Photo by Ashely Trujillo

Photo by Ashely Trujillo

AFSC News:

ALBUQUERQUE — In response to the pandemic, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) – in partnership with New Mexico farmers and food banks – created the very successful “Farm to Food Bank” project to support small farmers and communities left hungry by the pandemic.

New Mexico’s sustainable farmers had fresh produce but less customers due to the economic downturn. And food banks faced a decrease in donations and a large increase in demand. AFSC’s Farm to Food Bank filled the gap by purchasing food from 30 small-scale sustainable New Mexico family farms and delivering the food to local food banks and shelters.

El Rincon, a small family farm in the village of Chimayo, sells farm fresh eggs. When El Rincon farmer Ashely Trujillo saw cars lining up for food from Barrios Unidos, a nonprofit in her northern New Mexico village, she wanted to help

“I wished I could donate my eggs to the Barrios Unidos food pantry,” Trujillo said. But she knew this wasn’t economically feasible for her family. Then she got connected to AFSC’s Farm to Food Bank program. Now Trujillo and her children are delivering their eggs to Barrios Unidos while being paid by AFSC. “I love taking the boys with me to Barrios Unidos, and we may start volunteering there,” Trujillo said.

Since the program began, AFSC has supported 30 small scale New Mexico family farms with purchases of almost 20,000 pounds of produce. That produce goes directly to a network of local food pantries and shelters that reach over 70,000 clients.

“Through generous donations from individuals as well as funding through the county, AFSC can pay farmers a fair price for their food to help them stay economically afloat during the pandemic,” said Sayrah Namaste, the director of AFSC’s New Mexico program. “We then get the food to where it’s most needed—the food pantries and food banks responding to a surge in need. New Mexico’s unemployment rate is second worst in the nation, so more families are needing to rely on assistance to eat.”

Some of this food goes to “Abuelita’s Circle” at Barrios Unidos, a group of grandmothers raising their grandchildren and in need of food boxes.

Serafina Lombardi, another Chimayo farmer producing eggs for Farm to Food Bank said, “I like wholesale markets better than trying to sell all of my eggs to individuals, which means more contact with people coming onto my farm or having to make deliveries. And I love that my eggs are going to the Abuelita’s Circle! This collaboration is exactly how I want to participate in the food system!”

Over a year ago when AFSC started Farm to Food Bank, no one knew how long the pandemic would last. But over the last 18 months, the program has been invited to present the work as a “proof of concept” to a public health conference; a statewide, bipartisan thinktank which works on state policy; and a local association of “anchor institutions” which procure local food.

“Perhaps the Farm to Food Bank model could be another important shift in our food system, moving subsidies away from soy and crops for animal feed and towards small family farmers who can feed those who need it,” Namaste said.