ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — It’s hard to serve a hot holiday meal to your family without the meal – and that’s where one food pantry is stepping up this holiday season.

The Storehouse New Mexico is trying to raise enough money for 1 million meals. This comes as they are seeing record demand.

“The Storehouse is busier than we’ve ever been. We are setting records for how many families that we’re serving,” said Kevin Cochran, the program manager at The Storehouse. “We’re gonna see more and more people all the way through the late winter, early spring, and we need to restock these shelves.”

Cochran said they served 1,100 families in one week in November – a record for The Storehouse.

“More people are experiencing hardship. A lot has changed in terms of prices and other expenses for a lot of local families, and so they’re looking for assistance to help make those ends meet,” he said.

Sandia Area Federal Credit Union started the “FACE the Hunger” campaign in 2020, matching financial donations for The Storehouse.

“We truly believe, to strengthen our families and to strengthen our community, it truly starts right there at the dinner table,” said Rachael Garcia, Sandia Area Credit Union’s senior vice president of marketing.

Last year, they raised enough for 820,000 meals. That’s not far off of the goal they’re trying to achieve with The Storehouse this year.

A $5 donation can provide 25 meals for New Mexico families. The credit union will also match donations of up to $25,000.

“It is our biggest campaign of the year. And Sandia Area’s matching is the largest match that we get all year,” Cochran said.

Cochran added that they can’t meet record demand without the community’s support.

“The holidays are always our busiest time of year. However, in the last few years, the whole next year is even busier than the holidays of the previous year,” he stated.

The campaign runs through Jan. 6. You can donate at one of the credit union branches or online.

• Donate to FACE the Hunger Campaign here.