Help Reduce Hunger in New Mexico - Think Globally, Act Locally

Hunger in New Mexico

The New Mexico Task Force to End Hunger
A public/private collaboration utilizing advocacy, education, convening, and other means, to end hunger in New Mexico.

Myths and Realities About Hunger in New Mexico
by The New Mexico Task Force to End Hunger

1) Food Insecurity (not knowing where your next meal is coming from) is not a problem in New Mexico.
The most recent USDA data ranks New Mexico tied for #2 in the nation in terms of Food Insecurity.

2) New Mexicans don’t need USDA food.
According to the 2004 American Community Survey, Forty Percent of New Mexicans Are Eligible for USDA Commodities (meaning their income is at 185% of the Federal Poverty level)

3) People are hungry because they don’t know how to take care of themselves.
Many of New Mexico’s Food Bank “regulars” are “working poor.” For too many New Mexicans, hunger can be One Bad Break Away. Any of the following can disrupt a low-income family’s ability to put food on the table: Emergency Hospital Visit, Job Loss, Unexpected car repair, Death of a loved one, Large Financial Loss, Natural Disaster, and other unforeseen calamities.

4) Food Banks are serving all the people who are hungry in New Mexico, so the problem is solved.
According to the USDA, Hunger and Food Insecurity in America 2004 and New Mexico Association of Food Banks, Faces of Hunger in New Mexico 2005 reports, 304,685 New Mexicans are Food Insecure. Yet only 238,000 people are per year served by New Mexico Association of Food Banks. This means 66,685 may still be hungry

5) All of America is hungry, it’s not New Mexico alone.
The most recent USDA data showed that New Mexico’s Food Insecurity Rate is 50% Higher Than National Average. The US average is 11%, New Mexico’s is rate is 16.8 % of the state population.

6) Working families are not hungry in New Mexico.
According to the New Mexico Association of Food Banks, Faces of Hunger in New Mexico 2005 report, 41% of their clients are working families, and more than half of their clients own their home.

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