Salvation Army asks for the community's help

After losing their biggest donor, the Salvation Army in Alamogordo is asking for the community to donate food so they can continue to help families in Otero County.

"About 95 percent of our donations were coming from Wal-Mart," said Celeste Morefield, administrator of the Salvation Army. "Wal-Mart has what's called the food rescue program and they supply us with the food that is dented or about to go bad in a couple weeks or if they just order too much. Due to unforeseen circumstances, that food was given to another organization."

The Salvation Army in Alamogordo is run by husband and wife duo, Pastors Celeste and Joey Morefield. The Morefields said the Salvation Army serves between 300 to 500 hundred families in Otero County.

"It was out of the blue," Joey said. "We just got a phone call one day and they just said Thursday was our last day to pick up food from Wal-Mart. We're now in the process of working with the community and going to other grocery stores and going to other agencies."

Celeste said the decision to go with another non-profit organization in Alamogordo was not the decision of Wal-Mart but of Roadrunner Food Bank, a non-profit food distribution center for the state of New Mexico.

"We partnered with another food bank and we were told because we weren't getting enough in that they wanted to give it to another organization that would actively seek getting the food," Celeste said. "They wanted us to be there five days a week, talking with managers and requesting more food to come in. Unfortunately, running the Salvation Army, we have more responsibilities than just our food pantry and we were unable to make it five times a week or even sometimes once a week."

Sonya Warwick, Communications Officer for Roadrunner Food Bank, said the Salvation Army is still eligible to purchase food from their food bank.

"We work with several partners in the Alamogordo area and we're working with them to ensure that food stays in the community," Warwick said. "We work with lots of partners across the state and in this case we're working with several in the Alamogordo area to make sure they can help us keep that food in the community."

Last week, with the help of the community, the Salvation Army was able to give Thanksgiving dinner to 200 families within Otero County.

"They got the stuffing, a 20 pound turkey, cranberries, everything that would make a Thanksgiving meal and we handed out 200 of those to families that can now have a Thanksgiving because of that," Joey said. "It was because of the community and their donations that we were able to do that. But we want to keep that going all year long."

While the holiday season is their busiest time of year, the Morefields said they are seeking help from community members so they can continue to feed needy families in Otero County after the holiday season is over.

"We're the biggest provider of food assistance in Otero County, so that means if our food starts running low that's less food boxes we can pack or we're having to pack smaller food boxes which means people get less food," Joey said.

Families who are in need of assistance and qualify receive a box of food, dependent upon the size of their family. Most boxes contain pasta, vegetables, fruit, canned meat, tomato sauce, beans, soup and some sort of dessert. When it's available, sugar, flour and rice are put into each box.

"On average a box is valued at $40," Joey said. "A $40 donation would buy a family of four food for three days. It's surprising the reactions you get, it affects you when you see these families that are so grateful for $40 of food because that means their family can eat for a week."

Celeste said many families in Otero County depend on stretching this food for a week or more until they're able to go to the next food pantry or soup kitchen.

"Our goal, as I'm sure it's the goal of most food pantries in the county, is to make sure nobody goes hungry," Celeste said. "Nobody should have to worry about where their next meal is going to come from."

In 2015, New Mexico ranked in the top 10 for overall hunger and fourth for child hunger, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap report.

"We try to make sure there's food on our shelves because I can't imagine not having food to feed my baby," Celeste said. "No parent should have to decide between paying a bill to keep the house warm or feeding their child."

To help families in need, the Salvation Army is asking for donations of non-perishable food items such as pasta, rice, soups, vegetables and fruit in small cans so they can be placed in boxes. Fresh fruits and vegetables are also accepted at the food pantry. For more information, call 443-0845.