In blue with food: RRPD delivers tons of goods to local pantries

RIO RANCHO — Looks of relief and happiness were on Rio Rancho’s food pantry directors’ faces Nov. 22.

Tim Sheahan from St. Felix Pantry and Joe Mickelson from Storehouse West got a large delivery from the Rio Rancho Police Department.

RRPD collected donations from locals at grocery stores that morning and came with truckloads full of food to both locations.

“It’s a great day for Rio Rancho,” Sheahan said as officers loaded crates with stuffing, macaroni and cheese, canned vegetables and more.

The delivery was a sight for sore eyes, though, as Sheahan stated he has seen about a 35% increase in customer population the last two months, “and I don’t see it going down at all. I think it’s going to continue to grow,” he said.

Sheahan couldn’t say exactly how much food RRPD brought but remembered the previous year that it was about three tons. They also got a large amount of cash donations.

Mickelson, whose situation at Storehouse West was much more dire in October, showed evidence that the community has really stepped up for the pantry.

“My warehouse is full,” he said with a grin.

At this point, Mickelson has been redirecting food from Roadrunner Food Bank to St. Felix, which has a greater need for it. However, he is still encountering problems. Recently, he said, what they have been getting from the bank is rotten produce and sweets.

“We’ve been getting a lot of cake,” he said.

However, Mickelson has been getting more monetary donations.

The RRPD donation will set him up for a while, he said. He anticipated the recent donation would hold them over for a while but expressed concern for 2026.

RRPD was happy to make the deliveries, too. Public information officer Capt. Nick Army said the drive went well at all grocery locations in the city.

“The Rio Rancho Police Department was humbled by the generosity of the community throughout this year’s food drive,” Army wrote in an email. “Rio Rancho residents showed tremendous support by donating hundreds of pounds of non-perishable food items to support local families in need.”

He added that the officers were honored to coordinate the drive and see that it got delivered to the pantries.

“Often, we are reminded that public safety is more than responding to calls — it is supporting one another and strengthening the community we serve. Thank you to everyone who contributed in making this year’s food drive such a success,” he wrote.

Both locations saw several volunteers help out with the deliveries, including Sandoval County Board of Commissioners Chair Mike Meek.

St. Felix Pantry reported Nov. 25 that the food drive collected more than 5,000 pounds of goods for them. Storehouse West reported in with nearly 4,000 pounds. That totals to about four and a half tons of goods.