Food Depot provides meals to Santa Fe students after district goes remote

SANTA FE, N.M. – With Santa Fe Public Schools going remote this week, The Food Depot is making sure students still have access to food.

They held a special distribution event Monday, Jan. 17 in Santa Fe.

“A lot of kids get their breakfast, lunch and sometimes after-school snack from us when school is in session. That is their access to food, so really, when school is out, they miss that access to nutritious meals,” said Jennifer West, The Food Depot’s community engagement coordinator.

This weekend, The Food Depot packed over 500 bags – each containing enough food to last a week.

“It’s kid-friendly foods that they can make without the assistance of parents, in case they are at work or if parents can’t help them, just supporting them through nutrition and learning,” West said.

At the peak of the pandemic, The Food Depot noticed a 30% increase of people depending on food banks. While that number has tapered off, they still are serving more families now than they were before COVID-19.

“We want to make sure they are learning the best that they can and that they are getting the nutrition they need,” said West.

The Food Depot will have another event on Thursday, Jan. 20 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. at 1222 A Siler Rd., Santa Fe. They also post their distribution schedules on their Facebook page.