Fact Sheet for Food Drives

Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico is New Mexico’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to ending hunger in New Mexico.  During 2007, Roadrunner Food Bank will distribute more than 15.5 million pounds of food through a statewide network of over 700 partner agencies and five regional food banks. 

The Food Bank converts every $1 donated into $11 of fresh produce, bread, meat and non-perishables for hungry New Mexicans.  Roadrunner Food Bank is the only America’s Second Harvest member in New Mexico. Since its founding in 1980, the Food Bank has distributed more than 160 million pounds of food throughout the state.

  OUR MISSION

        The Food Bank’s mission is ending hunger in New Mexico.

  THE NEED

• New Mexico is first in the nation in the percentage of people who must sometimes wonder where their next meal will come from (15.6%)

• New Mexico is fourth in the nation in childhood poverty (27.5%)

• Last year Roadrunner Food Bank, through it’s statewide network, served 240,000 children and adults in need of emergency food assistance

• Hungry people lead a fragile existence and make difficult choices among life’s necessities

  FACTS & FIGURES

• For every $1 donated to Roadrunner Food Bank, $11 worth of food is returned to the community.

• Roadrunner Food Bank distributes more than 65,000 pounds of food every working day.  Equal to two semi-trucks of food.

• Roadrunner Food Bank delivers food to local and rural communities, regional food banks and Food for Kids schools on a daily basis.

• The Food Bank’s administrative and fundraising costs are just over 2% of income.

  HEALTHY FOODS INITIATIVE

• Roadrunner Food Bank recognizes that healthy foods are a necessity for everyone. Diabetes and obesity are significant health issues.  Roadrunner Food Bank has one of the largest and most effective fresh produce programs in the United States.  Roadrunner and its affiliated regional food banks distributed well over 6 million pounds of nutritious, fresh produce last year. We are working to  increase our collection and distribution of fresh foods over the next three years to a minimum of 9 million pounds a year.

• Access to food and distribution is essential in ending hunger.  Roadrunner’s Mobile Pantry program is improving access to fresh and nonperishable foods in New Mexico by making deliveries to every part of our state.

HEALTHY CHILDREN INITIATIVE

• Children are among the most vulnerable to the effects of hunger in our community.

• One third (81,000) of those served by Roadrunner Food Bank are children.

• Roadrunner Food Bank works with 35 low-income public schools to deliver weekly backpacks filled with food to children in need. The children would otherwise go hungry on the weekend and over school holidays.

• Roadrunner’s goal is to expand our Food For Kids program to reach more than 3650 students weekly by 2009 and to incorporate fresh fruits and vegetables in the weekly distribution.

HEALTHY SENIORS INITIATIVE

• 21,000 seniors seek emergency food assistance each year.  Many seniors living on fixed or low-incomes are forced to choose between medicine and food each month.

• Roadrunner Food Bank’s Senior Helpings program delivers monthly supplemental food boxes to 1200 seniors statewide. Our goal is to expand our Senior Helpings program to reach 1500 seniors monthly.

HEALTHY FAMILIES INITIATIVE

• Working families are struggling to pay for life necessities including food, fuel and utilities. Nearly half of the households served by Roadrunner have at least one adult working and 52 percent own their own homes or mobile homes.  

• Roadrunner delivers produce and other perishable food directly to low income housing on a regular basis.  Most of the residents of these sites are young families with small children.

• Roadrunner coordinates a large Holiday Food Drive to ensure that agencies and families in need have enough food for traditional holiday meals.

RURAL DELIVERY

Roadrunner Food Bank delivers food on an almost daily basis to regional food banks, member agencies in rural communities, Native American reservations & pueblos, and to our Food for Kids programs in rural schools.

DISASTER RELIEF

Roadrunner Food Bank provides food, water and other supplies in disaster relief efforts including Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and The Cerro Grande Fire.  Recently in August 2006, Roadrunner Food Bank provided emergency food to 450 families affected by flooding in Hatch, Alamo, Socorro and Laguna New Mexico.   The food bank also participates in statewide disaster planning. 

SPECIAL EVENTS

• Souper Bowl - January

• Boy Scout's Food Drive - February

• Letter Carriers’ Food Drive - May

• Hunger Awareness Day - June

• Holiday Food Drive - October through December

• A Place At The Table - November