Chili for Troops
Uniqueness defines who Del Rio Wildcats are and Barbara (Winn) Mangum, Class of 1959 exemplifies this definition.
Barbara, besides being an entrepreneur also strongly believes in supporting our Military in combat zones with “A taste of home.”
Barbara owns a small New Mexico Specialty Foods Company called Mangum Enterprises http://www.chilicrop.com/ that she started in 1989, through which ‘Chili for Troops’ was hatched in 2005. “The reason for the two spellings of “Chili-Chile”? Because there is always an argument on how it is spelled, the best decision was to use both. But no matter how you spell it, it’s the taste that counts!” Barbara started Chili for Troops http://www.chili-chilefortroops.com/ from her home in Jemez Springs, NM. Their first box of NM Specialty Foods was sent in March 2006 to overseas troops. In December of 2009 the ‘Troops Project’ reached the 1,000 mark of troops who have received NM Specialty Foods.
Barbara states: “New Mexico Specialty Foods are sent to the whole unit, rather than individuals. We gather names and APO addresses and the number of troops in the unit and then as we get the foods gathered up, we send it on to the whole unit. This way we are able to share a taste of home with more of our military personnel in combat zones.”
“The foods we send come from donations, orders on the website and we also operate a “New Mexico Country Store” at the State Fair in Albuquerque in September and a New Mexico Specialty Foods Showcase during the Christmas season. At both store locations we have information for our customers about the ‘Troops Project’. Customers may purchase products and put them in the ‘Troops Box’ or they can give a cash donation. The response at both of these locations has been very good in the past and this is how we have been able to send products to over 1,000 of our military personnel.”
“We would never have achieved the 1,000 mark and future growth without the kindness and continuing generosity of the American People. We appreciate it, but more so our Military appreciates it as is evident on our website under ‘Responses from our Troops’. We do not expect the troops to be able to send us a response, but when they do…….it gives me goose bumps.”
“The most gratifying thing about this whole endeavor since we have been sending these boxes is the wonderful surprises we have encountered when we are at a Food Show here in New Mexico and a member of the military has come up to us and said, "Thank you for what you are doing, I got some of the "goodies" while I was overseas." Needless to say, we tell them it is us who thank them. Along with the thanks there is always a big hug (from both of us).”
“Mangum Enterprises adds enough individual packages of green chili powder to each box sent so that every person in the unit can have a "chili fix" while they are far away from home.”
“Our motto: Pay it forward! We want to support our troops in this small way and would like more people to know about this project so we can continue to send "a taste of home" to the troops. If you have any questions or would like more information on giving a donation please contact us at [email protected]”
Barbara and her family moved from Texas to New Mexico in 1972. In 1988, after years of doing handcrafted items to sell at Arts & Craft shows, she decided to experiment with some chili peanut brittle, by adding both red and green chili powder. The brittle was a hit at all the shows she went to and in 1989 Bloomingdales had a one-month promotion of “New Mexico Blooms in New York”. Any New Mexico company could take a sample of their food product to select locations in New Mexico, where representatives from Bloomingdales would pick the products to be represented in the promotion. Mangum Enterprises, while a very small company, was chosen as having the best chili peanut brittle in the state. This promotion only lasted one month, but Barbara still gets comments about her peanut brittle being in Bloomingdales, twenty one years later.
Over the years over 60 products have been added to the Mangum Enterprises food line. Barbara enjoys coming up with new and unusual recipes with the added “kick” of New Mexico chili. For more information on these products go to www.chilicrop.com . This was the “start” of Mangum Enterprises. Most products in this food line are low in sodium, vegetarian, low fat AND great tasting! From this website you can link to Mangum Enterprises other sites, featuring Chile Jams, New Mexico Wine Jelly, BBQ sauces and many more great tasting food products, all made in small batches to retain the “homemade taste” so important in good foods.
Even though Barbara no longer lives in Texas, she holds onto her “roots”. Since she decided to stop counting birthdays at the age of 59 and up until then she had lived half her life in Texas and half in New Mexico, she figures she is a true “TEX-MEX”.
There is no greater joy on earth than enjoying life with family and friends, and Barbara is doing both in the beautiful Jemez Mountains, 50 miles northwest of Albuquerque. PAY IT FORWARD!!