New Mexico has one of the highest rates of food insecurity in the country, according to the May 2025 Map the Meal Gap report from Feeding America. Nearly 17% of the New Mexico population faces food insecurity, which is higher than the national average of 14.3%.
Food insecurity can come in many forms, whether it’s struggling to pack a lunch for a child or putting dinner on the table every week. And when someone has a child in the hospital, often the last thing on their mind is finding a hot meal for themselves.
That’s why the Feeding Hope program at The University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital has provided meals to families of pediatric patients during their hospital stays for the last five years. While the UNM Hospital Food and Nutrition Department ensures patients are fed, Feeding Hope focuses on patients’ family members. Caring for family by providing hot meals is just one way the UNM Children’s Hospital provides holistic care for the entire family.
The impact of this fund is not measured solely in meals served, but also in the relationships it helps to nurture and the hope it helps to sustain. It is both an immediate and a lasting impact.
- Melissa Mason, DNP, RN, CPN, CPHON, Executive Director of Children’s Services, UNM Children's Hospital
Instead of quick runs to a nearby vending machine, the program provides full and balanced meals, allowing family members to eat while they remain at their loved one’s side. Receiving a meal tray may seem like a small gesture, but for those whom this program serves, it means one less thing to worry about, said Anndee Wright Brown, executive director of development for UNM Hospital and the UNM Children’s Hospital.
“The program changes everything for our most vulnerable families, and 60% of UNM Children’s Hospital patients are on Medicaid,” Wright Brown said.
A warm meal can make all the difference for someone caring for a loved one in the hospital, and it makes an even bigger difference to those who cannot afford to buy extra food for themselves during a financially challenging time, she said.
Feeding Hope supports any family in need, and there are no specific criteria to qualify. There’s no financial threshold or SNAP benefit status that must be shown, Wright Brown explained. All patients in need will receive meal trays.
Wright Brown said Feeding Hope is entirely funded by philanthropic gifts and community support. New Mexicans help make it possible to provide this support to UNM Children’s Hospital patients and their families.
“Feeding Hope demonstrates the power of compassionate giving and creates space for love, healing and moments that matter,” said Melissa Mason, DNP, RN, CPN, CPHON, executive director of Children’s Services at UNM Children's Hospital. “The impact of this fund is not measured solely in meals served, but also in the relationships it helps to nurture and the hope it helps to sustain. It is both an immediate and a lasting impact.”
You can provide comfort and compassion to families of UNM Children's Hospital patients by giving to the Feeding Hope fund, here.
Click here to learn more about another opportunity to give to UNM patients and students through the Lobos Thrive campaign. For any larger gifts to support these funds, contact Lindsey Caldwell via email at lindsay.caldwell@unmfund.org.
