Rio Grande Food Project recently had the opportunity to share firsthand accounts, and to learn from other community leaders and hunger-relief advocates, about the growing impact of federal cuts to food assistance locally. We are grateful to Senator Ben Ray Luján for taking the time to listen. Read the Source New Mexico report on the rise in demand at New Mexico food banks.
Food banks and pantries across New Mexico are seeing more people seek help as SNAP benefits are reduced or lost. Since the federal passage of H.R. 1 ("One Big Beautiful Bill Act") in mid-2025, more than 18,000 New Mexicans (10,000 children) have lost SNAP benefits.
SNAP should be our nation's first line of defense against hunger because when fully funded, SNAP provides roughly nine meals to every one provided by the food pantry/bank network; food pantries simply cannot fill the growing void.
New federal work requirements are making SNAP benefits harder to maintain. Beginning in 2026, many adults ages 18–64 who are able-bodied and not caring for a child under 14 must document 80 hours per month of work, education, training or volunteer activity. The rules now reach adults ages 55–64 and some parents and caregivers who previously were exempt. Imagine our 62-year-old food pantry guest, who takes care of her elderly mother, figuring out how to get a job and take care of her mother...
Research raises serious questions about whether work requirements actually increase employment. A 2021 study carried out by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that SNAP work requirements reduced SNAP participation significantly, with no effect on employment. And this is not simply about people refusing to work: USDA reports that most SNAP households with children already have earned income, while the Congressional Budget Office notes that employed adults may very well lose benefits simply because the paperwork required to document compliance is so arduous and time-consuming.
At the same time that SNAP is being reduced and folks are turning to food pantries, the federal resources that previously helped food pantries respond are also being cut, cancelled or delayed. NM's federally funded Regional Farm to Food Bank program, which connected local farmers with the hunger-relief network and brought fresh, locally grown food to families, was terminated, although New Mexico has since invested state funds to continue the work. TEFAP, the USDA program that provides commodity food to food banks and pantries, is also under pressure. And FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which has long provided organizations like the Food Project with flexible funds for emergency food and other basic needs, has faced significant federal delays and uncertainty.
RGFP was not surprised to experience a 23% increase in demand at the beginning of this year compared to early last year. We are committed to our neighbors who need food, but we will not food-pantry our way out of hunger. We need strong SNAP benefits and a well-supported emergency food network. We are grateful to Senator Luján for listening to New Mexico's hunger-relief and food systems community and for recognizing the importance of both.
On behalf of the Rio Grande Food Project community, I want to thank our donors for giving so much, our partners for doing so much, and our volunteers for working so hard on the front lines. Please stay tuned as work on the federal Farm Bill continues because opportunity exists to protect SNAP for the benefit of hungry families. Consider using the FRAC Action Network to urge your Senators to support and advocate for legislation that invests in SNAP and reverses harmful cuts.
We're all in this together!
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