COVID-19 shutdowns sent many New Mexico volunteers home to isolate, especially those 60 and older. This month, volunteer contributions are being recognized with the goal of encouraging more people to step forward.

Tom Elmhorst, a volunteer at Albuquerque's Roadrunner Food Bank, has been donating his time for 12 years. The retired Teamsters Union freight truck driver said giving back to the community during a time of unprecedented demand for food is a service he looks forward to providing every week.

"I'm told that one in four children in our state goes to bed hungry or certainly food insecure every day," Elmhorst explained. "That's very saddening to me, and if I'm not part of the solution, I'm part of the problem."

Since 1990, April has marked National Volunteer Month, recognizing the time people give to improve their local communities.

Mildred Griffee, another volunteer at the Food Bank, has worked alongside Elmhorst the past dozen years to sort and organize donated bread later driven to distribution sites. Griffee said she attended Roadrunner fundraisers for several years and then heard the organization had moved closer to her home.

"So I thought this is a sign that I need to put my money where my mouth is and go start volunteering there," Griffee remarked. "I know what I do helps people. I get a good feeling from that."

Research by the Mayo Clinic shows volunteering leads to lower rates of depression and anxiety, especially for people 65 and older, who also report better physical health than those who don't volunteer.

At 74, Elmhorst said he is glad to be part of the group, because some of the happiest people he knows are those involved in service.

"My heart's desire is that there would be no need for the Roadrunner Food Bank," Elmhorst acknowledged. "But, imperfect world that it is, I'll never run out of a job."

The food back offers many ways for people with busy schedules to get involved, including some duties requiring two to three hours to complete, and do not require training or an ongoing commitment.

Groups working to end hunger in Nebraska are reaching out to all parts of the state to train food insecure people to advocate for others facing similar issues.

The advocacy group Nebraska Appleseed's Food Access Community Advocates Cohort educates people over nine months how to build advocacy, community organizing and storytelling skills, so they are better equipped to understand policies affecting the state's most food insecure people.

Megan Hamann, senior community organizer of food and nutrition access for Nebraska Appleseed, said having experienced hunger puts them in a better position to understand and talk about policy issues affecting hungry people in Nebraska.

"They have this lived experience that is really useful, I think, when it comes to making sure that our decision-makers know the impact of the policies they are considering," Hamann explained.

Nebraska Appleseed will start taking applications for new program participants Friday.

Hamann pointed out the number of food insecure people in Nebraska is greater now than it was during the pandemic, when demand at food banks was already high.

"I think with the passage of the recent federal budget reconciliation bill, we are looking forward to a period of time where that need is going to reach new extremes," Hamann projected.

This will be the fourth year of the cohort program. Many past participants have taken leadership roles in their communities and are now leading local efforts to educate others about the best ways to address food insecurity.


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It has been about three weeks since the Rowena Fire in Oregon's Columbia Gorge was put out, and the local food bank remains vital to recovery efforts.

The fire burned 3,600 acres in Wasco County, destroying 56 homes and 100 other structures.

Breen Goodwin, executive director of the Columbia Gorge Food Bank, said they are always prepared to assist during disasters with ready-to-eat emergency food boxes and water. She added many displaced families are living with relatives, in hotels, or camping and remain uncertain about their next steps.

"It is difficult in a community of our size to absorb housing needs for that many families who have lost homes," Goodwin acknowledged. "That next step of the recovery process of truly: 'How are those families being supported with more long term recovery efforts?'"

Breen pointed out the food bank has been serving as a distribution site to hand out supplies from Adventist Health of the Columbia Gorge and other organizations who donated nonfood items, including air purifiers, generators, hygiene supplies and stuffed animals for kids.

One of the biggest challenges, Breen noted, is keeping a supply of drinking water flowing once people start to return home.

"We're able to drop full pallets of water directly into the impacted communities because most of the time the drinking water is no longer safe until enough testing has been done," Breen explained.

The Columbia Gorge Food Bank is one of 21 regional food banks in the Oregon Food Bank Network. Breen emphasized the number of people visiting the food bank rose to about 6,500 per month during the pandemic and has remained at that level. People can visit OregonFoodFinder.org to find pantry locations in their area.

Indiana families are navigating the summer without SUN Bucks, a federal grocery benefit which delivered $120 per child last summer.

Gov. Mike Braun's administration chose not to participate in 2025, citing prior planning gaps.

Mark Lynch, director of advocacy for the Indy Hunger Network, said the funding blackout hit the state hard.

"We really are feeling and seeing the impacts of not having the SUN Bucks program this year," Lynch emphasized. "That $120 per summer for those students that they had last year have created some longer lines at our food pantries."

State leaders said administrative hurdles kept Indiana out of the program. Supporters argued skipping SUN Bucks puts pressure on food banks and leaves low-income families with fewer options.

Lynch noted to help bridge the gap, Indiana expanded its summer meal sites to include prepackaged meals, which do not require daily pickups.

"But there's school starting soon and they're giving their workers some time off for the summer, so that might be ending in the next week or two," Lynch explained. "That's just an example and that happens around the state in rural, suburban, and in city communities."

The Indy Hunger Network and other partners continue to support Hoosiers through tools like the Community Compass app, which shows nearby meal sites and grocery assistance programs.


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