Letter to the editor

Dear Editor,

Socorro Storehouse Food Pantry is getting ready for Thanksgiving and would like to reach out to the community for help. There seems to be a misconception that we do not need help from the community, but that is far from it. The free food we receive from RoadRunner Food Bank is for the USDA commodity program only. That program allows our clients to pick up a food box once per month. That box may feed a household for a week, maybe less. We are now seeing more families coming back for food in that same month. That is where the Storehouse Emergency food box and the homeless food program come into play. We must purchase food from other sources. We receive some donated food from Walmart, that is added to both commodity and emergency boxes each week. The rest we purchase locally from John Brooks for these programs. The homeless bags are given out each week during our distribution time on Thursdays. Your donations help us do that. Thanksgiving is around the corner, and many of our families need help with purchasing food for that day. We transitioned into food vouchers so our clients could go to the store and purchase what they want on their Thanksgiving table. Those vouchers are paid for by monetary donations that we receive from this community and any grants we can find. We also help by purchasing food for the Senior Center Thanksgiving lunch, and for the Ocampo Christmas food drive. None of these programs would be possible if we did not have the great support from this community. Socorro Storehouse is run by one director and a group of volunteers. Although we purchase food, these funds also help us pay the director, and all the equipment to keep that food safe. Thank you for the support throughout the years from the community, City of Socorro and NM Tech.

Sincerely,

Melissa Ramsey

Executive Director, Socorro Storehouse

Hello Socorro!

Since I am serving in the role of Interim President at New Mexico Tech (NMT), I wanted to introduce myself. My wife Wendy and I arrived in Socorro in 2021. We both have physics degrees and enjoy living in Socorro; a safe, friendly community within a stunning southwest landscape and beautiful weather.

While there have been changes in leadership at NMT, our core mission remains: with our dedicated staff and faculty, we will continue to provide our students with an outstanding STEM-focused education while advancing knowledge through fundamental and applied research and other creative activities and works. We will continue to prepare students to enter the workforce and remain an important economic and cultural resource for Socorro and New Mexico.

To date, most of my efforts at Tech and at other universities focused on the day-to-day activities of either my classroom, my department, or academic life at the institution. Now they involve meeting with elected officials, business and community leaders, and other individuals interested in the institution. I am excited to work together to tackle the challenges we collectively face and to help advance the efforts of our fantastic university.

As my predecessor mentioned, ‘NMT is much more than your average college; it’s a place where we make imagination real and shape the future. But we can’t do it alone.’ I agree wholeheartedly. As the largest employer in the county, NMT has an important role to play in the vitality and success of Socorro. To this end, I look forward to working with local leaders to create and promote opportunities that benefit all members of our community - as we need to work together so that we can collectively move forward.

Finally, Wendy and I look forward to participating in community events and seeing folks around town. Feel free to say hello and ask whether our preference is red or green!

Sincerely,

Michael Jackson

Interim President, New Mexico Tech