NM Aging & Long-Term Services Department: News Release- Food Boxing That's a Wrap

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 01 July 2020 01 July 2020

509,866 Meals Delivered

$750,000 Worth of Food Purchased

710,896 Pounds of Food Boxed

2,040 Volunteers

The State Aging and Long-Term Services Department wraps up the food boxing and distribution operation that provided more than half a million meals to homebound, low-income seniors and adults with disabilities across the state of New Mexico

NEW MEXICO- As soon as COVID cases were confirmed in New Mexico, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham directed her departments to rally resources in order to bolster support for our state’s most vulnerable. The Aging and Long-Term Services Department [ALTSD] created an entire food boxing and distribution operation, from the ground up, in order to address food insecurities for the vulnerable population of homebound, low-income seniors and adults with disabilities. For months, the Department coordinated bulk food buys from Roadrunner Food Bank, Shamrock Distributors, Ben E. Keith Distributors, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Collectively, more than 700,000 pounds of food, in the form of pallets were unpacked, placed in a socially distanced assembly line, and then repacked into meal boxes with 14 days’ worth of food items. From staples like pancake mix and oatmeal to beef stew and canned vegetables, all of the non-perishables were then distributed to hub sites across the state. Home delivery was provided by staff and volunteers from ALTSD’s Aging Network.

“It has been so inspiring to see our community come together in creative ways to rally around those most vulnerable,” said ALTSD Cabinet Secretary Katrina Hotrum-Lopez. “So many partner organizations joined us in this massive effort, from other state departments to faith-based organizations and volunteers. Thank you New Mexico!”

ALTSD Planning and Policy Director, Dolores Gonzales, led the project on behalf of the Department, “I am so very thankful to our partners and volunteers. Without their help, it would have been near to impossible to get this operation up and running. St. Pius Catholic High School graciously lent us their gymnasium for nearly 14 weeks at no cost. Bernalillo County provided forklifts and operators every time a shipment of food came in. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints generously gave us a humanitarian grant, provided two additional  semi-trucks of food - grown from farmers and ranchers in Utah - wrote letters to our seniors, and provided 20-40 volunteers daily to help pack the boxes.”

Kathryn Kretz, a caregiver for her aging parents in San Miguel County, is grateful, especially with the discontinuation of congregate meals at senior centers, “My parents are very elderly and it is very important for people out in the rural areas of northern New Mexico to have this provided to them, because it’s a long way into town and a lot of them can’t drive anymore. San Miguel County, and other counties in northern New Mexico, are very poor. Especially with this pandemic, it’s provided a real service to all of these folks around here to have food brought and delivered by friendly people and people that are actually caring about them.”

Secretary Hotrum-Lopez reiterated her thankfulness of the Governor’s strong leadership, the ALTSD staff, volunteers, and to the many partners who stepped up from the private, public, and non-profit sectors to help with the effort across New Mexico, including:

  • Department of Senior Affairs, City of Albuquerque
  • Children Youth & Families Department
  • Human Services Department
  • Albuquerque Police Department
  • Bernalillo County Department of Behavioral Health Services
  • Smalley And Company
  • Robert F. Kennedy Charter School and their Administration
  • St. Pius Catholic High School
  • The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints
  • Duke City Gladiators Indoor Football Team
  • Department of Transportation
  • New Mexico Baptist Relief The Taxation and Revenue Department’s Motor Vehicle Division
  • Department of Health Regulations and Licensing Department
  • General Services Department Developmental Disabilities Council

Funding for the project was provided by the Federal CARES Act.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.