Employee food drive donates 233,527 meals to The Food Depot

“As New Mexicans search for stability in the wake of the pandemic, it’s gratifying to know that Lab employees have increased their donations by more than 40 percent over 2021,” said Laboratory Director Thom Mason. “Los Alamos encourages its employees to give, as The Food Depot serves the region where its employees live.”

Laboratory volunteers also packaged 3,888 pounds of bulk pinto beans for distribution to individual families across the region.

Headquartered in Santa Fe, The Food Depot serves nine counties in Northern New Mexico: Colfax, Harding, Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe, Taos and Union. Similarly, the Laboratory’s Community Partnerships Office, which organizes the drive, supports nonprofit giving, education and economic development in the counties of Los Alamos, Mora, Rio Arriba, Sandoval, San Miguel, Santa Fe and Taos. These counties are also home to nearly 98 percent of Laboratory employees.

“The Food Depot is grateful for the partnership with Los Alamos National Laboratory,” said Executive Director Sherry Hooper. “The Lab’s strong commitment to investing in communities is greatly appreciated and truly makes a difference for individuals and families in Northern New Mexico.”

The Food Depot offers food to persons experiencing food insecurity through strategic programs and a network of 81 nonprofit hunger relief partners at more than 140 locations across northern New Mexico. The Food Depot addresses the crisis of hunger through a combination of mobile client-choice pantries, after-school meal programs, drive-through food distributions and support of a network of over 80 nonprofit organizations with a food-security focus. During FY21, The Food Depot provided an average of 737,627 meals each month to people experiencing food insecurity, including the most vulnerable of our community — children, seniors, working families and those in ill health.