In Albuquerque’s International District, some children leave school on Friday afternoon not knowing if there will be enough food at home to get them through the weekend.
Many unhoused individuals share what little they have with the animals who provide them companionship, safety, and emotional support.
Food insecurity is a daily reality for many families, veterans, seniors, and unhoused neighbors in our community.
New Mexico Veterans for Pets proudly operates a regularly functioning community food pantry in the International District with the capacity to serve hundreds of families every week.
Our outreach works to:
• Partner with local elementary schools to provide weekend food for children
• Deliver food directly to unhoused encampments
• Provide routine and emergency veterinary care when families cannot afford it
• Distribute pet food to animals belonging to unhoused and low-income families
For many people we serve, a pet is not a luxury — it is family and often their only source of stability during difficult times.
We carry out this work with dedicated volunteers and in collaboration with Albuquerque Community Safety and Roadrunner Food Bank, helping ensure food reaches the people and neighborhoods where the need is greatest.
So why are we asking for help?
For three years, New Mexico Vets for Pets has responded to this growing need without dedicated operating funds, relying on volunteers, small donations, and determination to serve our community.
During that time, we worked through the long process of securing public support for this work, waiting more than two years to enter this year’s funding stream that we hoped would finally help stabilize our programs.
While we waited our turn, we continued our mission — and the need continued to grow.
In just the past 18 months, our distribution of pet food for animals belonging to unhoused and low-income families has grown from 100 pounds to nearly 1,000 pounds every week — a ten-fold increase.
Late last year, as New Mexico prepared for potential federal cuts to SNAP food assistance, many funding sources were restricted in order to protect essential food benefits statewide.
While protecting SNAP was the right thing to do, the operational funding we had worked so long to secure was suddenly no longer available.
Our Goal
We are working to raise $25,000 to sustain our food pantry, outreach programs, and animal support services in Albuquerque’s International District for the coming year.
• $25 helps provide food for a family in our pantry
• $50 feeds 50 animals in unhoused communities
• $100 provides essential veterinary care for a pet in crisis
• $250 supports a mobile outreach visit serving unhoused pets and their families
• $500 provides weekend meals for 50 children
• $750 funds emergency medical care for multiple animals in need
• $1,000 spays or neuters 10 cats and dogs
• $2,500 sponsors a full community outreach clinic for pets and families in need
Every donation helps ensure that someone in our community does not have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding the animal who depends on them.
With your help, we can continue standing beside the most vulnerable members of our community.
If you believe no one in our community should go hungry — human or animal — please consider donating and sharing this campaign with your social networks.
— New Mexico Vets for Pets