Editor’s note: As of Wednesday, Nov. 5, in response to a court order, the Trump administration planned to use money from an Agriculture Department contingency fund to pay out half of the SNAP benefits people typically receive. “Even if we get immediate guidance, it will unfortunately be delayed while states get the money out,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
This November, hungry families across the Western Slope stood to lose $1.1 million in food benefits as a result of SNAP delays during the government shutdown. In response, the Mountain Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (MCFNS) — a coalition of local hunger relief nonprofits, county human services departments and other state partners — convened on Oct. 29 to both share with the community how lack of benefits will dramatically affect hunger relief efforts and to discuss possible ways to support their operations in the face of adversity.
Hunger relief nonprofit Lift-Up, which is headquartered in Glenwood Springs and operates pantries across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, hosted the MCFNS “Cultivate” event at River Valley Ranch in Carbondale. The event featured MCFNS board members and leaders of other local food organizations educating the public about how SNAP cuts and the government shutdown will affect those who rely on their services, and to call for community collaboration as securing nutritious food becomes more challenging.
That afternoon, the same MCFNS leaders gathered for a media roundtable to answer questions, to discuss their experiences thus far and to consider possible next steps. Leaders of Eagle County Community Foundation, Food Bank of the Rockies, Harvest for Hunger, Lift-Up, Valley Meals and Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield County human services departments all convened for the roundtable. MCFNS is coordinated and convened by the West Mountain Regional Health Alliance (WMRHA), which steered the conversation on Wednesday.
In Garfield County alone, approximately 4,000 individuals utilize SNAP to supplement their diets, totaling $750,000 to $800,000 in monthly benefits. Of those 4,000, half are children. In Eagle County, 1,402 individuals depend on over $270,000 in monthly benefits and in Pitkin County, 302 individuals rely on approximately $66,000 in monthly benefits.
In total, that’s about 5,700 people receiving roughly $1.1 million in grocery money per month — a sum exceeding yearly funding for most nonprofit organizations participating in MCFNS.
Sharon Longhurst-Pritt, director of human services for Garfield County, stated that in the event that the federal budget is passed in November and SNAP benefits are fully restored, it would take approximately seven days for participants to receive their benefits. And, even if that does occur, SNAP participants will need to rely on local nonprofits to put food on the table.
While private grants remain an option for food organizations seeking funding, competition for these grants has increased nationwide as a result of increasing demand. By collaborating through the MCFNS, participating organizations hope to both increase “buying power” for these grants as well as ensure that partnering organizations aren’t stepping on one another’s feet for the same grant funding.
Food Bank of the Rockies outlined a greater need for funding than food donations. Much of their food is sourced directly from agricultural partners, manufacturers and retailers. Food Bank of the Rockies has already experienced a 7% decrease in total food supply as a result of federal and state budget cuts. Eagle Valley Community Foundation, Lift-Up and Harvest for Hunger emphasized their continued need for donations and volunteers.
Lift-Up interim executive director Elyse Hottel and Yulisa Almarez of Eagle Valley Community Foundation both stated that their teams have been busier than ever receiving guests and distributing food in the past few weeks. Almarez stated she had seen lines out the door without reprieve, and emphasized her organization’s need for more volunteers to support their overwhelmed teams as demand continues to increase.
Hottel noted that philanthropic donations have steadily decreased year by year since the COVID-19 pandemic. Simultaneously, other leaders stated that the increasingly dire situation appears to have catalyzed increased donations and relief efforts in the past month, and they are grateful for continued community support.
“I think it’s like a hurricane,” said Gray Warr, executive director of Pitkin County’s Harvest for Hunger. “When a hurricane hits, people step forward.”
WMRHA has assembled the specific needs of each MCFNS partner organization into a handy spreadsheet outlining both who donors can contact and how community members can get involved. This spreadsheet is found with a community call-to-action at www.bit.ly/MCFNS-donate