Sandia Area Federal Credit Union hosted a highly successful FACE the Hunger holiday campaign for the Storehouse. They raised over $118,000 and collected food at their branches. That’s enough to provide 593,477 meals for clients of the food pantry. In a state that struggles with food insecurity and ranks among the worst in the U.S. for both adult and child hunger, this is a huge win for the community. Thanks to these efforts local families enjoyed holidays without hunger and the funds continued to benefit the Storehouse into 2023.
A Big Thanks for FACE the Hunger
The most recent FACE the Hunger campaign had the goal of providing holidays without hunger for local families. The results were huge and exceeded all expectations. To mirror the results, the Storehouse created a huge thank you card which was signed by clients, volunteers, and our team. Then, we visited Sandia Area Federal Credit Union to offer our thanks, delivering the card to the Rio Rancho branch which collected to most food during the campaign. The oversized card and the kind words inside were a big hit.
History of FACE the Hunger
Sandia Area and the Storehouse first teamed up in 2021 to host two FACE the Hunger Challenges. 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. The gifts are thanks to the generosity of Sandia Area members, other local businesses, and members of the public. Of course, the matching funds pledged by Sandia Area helped to drive those numbers up to benefit the pantry.
With the three FACE the Hunger campaigns to date, over 1.7 million meals have been provided. Furthermore, the total continues to grow. A key part of these campaigns was the “everyday” aspect. Donors were encouraged to sign up for recurring monthly gifts to the Storehouse. Sandia Area has been a long-time partner of the Storehouse, wanting to make a significant impact after coming to understand that local children go hungry every day in New Mexico. The fact that $25 will provide food for a local child for a month was a key idea shared through the campaigns. FACE definitely increased the numbers of people who donate every month to the Storehouse. Those gifts help make our work at the food pantry even more sustainable.
Investing in Our Work
As a financial institution Sandia Area appreciates the low overhead at the Storehouse and return on investment for their gifts. The Storehouse relies on donations and 96% of donations go directly to providing food. With this low overhead, the Storehouse can provide five meals with every dollar donated. Sandia Area CEO Kevin Todd took the reins of the credit union in December 2022, during this most recent campaign. He says, “Sandia Area is committed to making positive, measurable, and sustainable change in the communities we serve and helping people to grow and thrive is a key part of our outreach efforts. That includes providing nutritious food to people in need and we are honored to work with the Storehouse to accomplish this work to feed local families and children.” For more information on Sandia Area and their work in the community visit: Sandia.org/community.
Holidays Without Hunger & Beyond
Storehouse operations manager Kevin Cochran says, “The Storehouse is incredibly happy to benefit from the continued work and generosity of the amazing team at Sandia Area. This most recent FACE the Hunger Challenge will provide close to 600,000 meals for local children and families, benefiting the pantry for months to come.”
Of course, with 200 or more households coming through the pantry doors each day we are open, our work goes well beyond the holiday season. People count on the Storehouse all year long. For more information about ways to give to the Storehouse, visit our donate page.