable food and left them by their mailboxes. Volunteers and staff then sorted out the donations at the post office. Roadrunner Food Bank affected by federal spending cuts With food costs rising and nutrition programs facing federal cuts, organizers say this year's turnout was more important than ever. 'I've done this for several years now; it's been many, many years that I've done this, and every year, I am excited to do it,' says USPS carrier Mo Molina. Last spring, residents filled over 150,000 lbs of food. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Roadrunner Food Bank affected by federal spending cuts
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Federal funding cuts are forcing shortfalls on New Mexico food banks, one of the largest non-profits in the state, said it has lost more than a million dollars it uses to feed the hungry. Story continues below News: Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham authorizes National Guard deployment to Albuquerque Trending: NMSU: 6 international students' visas revoked by federal government News: Suspect in custody after fleeing from police in a U-Haul with people in the back Education: Curanderismo in the classroom: Albuquerque high school teacher introduces students to Mexican folk healing The Roadrunner Food Bank says it's out $1.9 million in funding from a special USDA fund they use to buy food, which is about a 30% cut. And there's no word on when or if that money will come back. 'Is this going to become a normal thing where truckloads are being canceled and there's suddenly a much smaller amount of food available?' said Vice President of Strategy, Katy Anderson. The Roadrunner Food Bank is among those dealing with federal funding cuts from the Trump administration. 'About 30 to 31 percent of the food that goes out through the food bank network in New Mexico is through the TEFAP program or those commodities. And so, there's no clarity as to whether those are canceled forever, if they're delayed,' continued Anderson. Nationally, the USDA cut $500 million specifically for food banks. For the Roadrunner Food Bank, their share of the cuts means canceling 20 truckloads of food, through the end of June. 'It can be a pretty dire circumstance for the food bank. How are we going to replace that food and ensure that people get what they need?' emphasized Anderson. Entering the summer, when they see increased demand, they're concerned about supply. 'It makes planning for the upcoming summer a challenge as well. How are we going to handle that and ensure that that food is available to families in our state?' said Anderson. The cuts have not impacted the city's summer lunch program for kids across 80 parks, schools, and rec centers across Albuquerque. 'I think it'll be a great kind of way for us to still be the lifeline for families and still help them,' said Public Information Officer from the Department of Youth and Family Services Brianna Gallegos. The city's summer lunch program begins the first week of June. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Yahoo
Roadrunner Food Bank helps people learn job skills through training program
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – You probably know Roadrunner Food Bank as a place that gives food to community members in need. But it's also a place giving people a second chance, setting them up for careers. Story continues below Crime: Third grade Farmington teacher arrested in connection to husband's stabbing death Entertainment: Japanese retailer Daiso sets opening date for first Albuquerque store Traffic: Albuquerque speed cameras are slowing drivers but less than half of tickets are paid Angelo Jimenez hasn't had it easy. 'My grandfather had it, my dad has it, I have it, my sister has it. It's called dilated cardiomyopathy,' he said. The genetic condition led him to have a heart transplant in 2017, which was followed by a long recovery. 'It was hard to get back to normal me after my transplant,' said Jimenez. In an effort to gain independence, he applied for the Job Training Program at Roadrunner Food Bank. 'Its goal is to assist people who would ordinarily have difficulty finding employment or keeping employment,' said Teresa Trujillo, Job Training Program Manager at Roadrunner Food Bank. From veterans to people with disabilities, to others reentering society from the justice system, the program teaches people job skills, like managing a warehouse or earning their commercial driver's license. The participants also get paid for their hours of training. 'It's the perfect environment for someone who hasn't worked before,' said Trujillo. Through the program, Jimenez was hired on full-time and earned his CDL. 'I had never had a job before, actually, so this is technically my first job still,' said Jimenez. He said it's helped him with his social skills and then some. 'My coworkers. I can't say it enough, really. Those guys, they make the day go by,' he said. 'It's like a family here, pretty much.' So far, about ten people have made it through the program. While Jimenez went on to work full time at the food bank, others have gone on to use their training to land reliable jobs across the state. You can learn more about the program by clicking this link. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
