WITH SHERRY HOOPER
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SFR: New Mexico is No. 1 in the nation for food insecurity, according to a report released last week by the United States Department of Agriculture. As executive director of The Food Depot, were you surprised to see that statistic?
SH:
Well, I'm not surprised because we see on a daily basis people lining up, and the numbers increasing, those people lining up to seek help either at a food pantry, soup kitchen or a shelter.
To what do you attribute our high number of people at risk for hunger?
Well, I attribute the growing crisis of hunger to many things. One is unemployment, of course, but mostly underemployment. I believe more and more people are going hungry because they simply can't make enough money to make ends meet. They face decisions like, 'I have this much money; do I pay the rent to keep a roof over my family's head or do I buy food this month?'
The Food Depot serves 100 nonprofits in seven counties. In terms of need, where does Santa Fe fall?
The poverty level in Santa Fe is a little bit lower; however, what we're finding in Santa Fe is that hunger is a hidden crisis. There may be three or four or five families living under one roof to make ends meet. And it's surprising, because Santa Fe is such a wealthy community-or it's perceived to be such a wealthy community-but we have many people, thousands of people, who seek help, emergency help, through the system, weekly, if not at least once a month.
We hear a lot more about food drives during the holidays. Is there an increased need during the holidays, or is it just a good time to get people's attention?
I think the holidays help many realize how fortunate they are. They have so much in their lives. And at that time, they also realize that there's a way to give back. And so they do make extra efforts, help their neighbors, and many agencies will also have extra efforts to provide special holiday boxes or holiday meals, so that those who are in need can sit down to a really traditional holiday meal.
Did you work in this line of work prior to becoming the executive director here five years ago?
I did. I spent 10 years at the Food Bank in Kansas City, Missouri. And then this position opened up, and I saw an opportunity to do the work I love in a place that I find to be absolutely beautiful.
What drew you to this line of work?
You know, we grew up and we didn't always know where our next meal would come from. And my mom always made sure that even though we didn't have a lot, that we always gave to the people around us who needed it more.
So how much food is being donated on a daily basis? Do you know?
It varies because we get bigger shipments on Wednesdays, but locally we might have 5 to 7 tons of food come in from local donors, and we have a refrigerated truck out picking up donations from grocery stores and bakeries and a few restaurants. At the same time, we're working at the state level to bring in bulk produce-we work with the seven other food banks in the state to bring bulk produce into the food banks-because we're really trying very hard to make sure we provide nutritious value to people. And then we also work on a national level with our America's Second Harvest Network, which is our parent organization. And they are sending donations to us on a national level from large food manufacturers. There may be days where we have 50,000, 60,000, 70,000 pounds of food come in, and some days it may be 10,000.
Seventy thousand pounds of food! I think I read you provide 260,000 meals a month; is that true?
We distribute approximately 200,000 pounds of food each month, which we believe then provides about 260,000 meals through the agencies we serve. We do not actually prepare the meals, but we try to translate it because it's much easier for people to understand meals instead of pounds.
Did the elimination of gross receipts tax on food [in 2004] change the picture of hunger at all?
We were excited to see that take place. At the same time, we knew that would not end the hunger problem. People still have increased fuel costs, for example. Fuel costs have really hurt the people we help. We're suffering as a nonprofit that runs a lot of trucks. Our fuel bills have more than doubled.
Are you lobbying for any other systemic changes?
I'm fortunate to serve on the New Mexico Task Force to end hunger. The food banks have joined up with many agencies to primarily work with the Legislature to keep them educated about hunger in our state. We've asked them to consider several initiatives to battle hunger. One is through the New Mexico Association of Food Banks-there's eight of us in the state-and we're proposing they also allow us to do some outright purchasing from New Mexico growers and manufacturers, so it's also benefiting our state, because that funding is going to support New Mexico businesses and will allow us to feed people.
If you could tell people one thing about the hunger needs in our community, what would it be?
First, to know there is hunger in Santa Fe and it is a hidden crisis. And secondly, there are so many ways for them to get involved in the battle against hunger. Come to The Food Depot and volunteer your time, or volunteer at a food pantry or soup kitchen. Or consider a food drive. That raises much-needed donations, and those nonperishables are the donations we don't get from any other sources. We've actually been forced to purchase them. Food drives are a great way to get involved, and you know when you buy that can of green beans in the store, it will go directly to someone who needs it.
To find out more about how to help fight hunger in northern New Mexico, call The Food Depot at 471-1633 or go to
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