Wholehearted Food Fund Winter 2022 ♥ 23

“Combating hunger with local livestock.”

Over the past two years, we have heard many stories from struggling families and livestock producers. Their stories highlight some challenges faced by New Mexico’s disadvantaged families; the dream of affording to feed themselves while holding onto their way of life. Behind every story is a dream, and behind this dream is a sense of hope and belief that reducing hunger in New Mexico is possible. An idea that here, in America, anything is possible with compassion, generosity, and determination. This fall & winter 2022/23 GoFundMe fundraising campaign aims to provide The Community Pantry in Gallup, NM with approximately 30,000 healthy meat servings sourced from local New Mexican ranches and small farms.

Food insecurity is a daily occurrence for many in our neighboring communities. New Mexico ranks highest in our country for child hunger. One out of three New Mexican children is in danger of going hungry. The residents of McKinley and Cibola Counties, including parts of the Navajo Nation and the Zuni Pueblo, are number one in New Mexico for this statistic and the most economically stressed. These facts make it even harder for them to obtain the much-needed proteins to ensure a healthy diet for their children. Every week, 70,000 New Mexicans seek food assistance. Between 30% and 40% of household members seeking food assistance are children under 18, while 21% are senior citizens.

The Wholehearted Food Fund and The Community Pantry began our alliance at the peak of the worldwide COVID-19 Pandemic to combat regional food insecurity. The mission became assisting New Mexico ranchers facing an uncertain future of livelihood due to unpredictable environmental conditions and unfair business practices of meat processing companies.

Wholehearted Food Fund needs your donation for holiday meals!

We are thankful $20,000 is pledged to drive the 2022/23 GoFundMe challenge fundraiser campaign’s goal of $60,000. Yes, we all feel the weight of these troubled times, but please remember you can make a difference in battling hunger! Please help us help those less fortunate. We are one-third of the way to matching the funds needed to meet our goal, and every dollar helps!

Since 2019, our collaborative action has raised approximately $150,000, providing over 65,000 USDA-inspected, locally grass-fed meat servings to The Community Pantry. We are incredibly honored and grateful that the Wholehearted Food Fund was chosen by the National Institute of Food & Agriculture Project Planning committee as a 2022 USDA Community Food Program award recipient. This competitive award endorses our aim of establishing a sustainable and viable food distribution channel, beginning with local livestock producers and ending with feeding hungry, low-income families.

Your tax-deductible donation will provide food assistance to underserved New Mexicans and essential income to small local farms and ranches, fortifying rural economic stability.

Please donate now to ensure that residents of impoverished New Mexican communities and tribal nations receive locally raised meat protein in their daily diet throughout this holiday season.

Wholeheartedly,

Alice Perez, The Community Pantry

Timothy Willms, Wholehearted Food Fund

If you would like to donate via check, please mail them to:

The Wholehearted Food Fund

c/o The Community Pantry

PO BOX 520, Gallup, NM 87301.