[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 11, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E131]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RECOGNIZING TERRI JUDAH

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GABE VASQUEZ

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 11, 2026

  Mr. VASQUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Terri Judah for 
her outstanding contributions to Carlsbad, New Mexico. Terri is a 
community leader who has devoted her time and effort to feeding New 
Mexico's families and working for New Mexico's children for over two 
decades.
  Terri gets a profound sense of joy from helping those in need and has 
organized an annual Thanksgiving food drive for over twenty years. The 
food drive started two decades ago when Terri partnered with her 
daughters' Girl Scout troop to create 19 food baskets to deliver to 
families in need. Driven by Terri's enthusiasm and hard work, the food 
drive blossomed over time to include help from hundreds of volunteers 
in the community, including Girl Scout troops, sports teams, students, 
and local businesses. The Thanksgiving food drive now feeds hundreds of 
families each year and fed over 300 families last year.
  The continued success of this food drive requires extensive 
dedication, compassion, and community support. In the weeks and months 
leading up to Thanksgiving, Terri starts setting up donation sites 
throughout town, storing donations, and coordinating volunteers to 
assemble baskets and deliveries. The entire community truly rallies 
around Terri and steps up to ensure families will not go hungry in the 
holiday season.
  Terri also created Operation Hope--a project where she collects and 
restores used items such as furniture, clothes, and toys, to give to 
any family that reaches out for assistance. Terri began this effort 
when she learned that one of her former students was living hand to 
mouth, and she decided she could not sit idly by. She jumped into 
action, collecting items that could help her student's family live a 
little more comfortably and continues to offer support to any family 
that asks for help.
  Above all her impactful work, Terri is a proud wife, mom, grandma, 
and friend to all. She has also taught kindergarten in Carlsbad Public 
Schools for the past twenty-five years. She is a beloved teacher, and 
her students are forever known as ``Judah's Jaguars''. She truly does 
it all.
  On behalf of the people of New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, I 
would like to thank Terri for her commitment to helping those less 
fortunate and ensuring her neighbors are fed during the holiday season. 
She exemplifies the best that New Mexico has to offer, and we are 
extremely proud of her incredible work.

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