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Luna County residents report food pantry served about 2,225 households as unemployment fell
Summary
A Project Communidad cofounder told county commissioners the pantry served 2,225 unique households in quarter three—about one in four Luna County households—and highlighted new evening hours and continuing need even as unemployment fell.
Jan Millis, a cofounder of Project Communidad, told the Luna County Board of County Commissioners during the public comment period that local unemployment has fallen significantly and that demand for emergency food remains high. "I'm super excited that our unemployment went from 15.7% in February to 10," she said, and reported that the pantry "served 2,225, unique households" in the third quarter out of 9,082 county households.
The figures, Millis said, mean the pantry reached "almost 25%" of Luna County households in the quarter. Millis described expanded hours — the pantry opened Monday nights from 4 to 6 p.m. — to serve people who cannot come during daytime hours and shared an anecdote about a 30-year-old man who used the pantry while his wife is pregnant and later volunteered his thanks.
The report came as several commissioners and meeting attendees thanked the pantry volunteers. Millis also said she provided county officials with income-guideline materials so staff could see who qualifies for benefits such as SNAP.
The comments underscore a continued reliance on emergency food assistance even as the local unemployment rate declined. There was no fiscal proposal or formal action recorded during the public comment period on the pantry's request for continued support.
The Board moved on after the public comment period without taking votes on pantry funding; the public session concluded and the chair declared the meeting adjourned.
