State expands food security support for college students statewide
SANTA FE — Twenty-eight public and tribal colleges and universities across New Mexico are expanding food pantries, emergency meals and other basic needs support for students, backed by $586,000 in new funding from the New Mexico Higher Education Department.
The New Mexico Higher Education Department is investing in student success beyond the cost of tuition through its FY26 Food Security Bridge Fund. By expanding food pantries, meal assistance, access to fresh foods, and other basic needs supports, campuses can reduce the stigma of asking for help and create communities where students know that meeting their basic needs is not an exception or a privilege, but part of an environment designed to help every student learn and thrive.
“Tuition-free college is the foundational first step to making higher education more accessible, but we know that affordability does not end with tuition,” said Higher Education Deputy Secretary Patricia Trujillo, Ph.D. “Students should not have to choose between their education and their next meal. This funding will help campuses strengthen food security for students who need support most, while building a campus culture in which accessing nutritious food and basic needs resources is a normal and accepted part of the college experience.”
The Food Security Bridge Fund supports a range of campus-based solutions tailored to the needs of students and their communities. Projects include expanding food pantry inventories, purchasing refrigeration and other equipment, increasing access to fresh and locally sourced food, providing hot and grab-and-go meals, offering nutrition education and expanding access to hygiene and household supplies.
Across the state, colleges and universities are using the funding to strengthen existing programs while creating new ways for students to access nutritious food and other essential resources with dignity and without stigma.
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