Casa Esperanza, Meals on Wheels, El Camino Real Academy: OH MY!

It’s time for a community service rewind.

As some of you may know, the credit union philosophy is “People Helping People”. We fulfill this philosophy every day through volunteering, fundraising, and donating.  In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we want to recap some of our major community service efforts throughout 2016. We are so thankful for our community and the opportunities we are provided to help out around New Mexico.

Every other Tuesday, a group of U.S. Eagle employees head down to Casa Esperanza to put their cooking skills to the test. Sometimes lasagna is on the menu, other times it’s tacos, or maybe we’ll just host a BBQ! In honor of Thanksgiving, we will be preparing a delicious Thanksgiving meal this week for those residing at Casa Esperanza. Casa Esperanza provides appropriate housing and emotional support for patients and their families who reside temporarily in Albuquerque while the patient receives treatment.

Every Wednesday, Team Eagle delivers delicious meals to local New Mexicans requiring special dietary needs. Meals on Wheels provides us with the opportunity to serve those in need around Albuquerque. Over 500 clients are served, and over 100,000 meals are delivered every year thanks to Meals on Wheels.

 Annually, we have a bake sale in October at all of our branches to raise money for Making Strides Against BreastCancer. Employees donate baked or purchased goods to display in our lobbies. Thanks to our members and employees, we were able to raise $1,526 through our bake sale and have a huge group of employees walk in support of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. 

For our second year in a row, we were able to contribute $1,000 to El Camino Real Academy for their annual Thanksgiving meal provided to their students and their families.  This event provides students and their families with a healthy, fresh, and organic meal to celebrate Thanksgiving. It is an all-day event that everyone looks forward to!

Abrazos Family Support Services hosts an annual holiday dinner for families who may not be able to provide a home-cooked holiday meal. We were able to partner with Abrazos this year by providing a $500 donation to support their dinner. Thanks to Abrazos, the dinner will serve over 65 families and 300 people! Abrazos provides a variety of specialized educational, health, developmental, and parent support services that help families to meet the special needs of their infants, children, and adult family members with disabilities.

This year, our Jr. Board of Directors was able to volunteer at Galloping Grace Youth Ranch for their annual Pumpkin Patch. They stocked pumpkins, organized games, broke down corrals, moved bales of hay, childproofed the maze, and assisted with check-in. Galloping Grace Youth Ranch is a place where kids lead kids while learning how to raise livestock, grow crops, explore the outdoors, and enrich the community.

We are honored to assist organizations around New Mexico through donations, sponsorships, and volunteerism. Thank you to all of these wonderful organizations who ensure the sustainability of our community. Happy Thanksgiving!