Each month, Assistance League of Albuquerque makes a generous donation of $400 to support Silver Horizons’ Senior Food Markets. How do we spend this money? We have been using it to expand the number of food markets offered each month, as well as to increase the quantity of food distributed to each shopper.

When Silver Horizons first began receiving support from the Assistance League, we described recent growth in our food distribution program. We call our pantries, “Senior Food Markets”, and these markets are part of a larger program called “Free Groceries for Seniors”. Here’s where we stood before Assistance League support:

A couple of examples illustrate our growth: Three years ago, we had one food pantry serving about 70 people. Today, we have 16 Senior Food Markets serving about 3,000 seniors. Soon, we will have 19 pantries, providing free groceries to even more hungry seniors. In a relatively brief period, Silver Horizons has doubled the number of seniors receiving free groceries.

Assistance League support allows us to expand beyond original plans. Instead of 19 pantries, we increased food distribution to offer between 23-30 Senior Food Markets each month (the number varies depending on location availability and food supplies). We increased from providing groceries to about 2,000 seniors to providing food to almost 4,000 seniors, and to about 1,200 grandchildren many of these seniors are raising.

Our markets include fresh produce, meat, dairy, bread, dry and canned goods, pet food, and toiletries. Assistance League support, along with other secured funds, allows us to provide about 2-weeks’ worth of groceries to seniors and grandchildren who otherwise would not have enough food to eat. Thank You, Assistance League of Albuquerque, and its supporters, for caring about the seniors Silver Horizons assists each month!

Ron Hidalgo, Executive Director
Silver Horizons New Mexico