SUNLAND PARK – Residents and advocates are asking state lawmakers to fully fund a proposed new food pantry that would help alleviate hunger in Sunland Park, which is grappling with high levels of food insecurity.
Advocates say the lack of an emergency food storage and distribution hub in Sunland Park is a significant missing link in the hunger safety-net for Southern Doña Ana County. Now, a key organization supplying food in Sunland Park relies upon a mobile food pantry, meaning if residents can’t attend its designated hours and dates, they’ll miss out on assistance. Also, without a building, nonprofits aren’t able to store food locally.
Residents turned out by the dozens to a meeting in recent weeks to express their opinions and pose questions about the proposal. The city of Sunland Park last year secured $1.35 million for the proposed pantry, and an architectural firm is already working on plans.
But Sunland Park, in coordination with local advocacy groups, is seeking another $4 million in capital outlay dollars during the New Mexico legislative session that ends Feb. 15.