Denver officials urge citizens to help during SNAP suspension

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(The Center Square) - Denver officials on Thursday launched a task force to inform citizens on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and food access as the federal government shutdown continues and benefits are set to pause this weekend.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the SNAP program, won’t issue the benefits until Congress passes federal funding and reopens the government, which has been closed since Oct. 1.

According to Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, 100,000 residents are at the risk of losing access to SNAP benefits when they are suspended starting on Saturday.

“If you want to support our community, the best thing you could do is you can give money, you can give food, or you can give your time,” he said at the launch of what he dubbed the Denver Food Assistance Task Force.

Johnston recommended donating money to The Denver Foundation or Food Bank of the Rockies. He also said each city council district will have a location at a recreation center where nonperishable foods can be dropped off. 

For residents concerned about their access to food, Johnston said the city’s website on food resources has up-to-date information on pantries and other resources.

Johnston said SNAP recipients should continue to submit their applications for the benefits despite their pause.

“This food crisis is something that we have seen before during COVID,” said Councilman Darrell Watson, who added his family depended on SNAP benefits when he was growing up. “We have stood together before, and we will be successful within this task force collaborating to ensure that Denverites receive the food and the support that they need.” 

According to Gov. Jared Polis’s office, the state administers SNAP benefits to 600,000 Coloradans in 330,000 households, with $120 million distributed monthly.

Polis and other Democratic governors this week sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to take action to stop disruptions to the benefits.

“Rather than allow millions of Americans to go hungry next month, we demand that USDA immediately release the multi-year contingency SNAP funding and supplement any shortfall by utilizing its interchange transfer authority to ensure full SNAP benefits are provided to the 42 million American who rely on them next month,” the letter read.

The governor’s office also recently requested lawmakers approve $10 million in funding for food banks and pantries, The Center Square previously reported.

As Johnston talked about SNAP Thursday in Denver, California Attorney General Rob Bonta did likewise during a visit to a Los Angeles food bank. Bonta discussed the lawsuit that he and 22 other attorneys general and three governors filed Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They're demanding contingency money be used to continue SNAP benefits. Colorado is among the states filing the suit.