Employees and volunteers with Casa de Peregrinos are going 24 hours without eating in Las Cruces, a demonstration meant to draw attention to hunger in southern New Mexico and to protest recent changes to federal nutrition assistance programs. The hunger strike, now in its eighth year, comes as the pantry says people across New Mexico have lost SNAP benefits under those federal changes.
According to KVIA, community members will join Casa de Peregrinos employees in fasting throughout Doña Ana County, with the pantry accepting donations for the duration of the event according to its website. Marco Olvera, director of development at Casa de Peregrinos, said the demonstration is about standing with neighbors facing difficult choices and raising awareness about hunger, per the same report. Lorenzo Alba Jr. is also participating in the strike, the station notes.
Money raised during the event will fund efforts to feed children, families and seniors across southern New Mexico, the outlet reports. Casa de Peregrinos says a $50 donation provides 225 meals.
A Food Bank Built to Meet Rising Need
Casa de Peregrinos was founded in 1979 by residents of La Mesa, New Mexico, and parishioners of Holy Cross Catholic Church who wanted to deliver emergency food assistance across Doña Ana County, according to the Las Cruces Bulletin. What began as a grassroots effort has since grown into the city's largest food distribution effort, distributing 3.5 million meals in fiscal year 2023 and serving over 39,000 individuals with more than 79,000 food baskets, according to Casa de Peregrinos.
In August 2023, the organization opened a 13,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Las Cruces, nearly three times the size of its previous facility, supported by $3.83 million in state legislative appropriations and $3.75 million from the City of Las Cruces Telshor Fund, the New Mexico Political Report reported. Casa de Peregrinos operates within the Mesilla Valley Community of Hope campus at 999 W. Amador Ave., according to a National League of Cities brief.
Expanding Into Rural Colonias
To reach residents beyond Las Cruces, Casa de Peregrinos has worked to expand food access into rural communities, the Las Cruces Bulletin reported in a separate story. That effort extends food access beyond the city.
The need in those communities is significant. An estimated 13.8% of Doña Ana County residents experienced food insecurity in 2021, according to the New Mexico Political Report. That food-insecurity rate helps explain the elevated demand for emergency food assistance across the county.
Hunger Numbers Behind the Fast
Roughly 13.8% of Doña Ana County residents experience food insecurity, meaning about 1 in 7 local residents lack consistent access to adequate nutrition, according to 2021 data from Feeding America, as reported by the New Mexico Political Report. Statewide, the picture is even starker for children: one in five New Mexico children are at risk of hunger, per Roadrunner Food Bank.
Food insecurity remains a concern in New Mexico, according to Feeding America data cited by Roadrunner Food Bank. Casa de Peregrinos says the hunger strike is meant to push back against changes to federal nutrition assistance programs that officials say have already caused people in New Mexico to lose SNAP benefits.
