New Food Pantry on The Way

GRANTS, NM – The Grants Community Pantry is preparing for a move. There is no set date, but according to Alice Perez, who is the Executive Director of the Community Pantry and Hope Garden in Gallup as well as the Grants Community Pantry, the move will happen by June 1. “Some of the red tape takes a little while,” Perez said. The new site located on Sakelares Boulevard will more than double the square footage of the current 3500 square foot Stephens Avenue location.

Twice a month nearly 800 families look to the pantry as a main food source. Currently, New Mexico tops the chart for the highest percentage of residents in the USA who receive SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits at 17 percent of the population. In Cibola County alone, more than 8,800 residents utilize the SNAP program in a county of just over 27,000 people. This tells us that many residents are needing food assistance and will benefit from the Grants Community Pantry expansion.

As previously reported, the pantry expansion includes a 1.5acre community garden enabling residents to grow their own food. This is not only empowering, but it’s the healthiest way to eat - fresh from the earth. Any residents who pays a small fee will be able to rent an allotment in the garden and experience growing their own food. “That’s something that the citizens of Grants and Cibola County need,” Executive Director Perez said.