Tingley Beach picnic draws record turnout for foster families

Tingley Beach drew its largest Foster Family Picnic and Fishing event yet, turning a summer outing into a visible show of support for New Mexico’s foster and adoptive families. The fourth annual gathering, hosted by the New Mexico Child First Network and the Department of Wildlife, brought families together for fishing, food and a day built around respite as much as recreation.

The event ran Saturday, June 13, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at one of Albuquerque’s best-known outdoor spaces, and it was open to foster and adoptive families from across the state. Organizers called this year’s turnout the biggest yet, a sign that the picnic is becoming more than a feel-good tradition. For families raising children after placement, that matters. A public outing with other caregivers can create the kind of informal support network that formal services often struggle to provide, giving parents and children a place to talk, decompress and see that they are not navigating foster care alone.

New Mexico Child First Network has framed the event as its annual Foster and Adoptive Family Fishing Extravaganza, and its event pages pointed families toward advance registration while also seeking volunteers and sponsors. That mix reflects a broader reality in child welfare: support after placement is not only about case management. It also depends on community-based efforts that help families stay connected, feel welcomed and keep going when the demands of foster care become overwhelming.

The picnic also fits into a larger policy conversation. In a 2023 event announcement, the nonprofit linked the gathering to the passage of HB35, which expanded free cultural services like fishing and camping for foster families. Its 2023 impact report said the first Tingley Beach fishing day drew more than 600 attendees and that every child in care received a fishing pole and a fishing kit to keep. Earlier listings said the 2024 picnic drew more than 400 families and foster youth. That rapid growth suggests the event is filling a real need, especially for children who benefit from ordinary, positive memories with caregivers and peers.

The New Mexico Child First Network says its mission is to improve the lives of children in foster care through trauma-informed training, policy reform and direct mentorship and support. At Tingley Beach, that mission was visible in a simple public setting: a picnic, a fishing pole and a place where agencies, volunteers and families could build the kind of trust that keeps foster homes stable.