A new study says nearly 300,000 New Mexico residents, including almost 20-percent of children, face food insecurity on a regular basis.
The new report by Hunger Free America found that from 2018 to 2020 an average of 291,489 New Mexico residents lived in food insecure homes. That means they were unable to always afford an adequate supply of food for themselves and their families.
However, the report also found that an increase in federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, had a direct effect on a 55-percent decrease in hunger in the state over the past year and a half.
Hunger Free America CEO Joel Berg says it’s heartbreaking some people in the state still don’t get enough to eat, but he says he’s thankful there are programs in place to prevent the problem from being much worse.
According to the report, 50-percent of food pantries and soup kitchens nationwide said they served more people in 2021 than they did in 2020.
