In mid summer of 1989 the Rio Grande Presbyterian Church was challenged by its pastor the Reverend Carl Soderberg to answer God’s call to feed hungry New Mexicans. The original vision was to be a satellite of the Storehouse and provide emergency food to the neighborhood around the church. That vision soon expanded to establish a food pantry for the west side of the city.
In December of 1989 the Rio Grande Food Project opened and distributed its first food boxes. The congregation of the Rio Grande Presbyterian Church gave out 2,000 lbs of food or 1,667 meals. Seed money from the Bicentennial Fund of the Presbyterian Church USA served as the catalyst and helped provide funding the first year. Donations from church members, other congregations and community grants were also used to purchase food.
Studies compiled in 1993, indicate that after four years of operation, the project distributed over 70 tons of food to 10,000 people. The number of people served and the amount of food distributed has continued to grow during the last 20 years. The charts below indicate the continual growth over the past eight years. In 2010 450,000 pounds of food or 375,000 meals was distributed to 25,000 individuals.
RGFP distributes food Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 am until 2 pm, and on Saturday from 9 am until noon. Emergency food boxes are currently distributed to individuals and families once every three months. RGFP plans to increase the number of times an individual or family can receive a food box and would like to move to once a month, but the pantry is limited by storage space and funds for food. RGFP continues to operate out of a classroom in the church (320 sq. feet) with a small office area and very limited food storage. RGFP is currently pursuing options to expand its facility.
