ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Nearly 500 organizations in our state work together to make sure New Mexicans are fed. 

“In the last couple of years, The Storehouse as one of the largest food pantries has supported on average about 56,000 people a year. Last year, we saw over 79,000 people because the cost of food has gone up 24% since 2020,” said Jill Beets, the Marketing Representative for The Storehouse. 

The Roadrunner Food Bank is gearing up for their biggest event of the year on Saturday, the Souper Bowl. People try different soups and desserts and can participate in a silent auction. 

“Normally this event helps us raise just shy of $100,000 to help us in our mission. We know people are facing hunger across our state,” said Sonya Warwick, the director of Communications for Roadrunner Food Bank. “It is a very serious issue in our state because we tend to have high hunger rates.”

Events like these help them purchase food and source food to pantries across New Mexico, like The Storehouse in downtown Albuquerque. 

“It is a wonderful way to engage the community and invite them into our space and have them get a sense of our work and what we are doing,” said Warwick. 

Last week, President Donald Trump signed several executive orders pertaining to federal aid programs. Food assistance programs weren’t affected in these orders, but the future is uncertain. 

“The Storehouse hasn’t yet been affected by cuts, but we are worried about potential cuts to federal grants because we do have a federal grant to purchase food. In addition, we are worried about potential SNAP benefits cuts,” said Beets. 

They haven’t had to turn people in need away, and hope events and volunteers can fill in any future gaps. 

If you or anyone you know needs help securing food, The Storehouse food pantry is open Wednesday, Friday and Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for food distributions.

The Roadrunner Food Bank is also available for those who need resources in different parts of the state.