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Roadrunner Food Bank

CONTACT: Jasmin Holmstrup

505-349-8682

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1 IN 4 OF NEW MEXICAN CHILDREN DON'T

HAVE ACCESS TO REGULAR MEALS

America's Second Harvest Releases New Report On Children Facing Hunger

Albuquerque, NM - November 15, 2007 – An estimated 120,000, or 1 in 4  New Mexican Children live in food insecure households which means they do not always know where they will find their next meal.  New Mexico is second in the nation with the highest incidence of child food insecurity as was reported in the new Child Food Insecurity 2003-2005 study by America’s Second Harvest – the Nations Food Bank Network, of which Roadrunner Food Bank is the only New Mexico member.

“Look around at a classroom of 20 children, five of them do not consistently get the nourishment they need to grow and learn,” said Melody Wattenbarger, Executive Director of Roadrunner Food Bank.  “Childhood Hunger will affect these children their entire lives. A hungry child cannot play, learn and may have poor social skills from anger or depression – the affects of hunger directly impacts their success in school and ultimately in employment opportunities.  One out of every three people helped by Roadrunner Food Bank is a child.”    

Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico serves approximately 240,000 people, 85,000 are children. In the four years between 2001 and 2005, the number of children needing emergency food increased 25%.  While 54% of New Mexico’s children are eligible for free and reduced lunches, many go hungry on weekends and holidays.  Roadrunner Food Bank Food For Kid’s program provides 35 local low income schools with enough food for 3500 children each week.  Non-descript backpacks filled with nutritious kid friendly food is sent home with enough for all elementary school aged children and younger in the household.

The America’s Second Harvest report finds that child hunger in the United  States is significant with one out of six children in small towns and big cities living in a food insecure household. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), 12 million children in the United States live in this condition – unable to consistently access nutritious and adequate amounts of food necessary for a healthy life.  That’s enough children to fill every seat in all of the professional league football, baseball, basketball and hockey stadiums and every Division One NCAA basketball stadium across the country at the same time. In 12 states – nearly one quarter of the country – more than 20 percent of the children live in households without consistent access to food. 

This report is the first time that the extent of child hunger as reported by the USDA has been examined by state.  The report was sponsored by the ConAgra Foods Foundation.

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Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico is New Mexico’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to ending hunger.  Through its statewide network of 600 partner agencies and 6 regional food banks, Roadrunner Food Bank distributes more than 15 million pounds of food to approximately 240,000 New Mexicans in need.  Every dollar donated yields $11 worth of food.  Roadrunner Food Bank is the  only New Mexico member of America’s Second Harvest—the Nation’s Food Bank Network.  In the 27 years since it was founded, Roadrunner Food Bank has distributed more than 150 million of food statewide.  For more information about Roadrunner Food Bank and its programs visit www.rrfb.org