Valencia County Resource Center Offers Food, Housing Aid to All Residents

The Valencia County Resource Center in Belen operates on a simple premise: no one gets turned away. Run by the Community Resource Fund, the nonprofit hub serves any Valencia County resident who walks through the door, offering food and clothing distributions alongside case management that connects people to housing, Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, and other services.

"Anyone can come and get food and clothing, and receive a case manager if they want one," the organization states in its public description.

The Community Resource Fund, which the center describes as a foundation providing direct support to people in need, relies on community donations to stock its distributions. "The community donates goods and we redistribute the resources to those in need," the organization explains. Case managers then go further, navigating residents through the broader network of county and state programs.

Holly Chavez serves as director. She can be reached at (505) 453-3621 or hollychavez@h2academicsolutions.net.

For residents whose needs extend beyond what the Resource Center provides directly, a range of other agencies serve Valencia County. The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions handles SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, and LIHEAP applications at 100 S. 5th Street in Belen; the statewide line is 1-800-283-4465. A Los Lunas office at 428 S. Los Lentes Road SE handles workforce and unemployment programs at (505) 212-9115.

Midwest NM Community Action operates out of 549 Don Pasqual in Los Lunas, (505) 866-0466, and provides financial assistance to Valencia County residents facing hospital and ambulance bills. The Community Action Agency at 444 Luna Ave in Los Lunas can be reached at (505) 866-2020.

The Belen Public Health Office and WIC clinic is located at 617 Becker Ave in Belen and can be reached at (505) 864-7743 or (505) 864-7745. Families with young children can also contact the Pueblo of Isleta WIC program at (505) 924-3180 or (505) 924-3181.

The Valencia Shelter for Domestic Violence, at 513 Becker Ave in Belen, offers food assistance Monday through Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. and can be reached at (505) 865-7957. The First Baptist Church Food Pantry operates at 914 Los Lentes Road SE in Los Lunas. The 1st United Methodist Church at 75 Manzano Expressway in Belen holds food distributions on the first Wednesday of each month at 2 p.m.; contact numbers are (505) 864-1383 and (505) 864-6095.

First Choice Community Health is located at 145 Don Pasqual Road in Los Lunas. Veterans seeking eyeglass assistance can contact Eye Associates at 1603 Main St. in Los Lunas, (505) 865-6100, which also operates an eyeglass recycling center.

The street address and operating hours for the Valencia County Resource Center itself were not confirmed at the time of publication; prospective visitors should call Chavez directly before making the trip.