Record in sight as giving effort passes goal

Once again, Northern New Mexico residents have stepped to the plate to help their neighbors.

The New Mexican’s Empty Stocking Fund has surpassed its fundraising goal for the holiday season.

As of last week, the newspaper’s yearly charitable fundraising and giving effort had raised more than $414,000, surpassing the year’s goal of $399,000.

Donations can be made to the fund year-round, and payments will be distributed through the end of January.

The Empty Stocking Fund, which launches every year around Thanksgiving, helps hundreds of people in Northern New Mexico annually during the holiday season with money to help cover rent payments, medical bills, utility costs, car repairs, home improvements and other needs.

The effort represents a collaboration between the newspaper and several community partners, including The Life Link, Gerard’s House, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity, Youthworks and others, program coordinator Susan Cahoon said.

“The impact of COVID is still being felt in our community,” Cahoon said. “Add a bad flu and RSV season to Northern New Mexico, and the needs of our neighbors have grown. There are fewer resources out there for some types of challenges, and we try to address them.”

This year’s fundraising has already exceeded 2022’s total of a little more than $378,000, but Cahoon said there was still time to beat the all-time-high total of $423,000 from 2021.

So far, the program has distributed about $314,000 from the fund in recent months, largely on recipients’ housing and utility costs, Cahoon said.

The Empty Stocking Fund also helps pay for vehicle repair costs, medical and dental bills, holiday presents and groceries for about 600 recipients per year.

When potential beneficiaries apply for help, Cahoon said, the program helps them to tap into other resources — such as state and federal government help and other nonprofit organizations — that could benefit them. After someone provides evidence of need and receives help from the Empty Stocking Fund, they are ineligible to receive funds from the

program for four years.

The program serves people in need who reside within a 50-mile radius of downtown Santa Fe.

This season, the Empty Stocking Fund has covered housing expenses of all stripes, from payments for rent and mortgage costs to motel stays to repairs for trucks and vans that serve as temporary housing.

On Valentine’s Day, the newspaper will run a list of Empty Stocking Fund donors over several pages to express its gratitude to the community for helping support the program.