DENVER — Despite the end of the longest federal government shutdown in history, for Coloradans relying on resources like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), it’s still unknown when they will receive their benefits.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis said SNAP benefits should start going on EBT cards as soon as Wednesday. However, the governor is still telling people to still use food banks and food pantries for help.
A food pantry at CU Denver, Milo's Market, plans to continue to accommodate for the increased need on campus since the shutdown started.
"We really hope that the government opens up and that SNAP can be reinstated as quickly as possible, but we do know that that's a process that could take quite a long time," Assistant Director of Health Promotion and Basic Needs at CU Denver Victoria Watson said. "We're hoping that we can continue these resources, just as they are to both help students who had lost their SNAP benefits in the month of November really be able to have continued resources, as well as those that are just experiencing food insecurity."
She said they saw about 1,000 students at the beginning of the shutdown and said in the last week, they saw about 400 students, averaging about 100 students a day.
“We imagine, based off of how busy it's been up here this week, that that's just going up and up each week,” Watson said. "When we open at 12:00, we usually have a line of around 40 students waiting every day, Monday through Thursday."
Elliot Plummer a ‘Loving Lynx’ grad student who helps out with the pantry and also uses it to provide for his family, said, “We want students to succeed. And because this is happening, students are forced to students are forced to have to think about other like living expenses, when in reality, their job right now should be just to be a student”.
He said knowing that the pantry can provide for so many students is good, but seeing the need on campus is disheartening.
“Students here at CU Denver rely on this so heavily,” Plummer said. "We want students to succeed. And because this is happening, students are forced to students are forced to have to think about other like living expenses, when in reality, their job right now should be just to be a student."
And for college students, Watson said sometimes they are left out of conversations like these.
"In general, college students experience food insecurity at higher rates," Watson said. “We also have done studies here that confirm that that is true for CU Denver students as well."
The pantry has been around for a couple years, but they've been enhancing their resources during this shutdown.
This week alone, Milo's Market is having pop-up pantry sites across campus with food bags, essential non-perishable items, hygiene products and prepared meals.
The food pantry is are expanding their hours to make sure students have enough time to get to the pantry between classes and work.
