VISIONES COLLABORATIVAS COLLABORATIVE VISIONS
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Mission Statement
Collaborative Visions is a 501(c)3 established in 2010, local nonprofit in Mora, NM whose mission is to empower Northern NM communities by providing resources, technical assistance, educational services, and support in obtaining funding to create community resiliency. While Collaborative Visions is a relatively small organization, individuals within the organization, especially on the organizational board, have extensive experience managing large projects and organizations. CV has ready access to individuals qualified in accounting and project management.
About This Cause
Collaborative Visions is a trusted partner in facilitating community development projects in northern New Mexico. Recent projects include; establishment of cooperatives comprised of rural growers, the creation of a local farmers market, and the development of a community investment fund. Collaborative Visions has already been doing a food distribution project targeting vulnerable households. They have been prioritizing assistance to the elderly and impoverished families with young children. Collaborative Visions is well placed to build upon local networks and expand food distribution activities to the most vulnerable households. Collaborative Visions works with some of the most vulnerable, hard to reach community members in Mora County. Since Collaborative Visions food distribution program model involves bringing food to the households, they are able to serve community members who may be reluctant to access recent devasting fire operated services. They are also a trusted member of the community and are able to provide multilingual staff who understand potential differences in cultural beliefs and practices that can affect families and create barriers to engagement. In Mora County, New Mexico, most traditional residents are low income, and many are of Native American or Spanish descent. The population that Collaborative Visions will focus on for this intervention includes those in areas that are difficult to access where households may be living in crowded, impoverished conditions. These households are also more susceptible to negative economic and health impacts due to COVID-19 and recent devasting fire impacts. Providing community members with essential food assistance and linking them with relief and health programs is a crucial step in mitigating the economic impacts of the pandemic and recent devastating effects of fires on the most vulnerable households in the county. Beneficiaries will be selected based on need and whether they are accessing available commodity programs in the county. Collaborative Visions will conduct a G.I.S. mapping exercise to identify vulnerable households that may not be receiving services. To receive Salvation Army Commodity Supplemental Food Program benefits, the client must meet the Income Eligibility Requirement: up to 130% of the Federal poverty guidelines published annually by the Department of Health and Human Services. Children serviced through the program will also be from low-income households. Currently, Collaborative Visions has no paid staff but engages volunteers who have stepped up to mobilize and maintain our services during resent fires and needs identified as well as COVID-19 response activities due to fear of exposure to the virus. Collaborative Visions is partnering with the Salvation Army to implement the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (C.S.F.P.) in Mora County, which provides a box of nutritious food to augment the diet of elderly persons who may be at risk for malnutrition. To compliment the food baskets, Collaborative Visions will utilize grant funding to purchase fresh local produce and dairy from Los De Mora Grower’s Cooperative. Collaborative Visions is currently coordinating their COVID-19 and fire response activities with Mora County, Mora County Sheriff’s Department, Mora County Fire Departments, Mora Independent School District, and other non-profits providing food assistance. Resource Leveraging in identifying any additional resources (funding, personnel, infrastructure, support, etc.). The project will leverage food products that are being donated by the Salvation Army and the Food Depot in Santa Fe as well as other sources. Collaborative Visions will also utilize current grant funding to secure fresh fruits, vegetables, and dairy products to augment other food commodities. Collaborative Visions plans a comprehensive strategy for minimizing potential duplication of the services with a specific niche by focusing on populations not served by other food distribution programs offered in the county. Collaborative Visions is already working with Mora Senior Center, the Mora Independent School District, the First Presbyterian Church, St. Gertrude’s church, Helping Hands, and other organizations distributing monthly commodities. The approach of Collaborative Visions to food distribution differs from the above agencies as CV will bring food baskets to the households themselves without relying solely on a regional hub for pick-up. Therefore, the project targets those who are living in hard-to-reach areas who may not have access to transportation to reach critical services. CV will also coordinate with the county and conduct Geographic Information Service (G.I.S.) mapping to obtain a better understanding of where hard to reach households are located. A major impact of the COVID-19 and fire devastations crisis is underserved populations being disproportionately affected as a result of unequal economic and social conditions. With a population of 4,500 that is more than 80% Latino, Mora County is among the economically poorest in the nation--even prior to the pandemic. Households in Mora, have a median annual income of $26,644, which is less than the median annual income of $61,937 across the entire United States. Mora is also considered a food desert. There are only three grocery options available to residents, including Los De Mora Grower’s Cooperative, the Mora Valley Ranch Supply and Grocery, and a natural foods store. These limited options, combined with a lack of transportation and a largely rural population, creates an environment of food insecurity that has only worsened with the economic and recent fire crisis. . Resource Harvesting. This project is an effort to make best use of community resources, identifying gaps in needed resources, and recruiting like-minded—especially dedicated to rural development—consultants and professionals able to fill those gaps. Area Foundations have already provided some support for Resource Harvesting which enables CV to obtain funding and manage projects not only for CV but for other community development efforts in Mora County. For example, a significant gap was identified in fundraising and project management. CV has retained the services of a local consulting firm to aid in that area. Based in a nearby land-grant village, this consulting firm has a strong history of success, especially in assisting underserved communities for both domestic and international organizations.