In light of federal funding for the anti-hunger Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program lapsing on Nov. 1, many people are looking for other sources to find food.
For University of New Mexico students, the Lobo Food Pantry can be one of those resources. The pantry is primarily student-run and allows students with a UNM ID to take up to 10 pounds of items, including fresh produce, canned goods and hygiene items per day, the Director of UNM’s LoboRESPECT Advocacy Center, Lisa Lindquist, said.
“Our biggest thing that we try to think about is we want people to feel comfortable using this space. What we see a lot are students saying, ‘Well, other people deserve it more than I do.’ And the truth is that that's just not true, that's a myth. Anybody who needs its food should come in and use it,” Lindquist said.
The Lobo Food Pantry was established in 2014 to address student food insecurity on campus and serves 100 to 150 students per day, Lindquist said.
“For us, we're kind of doing some business-as-usual things, because regardless of (a student’s) status as a SNAP beneficiary, that's not a requirement for (the pantry), so anyone can access the resource as long as they're a student,” Lindquist said.
On Thursday, Nov. 6, Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D) visited the pantry as part of a tour of food banks across the state's first congressional district to talk to students, staff and workers.
“The reality is the best way to combat hunger is to combat poverty, and we do that by building our economy, by creating ladders of opportunity for young people, helping to reskill and retool people for different economic opportunities. But it all goes together, and so part of why highlighting programs like a food pantry is really important is that families do what they have to to survive,” Stansbury said.
Stansbury said one of the things she’s seen is people going to food banks because of the price of groceries and a need for fresh produce, “not just because of the shutdown and the SNAP crisis.”
“It's a great resource for students who need food to come down and help, or come down and grab that food, or any other resources, as well as the self-care items that we offer,” Miles Marshall, a UNM sophomore who works at the pantry, said.
Junior Elise Rivera, another student worker at the pantry, said she wants people to know that the pantry offers more items than just food.
“I feel like a lot of people focus on the food aspect of the pantry, but we do have feminine care, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, detergent, even items for babies. So for all people of any part of your life — we even have denture cleaners. So always check in what we have,” Rivera said.
In October, the Trump administration announced that SNAP would not be funded in November due to the government shutdown, the first time since its creation that funds would not be dispersed to users, according to NPR.
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The Trump administration agreed to partially fund SNAP on Nov. 3, though the amount that would be paid out to SNAP users, or when those funds would be dispersed, was not clear, according to The Associated Press.
A Rhode Island federal judge ordered the Trump administration to fully pay out SNAP benefits for the month by Friday, Nov. 7; however, the administration filed an appeal to block the order, claiming there is not enough money in the government’s contingency fund to disperse funds, according to The AP. The appeal was denied by a federal Appeals Court before being granted by the U.S. Supreme Court later that day.
On Sunday, Nov. 9, President Donald Trump’s administration demanded states “undo” federal SNAP benefits paid out before the appeal was granted, according to The AP.
On Oct. 29, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced in a press release that $30 million in state funding would be distributed to the EBT cards of eligible New Mexicans on Nov. 1, the day SNAP funds would have been released, to support individuals for the first 10 days of November.
The suspension of SNAP benefits affected 42 million Americans nationwide, including and 460,000 New Mexicans — 21% of its population, the highest percentage of any state — who rely on SNAP to put food on the table, according to the press release.
According to the 2023-24 UNM Basic Needs Report, 58% of students experience food insecurity, with 39% experiencing very low food security, the most severe category.
Lujan Grisham called a special state legislative session, set for Nov. 10, to extend state-funded food assistance to New Mexicans and SNAP users, she announced in a press release.
“New Mexico has really stepped up and led the way in making sure that we're caring for our families even in the most vulnerable times. Of course, this isn't sustainable long term for our state because of the amount of resources it takes to feed our people, but we're one of the only states in the country right now that has essentially said, we're not going to let people go hungry,” Stansbury said.
Maria Fernandez is the copy editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at copy@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
Jaden McKelvey-Francis is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Lobo. He can be reached at editorinchief@dailylobo.com or on X @jadenmckelvey
