New Mexico Appleseed

09/16/2026

Once every few weeks, I get a call from someone who has found New Mexico Appleseed on the Internet and thinks we have housing to offer. Today's call was from a mom in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. I didn't catch her name, but she had elementary age students, no place to stay, and didn't know what to do. I called the district's homeless student liaison and he said something like this: We lost our grant from the state and haven't had it for two years. That would've enabled us to pay for some housing ... maybe at a hotel. We hope to get it back next year. T or C has no shelters or anything like that. The only thing I've been able to do is build up my stash of toiletries and canned goods. Other than that we have nothing to give them.

Here's what that means: Federal dollars for homeless students are tiny drops that barely make it to many kids. The fact that they had a teeny bit of money and another district may have had more of a need means they get no money.

The state has not allocated any money for this kind of expense except for our Guaranteed Payment for Attendance program that we created for 350 10th-12th graders in select pilot districts around the state. https://www.nmappleseed.org/child-and-family-homelessness

So, what does it mean if we have an entire school district and the rest of the state with approximately 10 to 15% of students who are homeless and little to no money to help them? It means that these children may have had perfectly healthy and wonderful upbringings until their families lost housing and now are at an increased risk of being homeless as adult adults, failing out of school, failing to graduate, & having mental health issues. Or they were born into families who have lived this reality for generations. The domino effect goes far beyond what we think of when we think of homeless students.

I believe this is where Appleseed really shines in its work, because what we hear firsthand from people like the woman who just called turns into a larger systemic conversation where we are able to frame the issue not just as a night in a hotel or a month of rent but stopping the domino from falling in the first place. Rent becomes a graduation intervention, a mental health intervention, and an economic stability intervention. Watch this space. We don't look away

07/13/2026

I don't even know how to describe how important this BIBS intervention could be not just in New Mexico but possibly nationally and internationally. Prenatal drug use leads to foster care, abuse, neglect, maternal death, infant death, and a lifetime of trauma. New Mexico Appleseed actually has an answer! We are testing with The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.

If this intervention result in babies born without substance exposure, decrease in maternal and infant mortality rates, and moms end up stabilized and able to get jobs at the end of it, we have solved a major problem. The cost of the program is pocket change compared to the lives we will completely change for generations and the costs we will save keeping everyone healthy and safe and contributing to the community.

State-funded pilot will provide financial incentives, treatment and family support to help pregnant women with addiction and improve outcomes for babies

12/27/2025

New Mexico's Homeless and Inadequately-Housed Kids Need Your Help Right Now! Please help with a meaningful donation today.

www.nmappleseed.org

Email from New Mexico Appleseed Please continue supporting them until the very last child. Please Donate Before the New Year! Wonderful Appleseed Family, When I think about the most sophisticated, gen

12/13/2025

Did you know that New Mexico Appleseed wrote the first-in-the-nation law that prohibited something called lunch shaming? After 10 years of failing to stop schools from giving children cheese sandwiches or having their meals thrown out in front of them because their parents owed money at the cafeteria, I had had enough. For those of you who know me, you know exactly what it means when I've had enough.

At least 17 states followed suit, and we had a bill in Congress prohibiting lunch shaming. Now we've even moved past that to successfully feeding all of the children in this state for free. First-in-the-nation policy innovations are our specialty: Paying homeless students a stipend to go to school, tribal sovereignty over federal feeding programs, mandatory breakfast after the bell at high-poverty schools, and eliminating lunch shaming.

Donate to New Mexico Appleseed (www.nmappleseed.org) to be part of this incredible legacy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/well/family/new-mexico-outlaws-school-lunch-shaming.html?unlocked_article_code=1.8U8.N-9Z.utpqf3q_Nhr1&smid=url-share

Children whose parents have lunch debt will not be made to clean cafeteria tables or have their meals thrown away.

12/06/2025

New Mexico is leading with innovation — and our students are proving what’s possible.
The Washington Post recently highlighted New Mexico’s groundbreaking pilot program that provides financial support to students experiencing homelessness — and the results are powerful.
✨ 93% graduation rate.
✨ Students who often face the steepest barriers finding stability, support, and success.
✨ A model now expanding to even more schools across our state.

At the Public Education Department, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to thrive. This program is one more step toward ensuring that circumstances never limit potential.

📖 Read the full story here: https://wapo.st/48wxpup
Together, we’re building a more equitable future for New Mexico’s students. 🌟

12/06/2025

Once again, New Mexico Appleseed's work is at the forefront! This is how we make change. We cannot do it without you. Please consider a donation at www.nmappleseed.org.

Read this incredible article by the Washington Post about our work.

https://wapo.st/3XEli9O

The state is launching a three-year pilot program offering $500 a month to homeless students who maintain high attendance and fulfill other requirements.

12/06/2025

The state is launching a three-year pilot program offering $500 a month to homeless students who maintain high attendance and fulfill other requirements.

12/20/2024

Your donation to Appleseed will quite literally last for generations. Help end the trap of poverty for tens of thousands of New Mexico children and families. This is what we do and we do it well.

Whether it's $50 or $50,000 your donation has the best ROI in town. Give today!

Amid evolving challenges, New Mexico's children need unwavering support. Your generosity helps address persistent issues like poverty, hunger, and homelessness. By advocating for essential programs—child nutrition, economic stability, and homelessness prevention—we ensure that vulnerable familie...

12/04/2023

Can you believe that it has been fifteen years of New Mexico Appleseed? That seems impossible. There are no words to explain how proud I am of this work and how grateful I am for your active and generous support.

New Mexico Appleseed's work is a magic recipe of focused moral intention, academic-level research, and highly-nuanced strategy. We still need your help. We will probably always need your help. We don't take government money so we can keep our hands clean and our values intact. This only makes our work stronger and our impact bigger. The best part of my job has been seeing how generous our community is. I know that when I ask for your help, you will be there -and you always have been.

Your support this year is truly necessary. As I have said every year for the past fifteen years, I promise to make you proud that you support New Mexico Appleseed

All my love and gratitude,

Jenny

Our Annual Report. So much incredible work done and so much more to do.     Hello, all of you wonderful people! Can you believe that it has been fifteen years of New Mexico Appleseed? That seems impos

10/06/2023

https://conta.cc/3F7iQiQ