We are in this for the long run, but right now we are taking a moment to honor the incredible achievements we accomplished this year in the state legislature – and the fact that we did this TOGETHER!

There were many important issues up for consideration this session, but we focused our attention on three key priorities aimed at addressing food insecurity:

1. 1. Food Pantry Grant Assistance Program: We are thrilled to share that just this week, House Bill 1364 passed, so this important program will be funded next year at $3 million. We had asked for an extension of five years to allow for more long-term stability for this critical initiative. This does mean we will need to come back next year, but it also means that emergency food providers and farmers can continue to build partnerships to purchase and provide meat, dairy and fresh produce to people in our communities.
   2. SNAP Outreach: The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides nutrition benefits to low-income households and serves as the first line of defense against hunger for many families facing financial crisis. According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Services (FNS), about 40% of low-income Coloradans do not access the program. SNAP Outreach helps to close this gap, and to ensure more Coloradans in need receive the benefits they are entitled to. We sought an increase of $500,000 to maintain current funding levels, since the program has experienced a recent loss of private dollars. We were not able to get the additional funding this year. Temporary measures will ensure SNAP Outreach continues to be funded at near the current  level for FFY 2022-23, but cuts will occur in FFY 2023-24 without additional funds. We will need to go back next year to ensure this does not happen. For now, we are glad that this important outreach will continue, so Coloradans will continue to be able to utilize SNAP to meet the needs of their families.
   3. Healthy School Meals for All: THIS IS THE BIG NEWS WE ARE SO EXCITED TO SHARE! 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, but it is expiring on June 30th. Hunger Free Colorado and our partners set the lofty goal of moving legislation to find a more stable and long-term source of funding – and we did it! House Bill 1414 passed earlier this week.

This means that voters will now have the opportunity to approve a ballot question in the fall to secure stable, long-term funding for healthy school meals, support the ability of schools to purchase healthy and local foods, and increase wages for the workers who prepare and serve meals. The funding for this critical program will be provided by limiting state income tax deductions for the state’s highest earners, people making more than $300,000 a year.

This program would begin to fund meals in the 2023-2024 school year, so we also sought approval of one-time funding for next year.  This was not approved, but we will continue to find other avenues in collaboration with our partners to continue to get kids what they need to be healthy, to learn and to thrive. We should not allow any child to go hungry while they are trying to learn. We must come together to get this ballot measure passed and make this program permanent in our state! 

We are grateful to everyone who shared their story and provided testimony, to the advocates and partners who helped to educate and build support, to anyone who made calls or sent emails, and of course to the lawmakers who championed and voted for our priority policies.

We are excited to ramp up to pass Healthy School Meals for All through the ballot in November and to continue to work with our partners, with lawmakers and with YOU to find innovative and strategic ways to end hunger. Together, we are making a difference – and we will continue to do so! Thank you for being in this with us!

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.

For example, imagine a household consisting of one older adult or person with a disability. Their monthly income is $1200 from Social Security, they are responsible for utility payments, and they pay monthly rent of $700. Without claiming any medical deductions, this household would qualify for about $79 per month in SNAP benefits.

However, if this household showed that they have more than $35 per month in medical expenses and received the Standard Medical Expense Deduction, their monthly benefit amount would be increased to about $153 per month. That’s $888 in additional food assistance benefits per year.

This change will improve access to healthy food for Coloradans struggling to make ends meet. We applaud the Colorado Department of Human Services and Board of Human Services for taking this important step to address hunger among people with disabilities and older Coloradans.

If you are interested in learning more about whether you are eligible for SNAP benefits, please call the Food Resource Hotline at 855-855-4626. You may also obtain an estimate of your monthly SNAP benefit amount at www.gapmap.org/calculator.

– Anya Rose, Hunger Free Colorado & Jack Regenbogen, Colorado Center on Law and Policy

Learn more about Hunger Free Colorado and our work at HungerFreeColorado.org.

A new policy will go into effect March 15 that will help older adults and people living with disabilities access additional benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP).

In Colorado, households that include a person with a disability or an older adult can deduct their medical expenses from their income when applying for food stamps, federally known as SNAP, raising their monthly benefit amount. One of the eligible expenses are those related to medical transportation such as mileage, public transit fare and tolls.

Previously, mileage reimbursement in Colorado was calculated at the IRS medical rate of 20 cents per mile. The new policy will change reimbursement to the IRS commercial rate of 58 cents per mile. This rule change was developed by the Colorado Center on Law and Policy and Hunger Free Colorado. It was advanced by the Colorado Department of Human Services and ratified by the Colorado Board of Human Services.

If an older adult or person with a disability has medical expenses that average at least $35 per month, they qualify for the Standard Medical Expense Deduction (SMED) of $165 which can increase their benefit amount. SNAP clients can keep receipts, copay statements and other documentation of their medical expenses to qualify for this deduction.

The medical mileage expense is self-reported and can be calculated based on the frequency and location of their medical and pharmaceutical visits. Individuals with medical expenses of more than $200 per month can have the total cost deducted to receive more than the standard $165 medical deduction.

For those whose only medical expense is mileage, this change is the difference between having to drive 60 miles per month to qualify for the standard deduction versus 175 miles previously.

For example, imagine a household consisting of one older adult or person with a disability. Their monthly income is $1200 from Social Security, they are responsible for utility payments, and they pay monthly rent of $700. Without claiming any medical deductions, this household would qualify for about $79 per month in SNAP benefits.

However, if this household showed that they have more than $35 per month in medical expenses and received the Standard Medical Expense Deduction, their monthly benefit amount would be increased to about $153 per month. That’s $888 in additional food assistance benefits per year.

This change will improve access to healthy food for Coloradans struggling to make ends meet. We applaud the Colorado Department of Human Services and Board of Human Services for taking this important step to address hunger among people with disabilities and older Coloradans.

If you are interested in learning more about whether you are eligible for SNAP benefits, please call the Food Resource Hotline at 855-855-4626. You may also obtain an estimate of your monthly SNAP benefit amount at www.gapmap.org/calculator.

– Anya Rose, Hunger Free Colorado & Jack Regenbogen, Colorado Center on Law and Policy

Learn more about Hunger Free Colorado and our work at HungerFreeColorado.org.

In the last six months, the Hunger Free Hotline has fielded 4,738 calls, which is 1,200 more calls than this time last year. Additionally, through ongoing partnerships with local hospitals and clinics, doctors have referred more than 2,200 people to Hunger Free Colorado who may not always know when or where they will get their next meal.

Thanks to our great team of Food Assistance Navigators and many partners for connecting Coloradans to the fuel needed to thrive!