Colorado’s families are facing hunger at rates we have not seen in decades. These rates have risen due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our economy and health.
Over the past year, our surveys of Coloradans have shown hunger is at three times the level it was before the pandemic. It is even worse for people of color and parents with children at home.
We know families are struggling to cover their basic needs, so we’re advocating to our legislature and Governor to put communities most impacted by COVID-19 and its economic fallout first. Our priorities below will help more families access the healthy food they need to thrive. We hope you will join us.
Our priorities:
Increase state funding for SNAP Outreach
Increasing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) outreach funding to $1 million (from $500,000 that was funded last year) will help organizations reach and enroll more Coloradans who qualify for this essential program. SNAP often serves as a first line of defense against hunger, but only about 60 percent of Coloradans with limited incomes are enrolled. This funding can help more eligible Coloradans get the SNAP they are eligible for and purchase the healthy food they choose. This helps our local economy as SNAP recipients spend their benefits at local retailers. The proposed budget does currently contain this funding and we believe we are on the way to this important investment being funded!
Colorado Food Pantry Assistance Grant Program
This year, we are advocating for another round of funding for the Colorado Food Pantry Assistance Grant Program. The program was created to strengthen our local food systems through grants to food banks and food pantries to buy healthy food from local producers. Through the pandemic, the program has been funded at $5.6 million and has helped meet the high demand for emergency food resources caused by the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic fallout. Over 180 pantries in more than 50 counties participated in the program over the last year. We are strongly advocating for a funding commitment of $10 million by our legislature over two years. This funding will continue to help our emergency food providers respond to high need and help our local food producers. To support this request you can email your legislator here.
COVID-19 Relief Dollars
Congress passed legislation, the American Rescue Plan, that included billions of dollars for Colorado state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to help speed up the economic recovery. Hunger Free Colorado has joined anti-hunger and food systems advocates in asking our Governor and legislature to fund programs that address our continuing hunger crisis. This letter outlines COVID-19 relief funding needs that our coalition identified for fighting hunger and supporting food systems.
Continuation of Necessary Document Program (SB21-018)
This program helps low-income Coloradans obtain Colorado driver’s licenses and other essential identification documents necessary to gain access to essential services. These include health care, housing, employment, banking services, travel, and other public benefits.
Agricultural Worker’s Rights (SB21-087)
This bill guarantees agricultural workers in Colorado a minimum wage, overtime pay, meal breaks, numerous other workplace protections, and the right to unionize. This directly addresses the root causes of poverty among agricultural workers and immigrants that sustain our local economies and food systems. Click here to learn more about the bill. To support this important bill, please sign this petition!
Legislation to support immigrant families’ rights:
- Remove barriers for immigrants to attaining certain public services and benefits, including business and professional licenses. One of the exciting benefits of this policy change is that it would allow immigrants to access childcare licensing. This will help our state have more approved childcare providers, ensure children’s safety with trained and approved environments, and allow these providers to participate in child nutrition programs to provide healthy food to the low-income children they care for (SB21-199).
- Protect immigrant data kept by the state government from being used for inhumane deportation purposes that put people’s lives at risk (SB21-131).
- Help more immigrants access legal resources when facing deportation proceedings.
Without access to a lawyer, immigrants facing deportation, including children, confront an unjust system alone. Having legal representation dramatically increases their ability to successfully navigate a difficult legal immigration process, be released on bond, win their cases, and remain united with their families. and This helps maintain family economic stability and access to the healthy food they need to thrive (HB21-1194).
These policies will help our state through this hard time and continue our work to meet the hunger needs of our state.