Spring 2021 Newsletter
Dear New Mexico Appleseed Family,
Welcome to the first issue of our New Mexico Appleseed Update. This monthly newsletter contains information on our impact, accomplishments, upcoming events, and other news that we feel will be of interest to you. We hope you enjoy this issue and the future issues to come.
Even in “normal” times, one out of every four New Mexican children experienced food insecurity. During the pandemic, the number has increased to one out of every three, and in many rural communities, the numbers are as high as one out of every two. After a year of lockdowns, social distancing, and remote schooling, Appleseed’s fight to help families meet their basic needs is more profound than ever.
At New Mexico Appleseed we are leading the poverty prevention movement and our work impacts tens of thousands of low-income New Mexicans. We use best practices to address child hunger, child and family homelessness, family economic stability, and evidence-based policymaking. Here are our latest updates from these highlighted mission areas.
CHILD HUNGER
In a state like New Mexico, where food insecurity has held a strong grip on many families prior to the pandemic, the fight to meet a family’s basic nutritional needs is even more profound. Throughout the pandemic, Appleseed has worked overtime to convene stakeholders, from teachers to the Governor, to solve difficult problems related to child hunger.
Our advocacy team created a state-wide task force, which included school districts, state agencies, national organizations, and the Governor’s office to open drive-through meal sites in every school district in New Mexico. For example, Appleseed worked in partnership with APS to create 89 drive-through meal sites throughout Albuquerque, resulting in 4,000,000 meals in the first three months of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Building on our rapid-response efforts in the pandemic, we launched 1, 2, 3 Eyes on Me—our collaborative, community-driven intervention to address the hundreds of thousands of New Mexico children who have been left to fend for themselves during COVID-19.
At Appleseed, we create permanent solutions that will immediately improve and ultimately prevent poverty. We start by listening to our communities—and we'd love to hear from you!
Every month Appleseed staff will be hosting a noontime Lunch & Learn—this is our opportunity to hear from our community and answer your questions about our work.
Please mark your calendar for our inaugural Lunch & Learn on Thursday, May 13.