Food assistance officials in New Mexico are raising concerns about the possibility of federal cutbacks leaving people here and in other states hungry.
In a press conference last week in Albuquerque, U.S. representative Melanie Stansbury and officials from food banks and other community organizations talked about possible challenges ahead.
Trump administration officials have indicated that they’ll attempt to cut funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.
Katy Anderson is the vice president of strategy, partnership, and advocacy at Road Runner Food Bank in Albuquerque.
Anderson said that for every single meal the network of food banks provides, SNAP provides nine meals, and that cutting SNAP would place food assistance programs in an impossible situation.
"Food banks and pantries cannot double or triple or quadruple their output at the drop of a hat" Anderson said.
“No for-profit company could do that either. That requires a tremendous scaling up of operations, which includes infrastructure, staffing, and expanded fleet. All of that, while those same organizations are faced with the loss of critical federal funds.”
Also speaking at last week’s event were representatives from the Food Depot, which provides food to people in nine New Mexico counties; and Agri-Cultura Network, a collective of small-scale farmers and ranchers.
Anderson said that Road Runner Food Bank works with 500 partners across the state, many also in danger of losing funding.
She said if cutbacks force food banks to close, the oldest and youngest New Mexicans will be hit the hardest.
"The groups that are going to suffer the most will be seniors and children here in New Mexico and the country at large," said Anderson.
"In essence, these decisions at the federal level are cutting off vital nutrition from all sides simultaneously. A strong, healthy nation is predicated on the fact that people have access to healthy, nutritious food."
According to a press release from the office for Rep. Stansbury, more than 480,000 New Mexicans receive SNAP assistance monthly.
