RE/MAX News:

RE/MAX First has announced a holiday partnership with local nonprofit organization LA Cares. The real estate brokerage will serve as a collection site for donations of canned and non-perishable foods, which LA Cares will then distribute to Los Alamos residents experiencing food insecurity.

For every item collected, RE/MAX First will donate $1 to LA Cares, up to $1,000.

“RE/MAX First is always looking for opportunities to help folks in and around Los Alamos,” said Chris Ortega, Qualifying Broker & Owner of RE/MAX First. “By partnering with LA Cares, we can assist members of our community with their most basic needs.”

LA Cares is a 100 percent volunteer-based nonprofit organization supported solely through donations of time, funds and goods. The organization distributes food to Los Alamos residents in need at no cost to the recipients. As of April 2022, LA Cares is serving approximately 60 families per month, half of whom required delivery.

“There is a perception that everyone in Los Alamos is wealthy, but we know that’s not the case,” said Thea Smith Nilsson, Associate Broker at RE/MAX First. “There are Los Alamos residents who are living paycheck to paycheck and can’t keep up with the rising cost of living. Everything – gas, groceries, utilities, rent, you name it! – is just going up, up, up, leaving some of our neighbors behind.”

The population of New Mexico has historically been poor in comparison to most other states and, unfortunately, it continues to remain so, she said. In fact, New Mexico has the third highest poverty rate in the country, behind Mississippi and Louisiana.

 The percentage of New Mexico households receiving Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) benefits rose from 16.5 percent to 20.7 percent between 2012- 2021. Source: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates.

To help local neighbors in need, RE/MAX First invites everyone to contribute to its food drive in support of LA Cares. Simply drop off needed items (see list below) at the RE/MAX First office at 116 Central Park Square 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday to Friday, through Dec. 22.

“LA Cares is a small organization that makes a huge, positive impact on the lives of many,” Ortega said. “We are thankful to be able to partner with them now and in the future. We are excited to see folks from the community stepping in and stopping by to help us with this effort.”

Needed Items:  

• 64 oz. PLASTIC Bottles of Cranberry or Grape Juice;
• Regular Grocery-Sized PAPER Bags;
• Canned Beans;
• Canned Chicken or Tuna;
• Canned Corn or Green Beans;
• Canned Diced Tomatoes;
• Canned Mandarin Oranges or Pineapple;
• Cereal – Raisin Bran, Bran Flakes, Cheerios, Shredded Wheat or Corn Flakes
• Chef Boyardee Pasta;
• Chicken Noodle Soup;
• Chunky or Hearty Soup;
• Ground Coffee;
• Macaroni & Cheese; and
• Oats or Oatmeal.

To make a monetary donation, make check payable to “LA Cares” and mail it to: 

• PO Box 248, Los Alamos, NM 87544

For questions about this holiday food drive, contact the RE/MAX First office at 505.662.6789 ext. 0 or info@remaxfirstnm.com.

Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey, Table DP03.

To learn more about LA Cares, visit sharenm.org/la-cares.