Emergency Meals and Outreach Kits Support Taos’ Unhoused Community

In the winter of 2026, the NEST emergency shelter operated 24/7 for 3 weeks during a Code Blue cold-weather emergency, with funding and staffing in place to cover operations. However, unhoused individuals using the expanded shelter services lacked access to daily meals, while those remaining unsheltered needed basic outreach supplies to navigate the cold safely.

To address these immediate needs, staff from DreamTree Project and Resilience Emergency Management developed a solution and reached out to LOR during an urgent meeting on the Code Blue state of emergency. Their idea? Provide daily meals to shelter residents and assemble outreach kits for distribution to individuals not accessing shelter services.

With support from LOR, DreamTree Project will coordinate with local caterers to provide breakfast and lunch for 30-45 unhoused individuals daily during the three-week emergency period, complementing volunteer-provided dinners to ensure three meals per day. LOR’s funding will also support the purchase of components for outreach kits—including sleeping bags, backpacks, hand warmers, and blankets—to be distributed year-round by fire, EMS, law enforcement, and outreach teams. This time-sensitive response will improve access to basic needs during a critical emergency period while establishing an ongoing resource to reach unhoused individuals throughout Taos County.