Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)

The Child and Adult Care Food Program was created to provide cash reimbursements to family child care providers for the cost of providing nutritious meals and snacks to the children for whom they care. HELP-NM is one of a dozen sponsor agencies around the state who recruit, assess, train and supervise the family child care providers and who insure that state and national USDA regulations are being followed. To qualify for this program a provider needs to care for at least one child who lives outside their home. Depending on their status, a provider can receive between $100 - $800 per month in food reimbursement.  HELP-NM, CACFP has 1200 family homes in 15 counties serving approximately 7,000 children daily. Providers receive three home visits, in home support services, 6 hours of annual training in child development, health and safety and nutrition and meal planning assistance. In excess of $4 million a year is sent to these homes in the form of monthly reimbursement check which provides a tax-free source of revenue for them. This effort is funded by United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). If you are interested in learning more about this program contact Phyllis Tabet at 505-766-4938 or via e-mail at Phyllis@helpnm.com.

Compassion Capital Fund (CCF)

Initially organized as the “Bienvenidos (Welcome) Coalition”, in October 2007, HELP-NM, was awarded a grant from the Administration for Children and Families for a Compassion Capital Fund project. The goal is to support faith-based and community-based non-profit organizations in New Mexico in order to increase their capacity and their efforts to work with families and individuals in the providing community based social services. Target organizations provide social services to poor and low-income individuals and families, particularly families in poverty; prisoners re-entering the community; the children and families of prisoners; the homeless; elderly persons in need; families in transition from welfare to work; people in need of rehabilitation such as substance abuse; couples seeking information and support for forming and maintaining healthy marriages; and at risk youth. Included in  HELP-NM CCF project are a wide range of vulnerable populations  needing rehabilitation, including victims of domestic violence, the mentally ill, and victims of human trafficking. If you want to learn more about this program contact Gracie Gonzalez at 505-766-4921 or via e-mail at Gracie@helpnm.com.

HELP-NM CCF includes a funding plan in which $250,000 of sub-awards are dispersed to applicant organizations, based upon developmental level of the organization. Training and workshops sessions are conducted statewide through the year. Consultants are then engaged to provide technical assistance to both sub-awardees and other eligible non-profit community organizations. For more information regarding the trainings & technical assistance please contact Gracie Gonzalez at 505-766-4921 or via e-mail at Gracie@helpnm.com

Vista / AmeriCorps Project

For over 40 years, VISTA has been helping communities and individuals out of poverty. Today, nearly 6,000 VISTA members serve in hundreds or non-profit organization and public agencies throughout the country- working to promote literacy, improve health services, create businesses, increase housing opportunities, or bridge the digital divide.

HELP-NM is a New Mexico VISTA AmeriCorps sponsor site with the goal of utilizing both young adults and retired individuals to working as full-time volunteers on those programs we administer. VISTA volunteers make a one year commitment and receive monthly stipends and other benefits from the Corporation for National and Community Service, for their participation in the project. In addition, HELP-NM also makes VISTA volunteers available to other non-profit agencies.

HELP-NM currently has seven VISTA volunteers working for the agency, two in Family Services Division, one in the Early Childhood Division, three in the Workforce Development Division, and one with another non-profit agency Charter school. A VISTA team leader is responsible for recruiting, mentoring and general support of the volunteer. HELP-NM intent is to increase the number of volunteers to a total of twelve, and will add new volunteers only as the specified need is identified. This is a non-funded project for HELP-NM, who provides supervision and support, but our participation in this effort is an effective method to increase staff and add capacity to the agency at no monetary cost. If you want to learn more about this project contact Phyllis Tabet at 505-766-4938 or Gracie Gonzalez at 505-766-4938 or via e-mail at Gracie@helpnm.com.