Food banks across Colorado are pleading for extra donations this week ahead of an expected Nov. 1 cutoff of food assistance benefits because of the federal government shutdown.
About 600,000 Coloradans are projected to lose their food assistance. In an online post in red text and labeled “Urgent,” the state Department of Human Services said Tuesday that the federal government has not released funds for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, which means Colorado cannot issue about $120 million in food stamps for next month.
The funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is on hold and Colorado will not issue the benefits “until the federal government restores funding,” the post said.
Gov. Jared Polis said Wednesday he is requesting $10 million from the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee to go to food banks from Nov. 1 until mid-December. Polis estimated that the funds — disbursed in $3.3 million increments every two weeks — would enable food banks across the state to purchase as much as $50 million worth of food at retail value.
He also urged Coloradans to donate money to food banks so that they could buy more food to support those losing SNAP benefits and reminded parents to have their children eat free breakfast and lunch at school.
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