DENVER (June 10, 2020) – Legislation to help food pantries with grants to purchase Colorado produce, meat, and dairy, has been introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives. House Bill 20-1422, sponsored by Representatives Daneya Esgar, Lisa Cutter, and Julie McCluskie, and Senators Dominick Moreno, Bob Rankin, and Rachel Zenzinger, will allow Colorado to use federal funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through the federal CARES Act. The bill provides $500,000 in funding for the Food Pantry Assistance Grant program, which has already helped hundreds of Colorado food pantries and food banks work with local farmers and producers to provide food to their communities.
HB20-1422 will ensure the Colorado Food Pantry Assistance Grant program continues to help respond to growing food insecurity in Colorado due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to recent polling by Healthier Colorado, nearly one in three Colorado families report they are worried about the costs of food, compared to one in eleven prior to the pandemic.
“I thought that the legislature was right on in creating this grant. It’s exactly what we need. We don’t want those ranchers to end up having to come through our doors for assistance. We want them to thrive and then we want our clients to get what they need and want,” said a local food pantry director.
“Coloradans have come together to support each other through this pandemic. Dedicated funding will help us continue this work and make sure those on the front lines, our food pantries and food banks, have more resources to address the hunger crisis in our state,” said Marc Jacobson, CEO of Hunger Free Colorado.
These grants will help respond to growing hunger but are also an important investment in Colorado producers. Small farmers and producers are struggling with the loss of their local food markets and typical sales outlets, like restaurants. This bill will support our farmers by providing revenue to continue their work to feed our communities and address rising hunger in our state.
“This grant allows farmers to get a fair price for the items that they are growing and still help to feed their community, the people that they really want to be serving with what they grow,” said a participating Colorado producer.
House Bill 20-1422, to fund the Food Pantry Assistance Grant program, will help the state recover, by responding to food insecurity and putting dollars back into our local economies.
Media Contact: Ellie Agar, Director of Communications, (720) 464-3620