🌱 Neighborhood Hosts Food Drive + City Plans Homelessness Initiative

Good morning, everybody! It's Wednesday in Albuquerque and I'm back in your inbox to get you caught up on the most important things happening in town.

But first, today's weather:

Cooler; a p.m. shower or two. High: 46 Low: 29.

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Here are the top three stories today in Albuquerque:

1. An Albuquerque neighborhood known for its Christmas light decorations worked to give back to the community by collecting food items for a local food pantry. Thanks to community support, the food drive was able to surpass its goal of gathering 2,000 pounds of food. (KRQE News 13)
2. Albuquerque is working to develop a new plan that would help people experiencing homelessness get off the streets by connecting them with jobs. The current plan is for the nonprofit organization Heading Home to act as a temp agency to connect unhoused workers with potential local employers. (KOB 4)
3. With temperatures dropping below freezing, local homeless shelters are seeing higher demands. Local shelter Heading Home is close to maximum capacity. The Albuquerque Opportunity Center walled in their parking lot recently to allow those living in their cars a safe place to park and sleep. (KOAT New Mexico)

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Today in Albuquerque:

• 25th Annual River Of Lights At ABQ BioPark Botanical Garden (5:00 PM)
• Open Mic Night With Felix Peralta At Lizard Tail Brewing (7:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• Are you looking for a new home for the new year? Check out this week's roundup of homes for sale in the Albuquerque area, including a couple of three-bedroom, one-bathroom houses, and a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house. (Albuquerque Patch)
• Are you planning to go out on the town for the New Year? The "Take A Ride On Us" program is offering a $10 Uber credit per ride for 1,500 rides between Friday, Dec. 30 and Monday, Jan. 2. The program aims to give people a safe ride home instead of driving under the influence during the holiday. (KRQE News 13)
• This week is the last week for you to visit Winter Wonderland New Mexico! The drive-thru immersive experience is inside EXPO New Mexico, and every ticket sold goes towards supporting a New Mexico child in need. (KRQE News 13)

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Alrighty, you're all caught up for today! I'll see you around.

— Helen Eckhard

About me: Helen Eckhard is a marketing associate at Lightning Media Partners. Outside of work, she enjoys constructing crossword puzzles, knitting, or devising increasingly crafty ways to kill off characters in her mystery novels.