Help Needed, Sundays

Bievenidos, a food pantry our church has long supported, is experiencing a 40% increase in demand in the lunch bags that they hand out each week. To help them meet the need for 1,500 sandwiches, our church has committed to providing 250-300 sandwiches each Monday. We need your help making sandwiches on Sundays.

Sunday, March 8th, we gather to make sandwiches in Pope Hall between services at approximately 9:45 am.

Food insecurity is high in Santa Fe. SNAP benefits have been stopped for all recipients, and New Mexico has the highest percentage of recipients in the United States at 21% of the State’s population. There are 20,000 recipients in Santa Fe alone. The Governor’s emergency food distribution covers only 30% of a recipient’s regular monthly allocation, and it has only been allocated for 10 days.

You can help. Sandwiches are being assembled in Pope Hall on the first and third Sunday of the month by the “Apple Team” following the 10/11am service, and on the second and fourth Sunday of the month by the “Orange Team” following the 8:30am service. You can joining in our sandwich making effort by committing to a team, one Sunday, or simply stopping by and putting together a few sandwiches. This is truly an effort where many hands make light work.

Bienvenidos also distributes food boxes of nonperishable food items augmented by produce purchased from local farmers. The demand for these boxes has doubled to 500-600 boxes a week. Collection boxes are in the First Presbyterian lobby, and any nonperishable item that you would like to contribute can be deposited there. Of greatest need are: protein (cans of tuna), oatmeal and cold cereal, soups and soup ingredients, granola bars, pasta and gluten free pasta.

Thank you for your generosity in helping to provide food for our most vulnerable neighbors.