Los Alamos Students Pack Holiday Drive to Support SNAP Families
Students from Los Alamos High School organized a December 4 food drive to help local households facing gaps in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits after the recent government shutdown. The collected staples will go to the county I Can Help program, easing short term food insecurity and highlighting the local importance of federal nutrition supports.
On December 4 AP Government students at Los Alamos High School turned classroom study into direct action by collecting canned goods, pasta, peanut butter and other non perishable staples for families in need. The drive, led by students Aditya Viswanathan, Seb Koglin and Angus Smith and conducted in partnership with the National Honor Society, donated the food to the county I Can Help program to address immediate needs created by recent federal funding disruptions.
The event was organized after class discussions about how a government shutdown can affect programs like SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and how delays or stretched benefits can leave households vulnerable especially during the holidays. New Mexico consistently has one of the highest SNAP participation rates in the country, with roughly one in five residents receiving benefits in a typical month. Those benefits help families buy groceries but do not always cover every need through the month. Food price pressures, transportation constraints and gaps between benefit cycles can create shortfalls that local food assistance programs are built to fill.
For Los Alamos County the student drive demonstrates how local institutions and civic engagement can reinforce federal supports. The donated staples will be distributed directly to households through I Can Help, providing short term relief for families facing delayed or depleted SNAP benefits. That relief matters in a community where even temporary interruptions in food access can increase stress on low and moderate income households and on local nonprofits that provide supplemental aid.
The episode also points to broader policy implications. Interruptions to federal benefit flows can shift demand onto local charities and food banks, increasing their logistical and financial burdens. For policymakers and local officials, the episode underscores the value of stable federal funding streams and of strengthening local safety nets to absorb temporary shocks. For Los Alamos residents the students initiative is a reminder that community level action can blunt the immediate effects of larger policy disruptions, and that small scale civic efforts can translate directly into groceries and stability for neighbors in need.
