New Mexico is a state that's just short of 122K square miles with almost 2.1 million people. Of those, about 155K are veteran's. There are great expanses of space that cause veterans to travel to visit their VA hospital in Albuquerque. Most of those trips are greater that 50 miles one way. New Mexico is also a poor state with the 6th lowest median home income in the country at $46744 in 2017. Veteran's and their families are regularly found sleeping in their cars on the VA property, or even at some American Legion Posts. 10+ years ago, The American Legion Riders of New Mexico got involved by creating their own program Operation Wounded Warrior of New Mexico. Through it, they have been able to do amazing things to support their veteran's.

After helping the Warrior Support Center, Fisher House and Foundation for ten years, in 2016, the NMALR gave a $45,000 donation to the Fisher Foundation in order to start the build of a Fisher House on the VA property in Albuquerque. The ground breaking was November 9, 2018 with an estimated completion of around September 2019. To date, the NMALR has raised and donated $100,000 to get this house built. The selfless acts of the NMALR approximate 600 members from twenty-four chapters around the state are truly amazing and humbling.

In addition to the Fisher House contributions, the NMALR continues to perform acts of kindness to help their fellow veterans on an individual basis. This is done by fixing roofs, building ramps, and repairing plumbing or even moving people that are in a bad place. They also support the Veterans Hospitals, Cemeteries, and Homes. New sheds, bingo systems, or even the act of kindness by laying memorial bricks at the Angel Fire Vietnam Veteran's Memorial and conduct of certified funeral honors at the Santa Fe National Cemetery.

No doubt, the NMALR gives big. But ask any of them and they will humbly tell you, "It's who we are and it's what we do."