Schools, senior centers & farmers honored for promoting New Mexico-grown food
SANTA FE – The New Mexico Grown Coalition and partners will honor 136 schools, preschools, senior centers and food producers for their investment in locally grown food at a Golden Chile Awards ceremony Oct. 19 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque.
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) joins representatives from the Departments of Aging and Long-Term Services, Agriculture, the Office of Indian Elder Affairs, Early Childhood Education & Care and Public Education as well as the New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association and Farm to Table New Mexico to celebrate award recipients.
A member of the New Mexico Grown Coalition, the New Mexico Department of Health’s (NMDOH) Office of Nutrition and Physical Activity works with state and local organizations to expand healthy eating and physical activity opportunities, including supporting local food production, through its Healthy Kids Healthy Communities Program.
“We’re always happy to see more New Mexico Grown participants each year connecting children and seniors to fresh, local food,” said Rita Condon, director of NMDOH’s Office of Nutrition and Physical Activity. “Congratulations to the awardees for work that enriches the health of our communities and vitality of our food producers.”
The state invested about $3.3 million into the New Mexico Grown Coalition this past fiscal year. The coalition, a network of state agencies, nonprofit organizations and community-based groups, established the Golden Chile Awards Program in 2021 with four recognition tiers – Seed, Sprout, Blossom and Golden Chile – to honor all levels of food service providers’ involvement in NM Grown programming.
The 2026 Golden Chile Awardees are:
Golden Chile (mature and fruitful program):
Christina Kent Early Childhood Center
La Vida Felicidad Inc. Early Learning Center
Love The Children Learning Center
New Mexico Early Learning Academy
Western Heights Learning Center
Bernalillo Public Schools
Elida Municipal Schools
Las Cruces Public Schools
Rio Rancho Public Schools
Roswell Independent School District
Blanco and Lower Valley Senior Centers
City of Albuquerque – Department of Senior Affairs
Campos Senior Center
Blossom (program reaching maturity):
Catholic Charities
East Gate Kids Early Learning Center
ECHO Aztec Preschool
Future Generations
Kids Campus at SFCC
Kingdom Builders Preschool and Daycare
Southwest Child Care Early Learning Center
Albuquerque Public Schools
Bloomfield Schools
Clovis Municipal Schools
Dexter Consolidated Schools
Farmington Municipal Schools
Gadsden Independent School District
J. Paul Taylor Academy
Los Alamos Public Schools
Portales Schools
Santa Fe Public Schools
Santa Rosa Consolidated Schools
Adelante Development Center, Inc.
Aztec Senior Center
City of Las Cruces Senior Services
Las Cumbres Community Services Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Program
Santa Fe County Senior Services
K’awaika Senior Center
Pueblo of San Felipe Elderly Services Program
Pueblo of Isleta Elder Center
Santa Clara Senior Center
Santo Domingo Pueblo Senior Center
Sprout (program growing strong):
Caritas Felices Center
Children In Need of Services
Cuidando Los Ninos
Farmington Preschool
Little Flower Learning Center
Aztec Municipal School District
Belen Consolidated Schools
Cobre Consolidated School District
Cuba Independent Schools
Floyd Municipal Schools
Gallup McKinley County Schools
Hagerman Municipal Schools
Hobbs Municipal School
Las Vegas City Schools
Los Lunas Schools
Melrose Municipal Schools
Moriarty Edgewood School District
Mountainair Public Schools
Pecos Independent School District
Pojoaque Valley Schools
Turquoise Trail Charter School
Bernalillo County Senior Services
Bloomfield Senior Center
City of Las Vegas Senior Program
City of Socorro Senior Center/Veguita Senior Center
Des Moines Senior Center
Guadalupe County Senior Center
Magdalena Senior Center
Meals on Wheels NM
Rio Arriba County Senior Programs
Sacramento Mountains Senior Services
Sandoval County Senior Program
Taos Pueblo Lillian Romero Senior Center
Zia Pueblo Senior Center
Seed (program has potential):
La Esperanza Child Development Center
Central Consolidated School District
Mescalero Apache School
Taos Municipal Schools
Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization
Puerto de Luna Senior Center
Pueblo de Cochiti Elderly Center
Approved Supplier 2026 awardees:
A&M Meat Processing
Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network
Alkaline Fields Farm
Backyard Farms
Bamboo Farms
Bill King Ranch
Bluffs Farm
C4 Enterprises
Carruth Cattle
Desert Verde Farm
E.W. Farms
Edgars Farm
Enchanted Farms Mushrooms
Farm of Song
Fertile Ground Farm LLC
Foote Family Meats
Frontier Food Hub
Full Circle Mushrooms
Gathings Gardens
Graves Farm & Garden
Growing Opportunities, Inc.
High Country Meats
Indian Pueblo Entrepreneur Complex
Khalsa Family Farms
La Montanita Co-op
La Semilla Food Center
Little Colorado Meats
M.A. & Sons
MTA Farms
NACA Inspired Schools Network Indigenous Farm Hub
Nacimiento Natural Products
Nelson Farm
New Mexico Beef
Nichols Ranch and Orchards
NM LA Beef LLC
Ogallala Commons/My Foodshed
Prickly Pear Foods
Rail Yards Market
Rancho de Santa Fe
Red Doc Farm
Reunity Resources
Roots Farm
San Juan College Harvest Food Hub
Silver Leaf Farms
Sungreen Living Foods
Sweet Mercy Farms
The Veggie Shack
Trilogy Beef
Twin Rivers Farm | The DJS Estate
USA Beef Packing
Valencia Flour Mill
Wagner Farms
Williams Family Farm
Zamin Greens
For more information, visit the New Mexico Grown website.
Media Contact
We would be happy to provide additional information about this press release. Simply contact David Morgan at 575-528-5197 (Office) or 575-649-0754 (Mobile) with your questions.