Welcome to the e-Voices MONDAY MINUTE, your weekly email newsletter from New Mexico Voices for Children. Please take a minute to add your voice to the pressing issues of the day. Also, tell us what issues you'd like to know more about so we can tailor the MONDAY MINUTE to your interests. Thanks!

November 20, 2006

Let's Talk Turkey

Not all New Mexicans are thinking ahead to this week's annual Thanksgiving feast. That's because almost 17 percent of us are what the USDA calls "food insecure.' In fact, New Mexico has the highest percentage of food insecurity in the nation, according to the USDA's annual report on hunger, released last week. The national average for food insecurity is 12 percent – that translates to some 35 million Americans whose cupboards are bear at least some of the time. Of those, an estimated 324,000 are New Mexicans.

It's amazing that people go hungry in the richest country in the world. But working parents all too often have to make the impossible choice between everything from paying the rent or utilities to buying medicine or food. There are many ways to help working families avoid such decisions. Income supports such as food stamps, childcare assistance, and the earned income tax credit can make the difference between having to skip a meal or not. Raising the federal minimum wage – which is at its lowest buying power – is another answer. Finally, a more progressive tax system – that’s one in which high income people pay their fair share – would do a better job of redistributing resources to those most in need.

Of course, these are all policy initiatives we've championed here are New Mexico Voices for Children. As we head into the new year – and the new Congress and legislative sessions it will bring – we'd like you to let your representatives know that you support them too.

What you can do:

  • Until then, take a look at the USDA Report on Household Food Security in the United States, 2005.
  • Go to www.nmfoodbanks.org to find out how you can help out this holiday season.
  • Contribute nonperishable food and winter coats to the Santa Fe Community Partnership, a program of NM Voices. The coats and food boxes will be distributed at their annual party on Dec. 7.
  • You can drop off donations of gently-used coats (for kids up to age 18) and nonperishable food at the Partnership office at 2532 Camino Entrada in Santa Fe, or here at NM Voices at 2340 Alamo SE, Suite 120, in Albuquerque.
  • Cash donations are also accepted and will be used to purchase turkeys and hams for distribution.

Homeless for the Holidays

Food insecurity isn't the only issue plaguing America's poor. A new report released last week also shows that homelessness and near-homelessness continue to be serious problems. The report, "Without Housing: Decades of Federal Housing Cutbacks, Massive Homelessness and Policy Failures," documents the effects of more than 25 years of declining federal funds for affordable housing. It focuses on radical cuts to programs administered by the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA), which administers funds for rural affordable housing.

The report was released by Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP), a coalition of West-Coast social justice-based homelessness organizations.

Among the distressing findings are:

  • HUD's budget has dropped 65 percent since 1978, from more than $83 billion to $29 billion.
  • In 1983, the year HUD's budget was at an $18 billion low, public emergency shelters began opening in cities nationwide.
  • In 2004, 61 percent of federal housing subsidies went to households earning more than $54,788 – hardly the people who need them.
  • More than 600,000 homeless students went to public schools in the 2003-04 school year, according to the US Department of Education.
  • You can read the whole report here: http://www.wraphome.org/wh_press_kit/Without_Housing_20061114.pdf

Learn to Lobby

Talking with our elected officials is one of the most effective ways to engage in civic participation, but it can also be quite daunting. The team at NM Voices has long worked for positive changes in public policy, and now you can learn how we do it in one of two Legislative Advocacy Training sessions. You'll learn about the elements of effective policy, how state politics work, and how the state budget is divvied up. The NM Voices' team will be joined by other community leaders for focus sessions on tax and budget policies, unemployment insurance and health-care reform, the minimum wage, and other issues.

Save the date:

  • The Santa Fe session is Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2006, from 6 to 9pm.
  • The Albuquerque session is Friday, Dec. 8, 2006, from 9am to 4pm. Admission is $25 ($15 for full-time students), and includes lunch
  • Both locations are TBD.
  • Keep an eye on our website for updates.

A Matter of Priorities

The Coalition on Human Needs (CHN) wants to know what you think. They'd like to know your top human-needs priorities for the new Congress, and today is the last day to make your voice heard.

The "ballot" lists ten priorities, from which you are asked to select three. CHN will publish the results on their website and through their email network, and use the input to guide them in creating their 2007 congressional agenda. While three may sound like too few issues to fight for, the truth is, you can get better results when you focus your efforts.

What you can do:
For a description of the 10 items, go to: http://www.chn.org/pdf/2006/ballotitems.pdf.
To record your selections, click here: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/chn/questionnaire.jsp?questionnaire_KEY=223.

Call for Nominations

Know a young New Mexican who's made a difference in their community through community service or volunteerism? Nominate him or her for the 2007 Amy Biehl Youth Spirit Award. The award honors New Mexico youths in two age groups (13-18 and 19-26) for their work. Nominations are evaluated on evidence of the nominee's vision, initiative and dedication.

The deadline for nominations is 3pm, Friday, Feb. 9, 2007. If you'd like a nomination packet mailed to you call 505-244-9505, ext. 10. You can also download the forms here: www.nmvoices.org/abysa.htm. The awards ceremony will be Friday, April 20, 2007, in Albuquerque.

Your financial support is critical to our work. Please consider making a contribution today at http://www.nmvoices.org/donate.htm