DENVER — In a bustling kitchen at Work Options, Denverites chop vegetables, prepare meals, and load trays headed for the city's micro-communities — small housing sites for people experiencing homelessness. But for the 25 students currently enrolled in the nonprofit’s year-round culinary training program, the meals they prepare for others stand in stark contrast to what they can prepare for themselves.
“It’s a really ironic thing that we are providing meals for our folks who are experiencing homelessness,” said Brittany Jones, Work Options’ program and recruitment manager. “But our students… when they leave this place, they have to figure out what they’re going to eat after they leave our program.”
While Work Options provides its adult students with lunch and breakfast during the week, Jones said 100% of students in the program either receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or have applied for them. Those benefits, which help students buy groceries when they’re not eating at Work Options, are currently frozen amid the federal government shutdown.
“A lot of folks already come to us in crisis mode with needs such as mental health, justice involvement, or just wanting to find work so they can provide meals for their families. Now, it just adds an additional toll,” said Jones.
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Student apprentice Kay Krue, 26, knows that feeling firsthand. She came to Work Options after struggling to find a job, impressed by the program’s focus on connecting students with employers in hospitality.
The nonprofit liked her work so much that they hired her on as an apprentice, a paid six-month extension.
Krue said her SNAP application was never finalized before the freeze.
“I’m here cooking food all day… but I don’t have much at home right now — just rice, dressings, and stuff,” she said. “It’s really disappointing and kind of devastating. During the month of Thanksgiving is the absolute worst time to take food away from people that genuinely need it.”
This week, Work Options announced that donors, including the Daniels Fund and the Schlessman Foundation, are stepping into the gap. Each student will receive $290 in grocery gift cards — the average monthly SNAP benefit for an individual household in the program — to carry them until the shutdown is resolved.
“So we’re actually stepping into the gap and saying, ‘Hey, even though the government isn’t providing you with your benefits right now, this is what we can provide until this shutdown is mitigated,’” Jones said.
Krue calls the help “everything.”
“I was genuinely, really, really happy when I heard that,” she said. “Not just for me, but for all of the people in the program who I know firsthand could really, really use the help and the food.”
For everyone involved, the help is about more than meals; it’s ensuring students can keep their focus on the skills that will lead to a better life.
“We can’t focus on finding sustainable employment if we have to deal with what you’re going to eat the next day,” Jones said.
If you would like to donate to support Work Options, click here.
Coloradans in need of food assistance can check out the following resources:
The governor’s office suggested Coloradans call 211 or (866) 760-5489 or visit the 211 Colorado website. There is also a list of resources through the Feeding Colorado website, or by email: info@feedingcolorado.org.
Those looking for the most up-to-date information should click here.
- Denver7 Gives has created a campaign to help Coloradans struggling with food insecurity. Click on the form below and select “Help Fight Food Insecurity“ to donate.
