'DARK MOMENT': FEDERAL BUDGET CUTS CRIPPLE COLORADO'S FOOD BANKS

By Colorado Newsline

Fueled by the rising cost of living and cuts to federal benefits, food assistance programs from around the Denver metro area have seen growing demand and an influx of new, first-time families in need of support this year.

Leaders with local food pantries and other nutritional aid groups highlighted the need for expanded funding for federal benefits like the Emergency Food Assistance Program and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as well as broader reforms to make it more effective for the people it benefits, at a roundtable Wednesday hosted by U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet at the Food Bank of the Rockies. 

In the last year, about 40,000 Coloradans have lost access to SNAP benefits amid changes to program requirements, according to Ron Meehan, government relations manager for Feeding Colorado. Food pantries have seen growing demand as costs for regular families tightened, increasing the number of people who need their services on top of the low-income families who already relied on them. 

“This has been a dark moment for our network in terms of need and in terms of significant cuts to a lot of these federal programs,” Meehan said. “At the same time, I think we have a real opportunity moving forward to not just undo damage, but really work together to improve programs and strengthen them more than where they were.”

The Adams County Emergency Food Bank has seen 3,400 new people come through its doors since January, executive director Steph Wayne said. People have started to treat food banks, which are meant to be supplemental, as their primary grocery stores, asking for personal and healthcare products they don’t have the capacity to provide, she said. 

LINK