Carson Food Bank

The Carson Food Bank takes places each Thursday from 3.00–4.00 pm at the Carson Community Association Quonset Community Building. The What3Words address of the Community Building is ///green.lunge.bash. Notification about closures will be posted in advance on the Carson Community Bulletin Board or the calendar on this website.

The Food Bank now distributes more than 50 bags of food per week, with almost half going to folks in Carson.

The Carson Food Bank is in urgent need of financial support. If you would like to donate to the Food Bank, please send a check (be sure to write in the memo: for Santo Niño, Carson), payable to

The Food Depot
1222 Siler Road
Santa Fe, NM 87507

History of the Carson Food Bank 

Richard and Tupper Hawley run the Santo Niño Food Bank in Carson. They wanted to show people in a tangible way that they cared about them, and so in 1999 they decided to do something to make a difference in our community. They started the food bank as a gift to their friends and neighbors who could use some help.

How it works

The Santo Niño Food Bank is an agency of The Food Depot in Santa Fe. The Food Depot in Santa Fe is the food bank that serves Northern New Mexico. A federal program, called the Feed America Program, oversees the operations of all the food banks nationally. The Santo Niño Food Bank in Carson is also connected with the Pentecostal Church of God, a tax-exempt organization that provides a food pantry in Taos, so donations to the Santo Niño Food Bank are tax-deductible.

The Food Depot sends the Hawleys an “offerings list” from which they select items they can afford based on the amount of money they receive in donations each week. While there are many complimentary items, The Food Depot in Santa Fe is not free, and the Hawleys purchase goods at a fraction of the retail price.

Each Thursday, The Food Depot sends a truck up to Taos, and Richard or Tupper drives to Taos to meet the truck at the Saint James Episcopal Church. There, along with other charitable organizations such as Shared Table, Love Thy Neighbor, Dream Tree Project, Habitat for Humanity, and CAV, they pick up the food to bring to Carson.

Unloading food truck.

Rob Hughes carries food into quonset.

Back at the CCA Quonset Building, the Hawleys divide up the supplies into as many bags as there are recipients. Distribution begins at 3:00 and is done by 4:00 pm. Customers come from near and far, some from the mountains quite a distance away. The food ranges from pure basics (bread, rice, potatoes and more) to some very fancy delectables on occasion, depending on the restaurants and grocery stores who supply the food contributed that week.

Produce and bread is laid out for “help yourself”

Volunteer Sam Drake bags food for customers

There are no set qualifications to receive food. Everyone is included, and anyone can enjoy. The Santo Niño Food Bank acquires a lot of high-quality food that anyone who has need can benefit from. Richard and Tupper go to great lengths to ensure food is available no matter what the donations are. They use their personal money, vehicles, and time to ensure that the people in Carson who truly depend on the Food Bank are not left hungry. Having consistent donations on a regular basis would make a world of difference and make the Hawleys’ mission of giving much easier.

Apart from the Hawleys, a few other kind locals participate in the weekly food distribution and collectively have donated thousands of hours to this neighborhood improvement project. They invite those in need to contact them. No-one is turned away. The Carson Food Bank also welcomes contributions of food, money, and time. Send inquiries to cca@carsonnm.org.