November opens warm as anticipated. Monday is cloudy, otherwise lots of sunshine throughout the week and double-digit temperatures overnight. Election day is Tuesday. Here’s more to get the week started:
1. Food lines …
Annalise Baer is anticipating a particularly crazy Monday. It’s the day Thanksgiving basket sign-ups open at La Puente’s Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley, and it is the beginning of a period when families and individuals who rely on monthly SNAP benefits have no money on their EBT cards to spend. Federal judges have ordered the Trump Administration to use federal contingency reserves to fund the nation’s nutrition program for the most vulnerable Americans. In the Valley, that’s 10,867 individuals or 23 percent of the population. “I never thought it would come to this. This is the first time in American history the government isn’t paying out the SNAP program,” says Nate Springer, CEO of Care and Share, the Feeding America affiliate that delivers to food banks in 29 counties around southern Colorado. “We anticipate Monday is going to be a particularly crazy day,” says Baer.
2. … and food drives
The students at Alamosa Elementary collected 778 pounds of food during the school’s annual Halloween Food Drive to benefit the Food Bank Network. If you’re motivated to support the local food banks, the Food Bank Network of the San Luis Valley accepts food donations from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at its food bank located at 802 State Ave. in Alamosa. Items accepted include dried beans, canned low-sodium veggies, nut butters, frozen meat, among other food commodities. Financial contributions to the Food Bank Network can be made here. Other organizations are looking to contribute as well. DJ Salazar, who runs SLV Community Solutions, is thinking of the Valley’s population of veterans during this period of suspended SNAP benefits and the coming holiday season. He is partnering with the Community Foundation of the San Luis Valley to bring holiday meals to local families.
3. Historical designation for La Jara Buddhist Temple
On Poplar Street in La Jara sits an unmarked building that now serves as residential units, but once was the worship home for the Valley’s community of Japanese Americans. The La Jara Buddhist Temple was built in 1936 and began serving as the place of Buddhist worship and community gatherings for Japanese Americans who had migrated to work in the Valley’s agricultural fields. “During WWII, the doors and windows to the temple were shuttered due to Executive Order 9066, which had prevented Japanese Americans from meeting,” according to the application for historical designation submitted to History Colorado. The building has been placed on the State Register of Historic Places as part of the Colorado Heritage for All initiative by History Colorado. The La Jara Buddhist Temple joins the Alamosa Spanish Cemetery as new historical sites in time for Colorado’s 150 year of statehood celebration in 2026.
4. Our documentary: Japanese Americans in the San Luis Valley
If you want to learn more about the history of Japanese settlers in the San Luis Valley, we invite you to watch this 12 minute documentary with Bessie ‘Miyeko’ Konishi. Through her narration we get a deeper look into the history of Japanese Americans in the San Luis Valley. As we’ve learned, history in the San Luis Valley is never farther than your own back yard.
5. The Valley Pod: Carlos Sandoval
The Valley is home to an amazing number of acclaimed artists but none more so than the great muralist and painter Carlos Sandoval. He lives in San Pedro, an enclave to the town of San Luis. We had occasion to travel into San Luis recently to photograph Sandoval for a 2026 project we are working on. While he sat for a portrait, we asked him to tell his story as an artist and stitched the conversation together for Episode 271 of The Valley Pod.
6. Send us your photos
This time of year, the Citizen is reminded how generous the universe has been to us. We live in a beautiful place, full of good people. So we are asking our readers to take turns around the virtual Thanksgiving table and share – in a photo – what they are grateful for about life here in the Valley. Snap a photo of your favorite place, something or someone you love. Even when times are tough, it’s good to be thankful.
DEADLINE for entries is Monday, Nov. 24, at noon.
We will post the best submissions on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Upload your picture and why you’re thankful with THIS LINK.
Or, email your photo with a description HERE.
7. Year-end giving
Since we launched in August 2021, AlamosaCitizen.com has been free for all to read with no paywall because we believe you deserve access to locally-owned, independent information that keeps you connected with our community. We also believe that we produce reporting that you won’t get anywhere else.
Alamosa Citizen is 100 percent locally owned, with all decisions made in Alamosa, not in a corporate office away from the San Luis Valley. Our investors are you, our paid digital subscribers and our community advertisers.
If you’re already a member, we thank you. We’ve set a goal to sign up 100 new members by the end of the year. Give now and your donation will help us unlock a $1,000 match from the Colorado Media Project.
It’s been our mission to keep the San Luis Valley informed and engaged. Thanks for trusting us to do that.
8. From the Sports Page
Alamosa High sophomore Ethan Merrick finished runner-up in his bid for the Class 3A state cross country title held Saturday at the Norris Penrose Arena in Colorado Springs. Merrick ran at the front of the pack throughout the 5,000-meter race and held off Joel Davis of Lamar to finish second. Max Miller of The Vanguard School won the state title. Alamosa High was fourth in the boys’ team standings and sixth in the girls’ team standings.
. .Monte Vista freshman Shae Romero finished third overall in the Girls Class 2A cross country championship race behind winner Natasha Hessler of Ridgway High and Emma Lukens of Heritage Christian Academy. . .Del Norte freshman Scarlett Maxwell finished eighth in the Class 2A girls race. Del Norte qualified both its girls and boys teams, which finished 7th in the girls state team standings and 5th in the boys competition. Mads Kreutzer was the Tigers’ top boy finisher in 18th place individually.
The annual Spud Bowl game is Saturday when Adams State plays Black Hills State University of South Dakota. For the Grizzlies, there couldn’t be a better time to snap a 26-game losing streak that stretches back to the 2023 football season.