SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) — A Northern New Mexico food bank says they’re needing donations now more than ever. To their luck, workers got a celebrity donation to help ramp up supplies.
The Food Depot, serving Northern New Mexico, says its shelves were needing some help. With people at a loss of jobs and incomes, they’ve seen a need for their services double.
“We had a major issue with hunger in our state prior to all of the COVID-related responses. We saw some pretty significant attendance at food pantries and requests for food, in general,” said Jill Dixon, Director of Development for The Food Depot. “We have seen at least a doubling of those types of outreach so the Food Depot has stepped in and added a few mobile food pantry distributions that are a drive-thru format. We see 2,500 to 3,000 people being served by those food pantries in a single morning.”
Dixon says while many local donors are giving early or doubling their efforts, they’re also seeing help from outside the state.
“Stranger Things” actress Millie Bobby Brown was set to film the new season of the Netflix series in Santa Fe, but the coronavirus outbreak halted production. Brown and her family just donated 20,000 meals to The Food Depot.
“We’ve put out a really aggressive call for support,” said Dixon. “I’ve seen a lot of our local support, a lot of folks who supported us before have stepped forward, and I also think people understand the connection between food banks and disaster response.”
One dollar provides four meals for The Food Depot — something they say will help a lot in the community.
The young “Stranger Things” actress says her family is also donating meals in Atlanta. The show filmed there for the past three seasons. In a post online, she wrote, she hopes people take this time to “reflect on the impact” of others and “then share the love.”
Right now, The Food Depot is only accepting monetary donations. They’re not accepting food donations from the public because of the current health risk. To donate, visit The Food Depot’s website.
