‘We don’t want Coloradans to go hungry’: with SNAP benefits set to run out, Gov. Polis announces new food bank funding

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) - Colorado leaders have announced new support for those who rely on the federal government for food assistance as the ongoing shutdown reaches into its fourth week.

On Wednesday, Governor Jared Polis announced his office submitted two requests to the Joint Budget Committee: one to consider approval for up to $10 million in General Fund revenue to support food banks and pantries, and another to extend previously approved funding for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition access through November. WIC supports food access for nearly 100,000 women and children in Colorado.

“Coloradans take care of one another, and we’re stepping up to make sure hardworking families can continue putting food on the table while federal funding is on hold,” Polis said in a statement.

“Access to nutritious food is fundamental to good health. Our administration is working to ensure that every Coloradan has the resources they need to stay healthy and thrive, no matter what’s happening in Washington,” Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera said.

This comes after the USDA announced on October 10 that if the shutdown continued, there won’t be money to pay for full November benefits for those enrolled in the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, or SNAP.

According to the state, 614,911 people in Colorado rely on SNAP benefits. Of those, they said 50 percent are kids, 15 percent are disabled, and 10 percent are elderly.

Care and Share Food Bank CEO Nate Springer said SNAP is a vital program for those who depend on it.

“For every meal that we put out at Care and Share, the SNAP program does nine for families, so it’s the nation’s primary nutrition program,” he said.

On Wednesday, Polis visited Care and Share in Colorado Springs where he shed more light on his plan to help the state’s five food banks.

“We’re sending $10 million over the next month and a half; it’s $3 million next week that can be immediately used to buy food,” he said.

Springer said the first payment is set to go out on November 1, with the other two scheduled for November 15 and December 1. He said Care and Share will get about 23 percent of the funds, or roughly $760,000 per payment. He said he’s grateful for the extra resources.

“If our food pantries were here right now, they would tell you that they’re already seeing the largest number of people they’ve ever seen in their history, and this would be another large surge that would overwhelm them,” Springer said. “We’d really be in trouble if the state didn’t step up right now.”

Polis said he’s also looking for Colorado citizens to step up for their neighbors by donating to local food banks. He said monetary donations go a lot further than donations of food.

“If you can donate $5 or $50 or $100, whatever you can afford, that will help match what the state is doing and make sure that kids are not going hungry here in the year 2025 in the great state of Colorado,” he said.

If you want to donate you can do so here.