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The figures are in for the Corrales Holiday Food and Present Drive to help low-income Corrales families.
Corrales Fire Department Commander Tanya Lattin said that 38 families totalling 143 people – 94 of them children – received help during the annual campaign that started Nov. 19 during the Christmas de los Caballos parade. In addition, all of the gift request tags hung on the Giving Tree at the Village administration office were fulfilled.
Lattin said Corraleños stepped up again to make the drive a great success.
“I’m the organizer, but it’s the citizens that make it possible,†she said.
Asked to estimate the value of the total haul, Lattin said the total cost of presents was about $10,000, about $15,000 was spent of food, and more than $15,600 came in as monetary donations.
The Corrales Food and Present Drive is put on by the Corrales Fire Department and the Kiwanis Club of Corrales. The event is about as old as the Village itself, starting sometime in the 1970s, Lattin said. Initially, it was only a food drive.
“We added presents in 1998,†said Lattin who has been one of the main organizers since then. “Village staff decided they wanted to do something else. Instead of me giving away all the presents at the (fire) station, we decided to put a Giving Tree up at Village Hall.â€
Through the month of December, residents are invited to drop off gifts or canned food, or a monetary donation at the Village office to be distributed to families that could use a little extra help.
Residents are also invited to fill out a gift request that’s hung on the Giving Tree. Lattin says she tries to make sure all of them get fulfilled each year.
While outsiders see Corrales as an affluent village, residents know there are many families – many of them who have lived here for generations – that aren’t so well off as their neighbors. Among the 38 families helped during the holiday season, Lattin said there are four or five families she helps year-round.
“I’ve always said, I will feed anybody. If someone needs food, I’m going to make sure they get food,†she said.
And not just any food.
“We want to make sure people get healthy, fresh food,†she said. While canned food has a shelf life, Lattin makes sure the families get fruit and vegetables as well.
The biggest need for food actually comes during the growing season. That’s because a lot of families enjoy the benefit of free school meals when school is in session. Albuquerque Public Schools offers free meals at some of its schools during the summer months, but not Corrales Elementary.
And it’s not always food that the fire department and Kiwanis Club help families with. Lattin said some are senior who have outlived their retirement savings and only have Social Security to support them. They have have health problems or suffer a hardship, like the heating system breaking down.
“We help them with gas bills, electric bills, smoke detectors… So we do take donations throughout the year to help low-income families,†Lattin said.
If you’d like to help, call Commander Lattin at 505-898-7501.