SANTA FE COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A food program will be ending its operations. The Food Depot announced the news on Wednesday. 

According to Food Depot, they’ve decided to end their Santa Fe-based Kids Kitchen program. It will cease operations at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. 

The program provided meals for students enrolled in Santa Fe Public School’s 21st Century Program, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Santa Fe, and other students in the county. On June 8, 2023, the last meals will be served. 

The residency is ending at the kitchen where the food is prepared, and the group said they’ve been having trouble finding a new location to continue their work. Therefore, the program is ending. 

Our community must acknowledge the challenging times we face in the charitable food system. Increasing food costs, decreased SNAP benefits, and increasing demand for hunger relief services are straining the ability of food banks to provide for those in need. The Food Depot is no exception.

While the decision to close Kids Kitchen is difficult, it is not one that will be reversed. All resources dedicated to the program will be reallocated to strengthening The Food Depot’s core hunger-relief programs.

Although we will no longer be serving meals through the Kids Kitchen program, The Food Depot is committed to its primary mission of providing families access to nutritious food through our variety of other hunger-relief programs in Santa Fe County and across northern New Mexico.

Within Santa Fe Public Schools, we will continue to support and expand our network of school-based food pantries. We are also confident that the implementation of universal school meals, other nonprofit food programs, and other state level children’s feeding programs will fill the gap created by the loss of Kids Kitchen.  

The Food Depot honors the strong partnerships forged during Kids Kitchen’s years of operation and is grateful for the incredible work we have done to feed children in our community.

Statement from Food Depot

Visit Food Depot’s website by clicking here.