A study released yesterday by the Food Research and Action Center reports that 28 percent of households with children in New Mexico didn't have enough money for food in 2009 and 2010.
The data derives from a survey in which households were asked whether they didn't have enough money to buy food they needed at any time during the previous year. By comparison, 16.5 percent of households without children reported having a food budget shortfall.
The Food Depot in Santa Fe, which is helping to publicize the research, is hoping that Congress won't slash the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) as part of its planned $1.5 trillion spending cuts.
A Brandeis University report on impacts of hunger on children found it contributes to inattentiveness in the classroom, tardiness, absenteeism, hyperactivity and lower test scores.
Sarah Newman, president of New Mexico Collaboration to End Hunger, says that unfortunately, the FRAC study results don't surprise her.
"Currently in New Mexico almost one in five children don't know where they're going to get their next meal," Newman says.
Summer can be the hardest time for financially-strapped families because they can't rely on school lunch and breakfast, Newman notes. Because of the rural nature of much of the state, food purchasing can vie with other expenses like gas when grocery stores are located far from home.
"Many New Mexicans have to make the decision, 'Am I going to pay for gas to go to a grocery store, or am I going to go to the Allsups or whatever is near me and pay more for a smaller thing of milk and get foods that are filling like pork rinds or Cheetos or something like that?'" Newman says. "Families are having to water down milk, water down baby formula."
Newman said a little boy at a community meeting she attended said he hadn't eaten dinner because it wasn't his turn. The siblings in the family apparently rotated from night to night because there wasn't enough to go around.
Employers with minimum or low-wage workers should make sure their employees are taking advantage of SNAP and other food programs, Newman said. Other members of the community can donate to food pantries like the Food Depot or talk to their kid's school to find out how they can help.
New Mexico Coalition to End Hunger has a hotline people can call to get help with food assistance and other services: 888 363 6648
The Food Depot, located on Siler Ave, accepts donations and works with volunteers in the effort to address the Santa Fe area's hunger problem.
