An Albuquerque food bank is trying to keep up with increasing demand amid fewer donations.
The Roadrunner Food Bank provides up to 400 families with food each week, depending on the number of supplies available. But those supplies are dwindling, as donations to the food bank and people's ability to purchase food have decreased.
"Just like you and I, our dollars at the food bank are stretched, too, in terms of the purchased goods," Sonya Warwick, the communications director with Roadrunner Food Bank, told KOAT 7 News. "In terms of food that we're able to go out and purchase, it's expensive for us as well.”
The food bank is hoping to raise awareness and encourage people in the community to help provide financial assistance. Warwick told KOAT that monetary donations could help buy food in bulk.
According to Warwick, one in five children and one in eight New Mexicans go to bed hungry. “That's a significant amount of people when 20% of our kids in our state are not having enough access to regular meals," Warwick told KOAT 7 News.
Families depend on the food bank, especially in the midst of inflation. Ana Cirrillo has nine people in her family, and a few of them are teenagers who love to eat. She pays about $800 a month for groceries, she told KOAT News.
Like many New Mexicans, Robin Shepherd has felt the crunch of inflation and is trying to survive through a difficult time. "Even the stuff we've been getting from here (Roadrunner Food Bank) is going down and down because not as many people are donating," Shepherd said. “But as a mom, I have to make sure my kid has food.”
