Silver City, NM: Southwest New Mexico food pantries are eligible for a $25,000 grant from the State Farm Neighborhood Assist program, and need the region's residents to help secure the much needed funding by voting online.

National Center for Frontier Communities' (NCFC) cause, "Building Capacity for Southwest New Mexico Food Pantries," was one of 200 selected by the State Farm Youth Advisory Board from the original 2,000 causes submitted in September from throughout the United States and Canada.

The 40 causes out of the 200 finalists to receive the most online votes will be awarded funding. Anyone with a valid email is eligible to cast ten votes daily. Voting begins on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 and continues until Friday, November 4, 2016. To cast daily votes please visit: http://www.neighborhoodassist.com/entry/1983150.

If successful, the award will secure thousands of pounds of healthy food to be distributed at the region's 30 food banks, and educate food bank volunteers to better navigate the complex online ordering system, recruit and retain necessary volunteers and deploy effective fundraising campaigns so nutritious food continues to be available into the future.

NCFC Program Specialist, Ben Rasmussen, "Significantly impacts the lives of thousands of residents, including many children and seniors, in southwest New Mexico."

Southwest Center for Health Innovation's Hidalgo Food Pantry Coordinator, Beth Cox said the funding would aid to combat hunger in her county, "We served 169 households with the most recent food distributions in Animas, Lordsburg and Cotton City; with more funding we could expand services to Virden, where we have seniors in desperate need."

Grant County Food Pantry manager with The Volunteer Center of Grant County, John Conway says, "This award would give food pantries latitude to deliver a nutritious basket of food at each distribution site. We would have funds available for when things are lean so we can make up gaps in food orders."

Last year, the region successfully mobilized an online voting campaign to win funding for the Continental Divide Trail from the Anheuser-Busch subsidiary Michelob Ultra.

State Farm Insurance Agent, John Saari is optimistic about our region securing the award, "That's one of the things we do really well here, mobilize our communities to help make positive change."

State Farm Neighborhood Assist empowers people to identify problems in their community and provides an opportunity for communities to receive funding to make a positive impact in their neighborhood. State Farm will fund the 40 causes which receive the most online votes.

Remember to cast votes daily from now until November 4, 2016 by visiting http://www.neighborhoodassist.com/entry/1983150.

For more information, contact Rasmussen at (575) 534-0101 ext. 2108.