Sandia Area Federal Credit Union & Storehouse New Mexico Food Pantry Team Up on “FACE the Hunger” Challenge

PRESS RELEASE

April 30, 2021

Hunger has been an ongoing struggle in New Mexico, and the pandemic has worsened the situation. Currently 1 in 3 children in the state are going hungry. In response, Sandia Area Federal Credit Union teamed up with the Storehouse New Mexico, the state's largest food pantry, on the FACE the Hunger Challenge. FACE stands for “Feeding Area Children Everyday” and the goal was to raise funds and awareness about the ongoing need to fight hunger in our community. A final check was presented to the Storehouse on April 30, 2021 as members of the Sandia Area leadership team toured the Storehouse to learn about the food pantry and the impact of the funding.

The public and members of Sandia Area Federal Credit Union were invited to give donations to feed local children and families from February 14-March 31, 2021. Many of the donations were matched by Sandia Area, doubling the impact of the individual gifts. Donors who set up recurring gifts were also given a reusable grocery tote for their generosity, courtesy of Sandia Area and the Storehouse.

Sandia Area has been a long-time partner of the Storehouse. In 2020, Sandia Area members and employees donated enough to provide over 93,000 meals to feed New Mexico families experiencing hunger. Now, in 2021, the FACE the Hunger Challenge was a big success, quickly surpassing the organization’s initial goals. The credit union chose to increase their match to provide even more meals. In total over 225 donations were received. With the match from Sandia Area the campaign raised enough funding to provide over 200,000 meals for local families. The final total, presented to the Storehouse was rounded up to $40,065 in celebration of Sandia Area celebrating their 65th year in operation this year.

Sandia Area strives to improve the well-being of their members and the community. In part, that is by ensuring people have what they need to grow and thrive including food, shelter, and safety. Each of the 7 local branches took part in raising funds and also held food drives, collecting over 5,000 meals from the food drive on top of the funding. Paula Peknik, President and CEO, Sandia Area Federal Credit Union, was thrilled with the success of the project. She said, “It has been our great honor to work alongside the Storehouse to help ensure that they can secure the resources they need to support local families that are struggling with food insecurities. We would like to thank our members and staff for coming together to give back to the community”

The Storehouse was incredibly grateful for this effort and the resulting funding, which will help the food pantry provide meals to local families in the coming months. Swarupa Watlington, the executive director of the Storehouse said, “Our work as a food pantry would not be possible without donations and the generous local businesses like Sandia Area. On behalf of the families that count on us for food, we wish to express our heartfelt thanks to Sandia Area and everyone who donated to the FACE the Hunger campaign.”

PRESS RELEASE

February 11, 2021

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Sandia Area Federal Credit Union & Storehouse New Mexico Food Pantry Team Up on “FACE the Hunger” Challenge

Hunger has been an ongoing struggle in New Mexico, and the pandemic has worsened the situation. Currently 1 in 3 children in the state are going hungry. In response, Sandia Area Federal Credit Union is teaming up with  Storehouse New Mexico, the state's largest food pantry, on the FACE the Hunger Challenge. FACE stands for “Feeding Area Children Everyday” and the goal is to raise funds and awareness about the ongoing need to fight hunger in our community.

The public and members of Sandia Area Federal Credit Union are invited to get involved by giving donations to feed local children and families. Every $1 raised will provide 5 meals to someone in need in New Mexico. A $25 gift will feed a child for a month. $100 would feed a whole family of 4. Donations will be matched by Sandia Area, doubling the impact of these gifts. So, a $100 donation would become a gift of $200 to the Storehouse food pantry. Learn more and donate today. Donors who set up recurring gifts will also be given a reusable grocery tote for their generosity. The campaign runs February 14-March 31, 2021.

Sandia Area has been a long time partner of the Storehouse. Last year, Sandia Area members and employees donated enough to provide over 93,000 meals to feed New Mexico families experiencing hunger. Sandia Area giving, including the FACE the Hunger campaign, aligns with their core organizational values. “Sandia Area continues to work with the Storehouse to help thousands of families struggling with hunger across New Mexico,” said Paula Peknik, President and CEO, Sandia Area Federal Credit Union. “As we continue to weather these unprecedented times, we work with our members and staff to help the Storehouse ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community do not go hungry.” The credit union strives to improve the well-being of their members and the community. In part, that is by ensuring people have what they need to grow and thrive including food, shelter, and safety.  

Storehouse New Mexico is the state’s largest food pantry, providing over 1.5 million meals annually. Approximately 12,000 pounds of food is provided each operational day, with over 200 people per day counting on the organization for food. For more information, visit www.StorehouseNM.org.

About Sandia Area Credit Union

Founded in 1956, Sandia Area Federal Credit Union is the only federally chartered community credit union in central New Mexico, with locations in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, and Santa Fe. It is a member-owned, full-service financial institution that is federally insured by NCUA. Membership is extended to people and organizations who embrace the values of Permaculture, or live, work, worship, volunteer, or attend school in the city of Rio Rancho or Bernalillo, Cibola, Torrance, or Valencia counties