With the rising cost of living, the demand for food pantries in southern New Mexico is continuing to grow. For individuals like Nathaniel Ramirez who live paycheck to paycheck, a small increase could mean the difference between paying rent and being able to eat.
“I mean, minimum wage, it’s just not enough these days. Most Americans are working all day and all night just to try to make a decent living for their family, you know? The rent costs have gone up around here, a lot of things have gone up, and especially if you’re not getting food stamps or benefits, or if you’re working and not getting enough money, the food here definitely helps out.”
For Nathaniel, programs like the Casa de Peregrinos food pantry have helped him get back on his feet.
“It definitely helps out when you have a resource to come good food. Some people don’t get food stamps, they don’t get all that stuff,” he said. “I have to pay cash for my food. So I really just live [frugally] until things get better."
Food insecurity in New Mexico stands higher than the national average, making food programs valuable for citizens struggling with the cost of living. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food prices are nearly six percent higher now compared to June of last year.
According to Becky Pearson, Head of NMSU’s Department of Public Health Science, remedying food insecurity has long-lasting societal implications, but finding the right approach to address the issue can be difficult.
“This is a really complex issue. It’s so much more than dollars and cents. It is so much more than haves and have-nots. It is so much more than looking at someone else’s basket and thinking, gosh, they’re not doing well, or looking at their weight and thinking, oh, they must be fine.” she said. “But the economics of it are what people will buy into and what people will [be sold.] If we can talk about the expenses saved with prevention, that really helps.”
Pearson said that while conventional food assistance is helpful, attempting different strategies, such as educational programs, could also be a big step in fighting food insecurity.
“Everyone is in need somehow around food. If I had my druthers, if there was anything that I could help work toward here, it would be to help people understand the need for the practicality and the ease of doing community-based food stuff in addition to traditionally understood food assistance,” she said.
And that’s just what Casa de Peregrinos is hoping for with the opening of their new facility. In addition to expanded assistance and distribution, the pantry is eyeing food education programs moving forward. Director of Casa de Peregrinos, Lornzo Alba Jr., said that the new facility belongs to the citizens who need the help.
“Nutrition is important. You don’t just want to give people food if they don’t know what to do with it. [If] they don’t know what to do with an eggplant, we should show them how to cook it in a way that’s maybe culturally good for our community,” he said. “This is about this community. That’s why we built it. We intend to do much more. But this is the beginning of our vision. The pandemic really opened our eyes to the lack of infrastructure right here in our area, in our state. We can address it, at least in Las Cruces and Doña Ana County. Let’s take care of our people here, the people who are really going through difficult times.”
The new facility is years in the making, built with the assistance of public funds from the city and state. According to Alba, the pantry’s old facility was only meant to distribute about half a million pounds of food per year. Alba said the pantry distributes half a million pounds in a month and a half, and with the new facility, the pantry’s team will be able to store more fresh food and meet demand much more efficiently.
“We’ve had to say no a lot to donations from farmers because we don’t have the space to store it anywhere. Now we don’t have to say no. The capacity that we’ve built with this facility will allow us to do as much as we can, given the funding opportunities for us if we have it. We’ll try to expand services now that we have a facility where we can actually do that out of,” he said.
As for Nathaniel Ramirez, he hopes that with the expansion of the food pantry, others can have similar experiences as him.
“It helped me out a bunch. As far as food [and] living, it helps a lot,” he said. “This place pretty much has all the resources that you need to get you back up and going. If that’s what you want.”
As the cost of living continues to rise for Americans, stakeholders in Las Cruces are hoping that Casa de Peregrinos can help address the social and economic struggles of local residents, and along with other organizations, act as a safety net for the most vulnerable in the community.
