This bill would slash billions in food assistance over the next decade, jeopardizing the health and well-being of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans, and millions across the country. These cuts come at a time when food insecurity remains high, and far too many people are still struggling to make ends meet.

The bill creates sweeping structural changes to SNAP that would impose significant costs onto states. For a state like Colorado, which already operates under a chronically constrained budget, this cost-shifting threatens the very foundation of a program designed to be universally accessible to those who qualify. It breaks the longstanding federal commitment that SNAP will be there for anyone in need who qualifies for the program. 

The proposal erects new barriers to access by cruelly expanding work requirements and limiting state flexibility. These changes disproportionately harm older adults, caregivers, and workers navigating unstable employment, effectively penalizing people for circumstances often beyond their control.  Moreover, the bill would artificially limit future updates to benefit levels, ignoring the reality of rising food costs and locking families into inadequate support.

These cuts are not about fiscal responsibility—they are about disinvestment from families and communities, while making room for tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. SNAP is more than a basic needs support: it is a powerful engine for public health, child development, economic growth, and local commerce. In Colorado alone, SNAP benefits support over 3,000 retailers and drive dollars directly into our communities.

By undermining SNAP, this bill threatens to increase hunger, hurt local economies, strain health care systems, and widen inequality. It moves us backward at a time when we should be building toward a more resilient and equitable future.

Hunger Free Colorado strongly opposes this legislation and any policy that punishes people for experiencing economic hardship. We call on Congress to reject these dangerous cuts. We remain steadfast in our commitment to defending SNAP and fighting for a future where no Coloradan has to wonder where their next meal will come from. We will continue to stand alongside communities most impacted and advocate for solutions rooted in dignity, equity, and compassion.

During the 2022 Legislative Session, Hunger Free Colorado will advocate for policies that strengthen an equitable food system and ensure all Coloradans can access the nutrition they need in their communities. While we will be supporting our partners as they work on legislation to address Coloradans’ basic needs and well-being through cash assistance, housing reform, and more, our main focus this session will be on three key anti-hunger policies:

1. Create a Path to Healthy School Meals for All Colorado Children

Children need nutritious food to focus in school, stay healthy and support their well-being. Currently, all schools are temporarily able to provide school meals to any child who needs them as part of COVID-19 federal aid. Colorado should make this temporary option permanent and help thousands of children access the food they need learn, grow and thrive every day at school. Investing in healthy school meals for all is an investment in strengthening communities, reducing administrative costs, eliminating lunch debt, removing shame and stigma from the lunchroom, freeing up resources for schools and staff and supporting student well-being. Want to join us to pass and fund a community-informed policy to create school meals for all children in Colorado public schools? Sign up to join our coalition!

2. Extend the Food Pantry Assistance Grant Program for five years

The Food Pantry Assistance Grant Program has provided a lifeline to food pantries, food banks, and Colorado producers throughout the pandemic. The grants go to direct emergency food providers like food pantries and food banks to allow them to purchase products from local producers. Furthermore, up to 20 percent of the grants can be used by pantries to invest in other needs including fridges and transportation. These funds help pantries provide foods that their communities most want and need but that can be hard for these operations to supply, like fresh produce, dairy, and proteins. Hunger Free Colorado is working with a coalition of food pantries, food banks, growers, and food systems navigators to extend and strengthen this program for another five years. The proposed legislation this session will extend the program for five years using federal and state funds and support local procurement through technical assistance and better aligning grant cycles with the growing season. This will help Colorado community-based organizations to continue their response to the historic hunger crisis caused by COVID-19, while also fostering relationships between food pantries and local agriculture for years to come, fueling health for Colorado families relying on pantries for nutrition, and supporting a more equitable food system. Join the Food Pantry Assistance Grant Legislation coalition and sign onto the bill fact sheet by filling out this form!

3. Sustainably Fund the SNAP Outreach Program in the state budget

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides grocery EBT benefits to low-income households and serves as the first line of defense against hunger for many families facing financial crisis. Colorado’s SNAP Outreach Program works with more than 50 community-based organizations to connect eligible households to food assistance, provide education and information on SNAP, and assist with enrollment. This is crucial, as about 40 percent of low-income Coloradans do not access the program due to barriers to enrollment that outreach can help mitigate. SNAP outreach also makes good financial sense. What the state invests in SNAP outreach services is matched dollar for dollar by the federal government. SNAP outreach also fuels economic recovery as families connected to SNAP receive federal money for food that they quickly spend in their local communities. By our estimates, in Federal Fiscal Year 2020 every state dollar invested in SNAP outreach brought $14 to Colorado families in the form of federal food benefits to help purchase groceries, with an economic stimulus impact of $21! We must fund SNAP outreach in the state budget at $1.5 million to continue the important support the program provides as COVID-19 continues to disproportionately impact low-income families and communities of color. This increase of $500,000 will maintain current funding levels since the program has experienced a recent loss of private dollars. Complete this form to add your organization as a supporter of the SNAP Outreach funding request!

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You can help us pass these crucial policies! Sign up for our email advocacy list for legislative updates and to learn when there are opportunities to weigh in on these and other policies that impact Coloradans facing hunger.

The current administration has created a social infrastructure framework that ensures that working families are supported and protected in this country. This bill includes a robust set of provisions that bring us towards an equitable future:

• Helps schools fund free meals for all students, giving students fuel to learn
• Extends the child tax credit, which has helped families with children throughout the pandemic
• Provides housing vouchers for people who are at risk or experiencing homelessness
• Closes Medicaid coverage gaps, allowing more people to access healthcare

While the House of Representatives passed legislation, our Senate has not yet voted on the bill. This stall in movement leaves many communities in the country without support. With new variants of the COVID-19 virus emerging, this pandemic is far from over. We must continue to invest in our community and provide them with resources so they can thrive. A robust social infrastructure bill that includes essential nutrition provisions is the vital next step in ensuring that our families are supported in the new year and beyond.

Send the message to your senator today!

How can we spread holiday blessings? How can we help fight hunger so that others in our community can celebrate without worry? Here are 5 ways to make an impact:

1. Do a fundraiser at work or with friends and family
Fundraisers accomplish two things. First, of course, raising money. Second, you help raise awareness among the people you know. Starting small with people you know personally is often the best way to begin creating change.

What are some ideas? Some people have done dog walks, yard sales, and even biked across the state, asking people to sponsor them. You can also set up a Facebook Fundraiser or GoFundMe and let people know that in lieu of presents, you want to work together to raise money to end hunger.

2. Reach out to your local community organization and see what they need – maybe its donations, maybe its volunteering
Your local community organization has been working on the ground the entire year and know what needs exist. Check them out on social media (and like/follow them!) or on their website. They might already share what they’re looking for online. If not, send them a quick email or message asking them what they need.

3. Spread the word on social media
Use your social media for good! You never know who in your life may be experiencing hunger, and sharing your support plus tangible resources could make a huge impact. Below are some ideas that you can copy/paste to your social media to let people know that you want to help end hunger and share the resources to do it.

Sample Facebook Posts:

I want to help end hunger. Hunger can affect anyone, and help is available. People can find resources to get food at HungerFreeColorado.org/find-food/ or by calling the @hungerfreecolorado Food Resource Hotline at 855-855-4626 (statewide and toll-free, in 150+ languages).

I used to experience hunger myself, and I want people to know that I support them. People can find food resources at HungerFreeColorado.org/find-food/ or by calling the @hungerfreecolorado Food Resource Hotline at 855-855-4626 (statewide and toll-free, in 150+ languages).

There are so many resources in Colorado to help find food. Find some near you at HungerFreeColorado.org/find-food/ or call the @hungerfreecolorado Food Resource Hotline at 855-855-4626 (statewide and toll-free, in 150+ languages).

4. Donate
Of course, donating makes a huge impacts. Reach out to your local community organization and make a donation so they can better serve your community through the year. If you’d like to donate to Hunger Free Colorado and their community-driven work, you can donate here.

5. Advocate
Advocating for policy change is one way we create long-term change. We’re working towards a future when all Coloradans have access to healthy food. This can’t happen without people like you sharing your voice – voting, contacting your elected officials and signing letters of support. If you want to stay connected and learn what policies are impacting hunger in our state and how to take action, sign up for action alerts here.

BONUS: Keep the relationship after the new year.
Oftentimes, there are many volunteers and donations during the holidays (which is awesome!) Sadly, that may be the only time during the year people take action. If we want to make long-term change, it’s important to stay connected throughout the year. The easiest ways are to like/follow your local community organizations on social media and sign up for their email lists. Also consider volunteering, donating, or attending their various events throughout the year.

This summer I had the opportunity to work with Hunger Free Colorado and Young Invincibles as a Community College Fellow, assisting with policy development and designing outreach tools aimed at increasing SNAP access on college campuses across Colorado. SNAP, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, is an income-based program that provides funds to purchase groceries and address hunger, also known as food insecurity. As the fall semester gets underway and college students are back in class, it is important to educate ourselves about the importance of addressing food insecurity on college campuses.

As a former community college student, I have seen and experienced first hand the struggles and barriers students can face. Food insecurity being one of them. When students lack the funds for adequate or nutritious food, it can act as a barrier to success, preventing students from performing their best. Food insecurity impacts too many of our population and can affect communities all over the world. Specifically, on community college campuses, a lot is at stake for college students. Allow me to paint this reality. School is expensive; you have an application fee, school supplies, textbooks, and tuition, not to mention living expenses. Some students might be supporting themselves with no additional financial support, which can leave them in a vulnerable financial position and at risk of food insecurity. Food is a bare necessity, but today, so is a college education.

I now attend Metropolitan State University (MSU) in Denver. I applaud MSU for being among the first four Hunger Free Campuses in the state. This designation was launched this year by the Colorado Department of Higher Education as a statewide initiative to address food insecurity on Colorado’s college campuses. The Hunger Free Campus Checklist provides institutions with a menu of programs for addressing hunger on campus, including running campus food pantries, hosting awareness events, collecting and reporting on student food insecurity data, and conducting SNAP education and outreach, among others. I have seen the difference it makes to attend school at an institution that has student hunger on their radar. In addition to knowing I have access to food resources on campus, attending a Hunger Free Campus lets me know as a student that I am supported by my University on a personal level. This allows me to prioritize my responsibilities as a student without additional stressors.

As students, parents, teachers and community members, we must work to ensure the well-being of students who are on the path to paving their future. By doing so, we as a collective are investing in the future of our community and our world at large. I have seen the positive impacts on my life of attending a Hunger Free Campus and I call on other Colorado colleges and universities to implement the Hunger Free Campus Checklist in their academic community. Students deserve to have their basic needs met so they can prioritize their school work and achieve their highest potential.

Amelia started her higher education at the Community College of Denver and is now a sophomore studying political science at Metropolitan State University.

Learn more about the Hunger Free Campus Checklist: https://cdhe.colorado.gov/social-determinants-of-student-success

Q: What made you want to join the Hunger Free Colorado Team?
Karla: Food justice and sovereignty is a basic human right issue. For too long we haven’t questioned the systems that pushed into the margins the communities we are serving. Charity doesn’t equal justice. I joined the team in hopes to continue the hard work of liberation for our communities, and that requires constant inquiry about the systems that had created extreme poverty for systemically vulnerable communities within the richest country in the world. As Lila Watson said, “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up to mine, then let us work together.”

Q: What is your vision for the Organizing and Community Partnerships Department?
Karla: My vision is simple:, to develop a thoughtful, intentional infrastructure within HFC that brings to the center of the conversation the lived experiences of community members whose voices were not part of the solutions to end hunger.

Q: Why is community-driven work so important?
Karla: The knowledge, wisdom, experiences, and the realities that our communities face have been constantly excluded from the conversations of potential solutions to drive change. Grasstop solutions have mostly replicated the same systems of oppression that have created the economic gaps and inequities that had brought our communities food insecurity. A first step in the conversation of food justice is to value the expertise, knowledge, and experiences that our communities have. Long standing solutions happen when the voices of impacted communities are centered in the conversations, not the voices of those who have no way to relate to the experiences of community members affected by the inequities and injustices brought by the very systems that have left our communities behind.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
Karla: Prior to a recent life changing accident, I enjoyed hiking, backpacking, camping, and just being outside in nature. As I recover from the accident, I have found ways to keep myself centered and grounded through meditation, breathing, and journaling. Now that my puppy is at home with me during my recovery, she is bringing an incredible amount of joy during these times and I am occupying a lot of my free time by cuddling with her.

Welcome Karla, we look forward to the changes your new position will bring to Hunger Free Colorado! If you would like to learn more about Karla and our Organizing and Community Partnerships Department, please don’t hesitate to reach out at karla@hungerfreecolorado.org!