Nonprofit brings attention to food insecurity in Sunland Park

SUNLAND PARK, New Mexico (KVIA) - At a food giveaway in Sunland Park, volunteers with Southern New Mexico Project fill up boxes with food, as lines of vehicles wait in the parking lot to receive them.

The nonprofit works with Roadrunner Food Bank in Albuquerque to feed 200 families every month in Sunland Park. But they say the need is far greater.

Founder Rafael Ramos-Lacen says they get over 1,100 families a month asking for their help, and right they just don't have enough food for them.

"We have seniors, elderly, veterans, LGBTQ, we have all kinds of people, and we have a commitment," said Ramos-Lacen.

He said right now, they're having to rotate families to meet the need. That means if a family receives a food basket in a month, they have to skip the following month, so that another family may get help.

"This is a community that whether you like it or not, people need food. This is a community of 4th, even 5th generation of immigrants. They just don't want to trust anybody because we just don't know if you are part of the Border Patrol. So we have to be very careful. But we serve," he said.

The nonprofit currently doesn't have a warehouse to store food, which means they have to donate everything they get, on the same day they receive it.

Ramos-Lucen said they are currently working to change that. He said they are in talks with Casa De Peregrinos in Las Cruces about teaming up on a facility.

In the meantime, they say they could use donations.