DENVER — Gov. Polis on Wednesday announced he is requesting millions of dollars in emergency funds to help food banks feed Coloradans who rely on SNAP benefits after state officials said those benefits would not come in November due to the government shutdown.
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps low-income families purchase food and feeds about 600,000 Coloradans each month, half of whom are children. Since last week, however, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had been warning that those funds would dry up if the federal shutdown stretched into the November.
Denver resident Dawn Washington was among those concerned by the looming shut-off, and told Denver7 earlier in the day she has begun to take proactive measures ahead of November.
“They said that the SNAP benefits weren't coming through or going to be delayed. And I was like, ‘Oh my god. So what do I do now? Okay, go to the food bank. Don't spend all your SNAP benefits right now. Go to the food bank, see what you can do,’” said Washington.
Seeing the writing on the wall, the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) announced Tuesday it would pause payments to recipients’ EBT cards next month, and encouraged Coloradans who rely on those benefits to reach out to their local food banks and other community organizations for food assistance.
“We know that more Coloradans will turn to food pantries and food banks without the needed SNAP support that they can spend in their local grocery stores,” Polis said Wednesday, flanked by other state leaders inside the Governor’s Mansion, as he announced his request for $10 million from the Joint Budget Committee to support the increased demand food banks will see in the coming weeks.
Because the $10 million is “certainly not enough” to fill the $120 million gap left by the federal government to support SNAP, Polis said he was also calling on state residents and businesses to help support Coloradans in need by donating through Feeding Colorado.
In addition to helping food banks, Polis said the emergency funds were also going toward extending previously approved funding for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition access program.
The funds, which would be distributed in sums of $3.3 million every two weeks, are expected to last through mid-December, Polis said, but should the government not reopen by the end of the year, “we would have to revisit what else we can do.”
- Denver7 Gives has also created a campaign where you can donate to help Coloradans struggling with food insecurity. Click on the form below and select “Help Fight Food Insecurity“ to donate.
Polis said he has also directed the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to connect families with food resources, even if they have not been connected to a food bank or pantry in the past “to make sure every student has the food needed to grow, learn and thrive.”
In Colorado, 334,590 households (or 614,911 people) rely on SNAP benefits, according to the CDHS. Those numbers aren’t just a statistic, Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera said Wednesday.
“It's parents skipping meals so their kids can eat. It's people being forced to decide whether they pay for prescription drugs or food. It's older Coloradoans trying to stretch their groceries for one more week. It's neighbors and friends who are doing everything right but still finding themselves in an impossible situation,” she said, as she urged Coloradans to help however they can.
Nearly 290,000 people across the Denver metro receive SNAP benefits. In Denver County alone, there are nearly 100,000 SNAP recipients. To view a heat map of how many Coloradans depend on SNAP benefits, click here.
The nearly 67,000 SNAP recipients in Adams County make up 13% of the total for the state, Adams County Commissioner Emma Pinter told Denver7 Wednesday, as she put those numbers into context.
“It's $13 million a month to cover SNAP [in Adams County],” said Pinter, as she expressed concern over the amount of money being requested statewide.
“I so love that the governor is doing this. But $10 million statewide, when our spend monthly in Adams County is $13 million, is really a small fraction,” she said.
Still, Coloradans like Washington say anything helps.
“I'm hoping that this money bolsters the food banks and the farmers markets, and at least give those that are really trying to make it out here a chance to make it, to get through whatever this government shutdown is about, get over it, whatever it is, because it's affecting us,” added Washington.
Over the past week, Denver7 has reported on the efforts by several community organizations that are stepping up to fill the need as the government shutdown continues without end in sight.
Last week, a spokesperson with Food Bank of the Rockies told Denver7 the nonprofit is preparing to step up to fill the need as it faces its own uncertainty.
State
Government shutdown giving already-strained Colorado food banks more uncertainty
In Boulder, officials with Harvest Hope Pantry said they were doing the same despite concerns about funds from The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) going dry.
Coloradans looking for options across the Denver metro as the government shutdown continues into its third week can check out the following resources below:
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.
“We want to do everything we can to help hard working Coloradans get the food they need. We have a role to play to fill the gap created by the closure of the federal government, and so do you,” Polis said. “Let's work together to make sure that no one goes hungry in the state of Colorado during this difficult time.”
Denver7's Adria Iraheta contributed to this report.
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