HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT FUNDS FOOD FOR THOUGHT

New Mexico’s Higher Education Department has awarded $1 million in food security grants to colleges across New Mexico, in hopes of decreasing rates of food insecurity among students.

The University of New Mexico’s Basic Needs Project — which surveyed more than 15,000 participants across 27 public and tribal colleges in New Mexico — revealed nearly 60% of college students are food insecure.

“By integrating food sustainability into the long-term culture of our college campuses, we not only nourish bodies but cultivate holistic environments where every student can thrive,” Higher Education Deputy Secretary Patricia Trujillo said in a news release.

Grant recipients include:

◆ $150,000 to Clovis Community College.

◆ $235,000 to Eastern New Mexico University’s Ruidoso campus, to create a community kitchen, offer cooking classes and distribute food boxes to students.

◆ $125,000 to Navajo Technical University for Nihits’íís Tah Hózho Nahásdlíí, a project to integrate traditional knowledge, plant a garden, develop a cookbook and distribute food to students.

◆ $125,000 to San Juan College to conduct outreach to vulnerable student groups, create a hunger awareness campaign and collaborate with local farmers.

◆ $220,000 to Western New Mexico University for a “Grow Our Own” program to involve students, faculty and staff in growing food on campus.

◆ $50,000 to Eastern New Mexico University’s Roswell campus for “Cosmo’s Cupboard,” a food pantry for students.

◆ $50,000 to New Mexico State University’s Grants campus to maintain an existing food pantry, provide nutritious snacks and expand a campus garden.

◆ $45,000 for the University of New Mexico’s Basic Needs Project to publish the first statewide college basic needs report.