(COLORADO SPRINGS) —The Trump administration announced it will partially fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), but the funding is insufficient to cover all 600,000 Coloradans who rely on the program.
SNAP, which costs about $8 billion each month nationwide, is used by approximately one in eight Americans. The partial funding means that many recipients in Colorado will need to find alternative ways to feed their families.
Nate Springer, President & CEO of Care and Share Food Bank, mentioned that the organization is seeing a significant number of people in need of assistance in central and southern Colorado. Care and Share supports 278 partner agency food pantries, which are already experiencing the largest number of people in their history.
State and federal governments are covering some SNAP funding, but state leaders warn it is not enough to last. With the uncertainty surrounding SNAP funding, community organizations like Care and Share Food Bank are stepping up to support those in need.
“Whenever we have something like this happen, it is neat to be in Colorado Springs and across southern Colorado when we see our communities come together and really try to take care of each other,” said Springer.
Many in the region are using online tools to locate local food banks and pantries, although there are concerns about the accuracy and effectiveness of these tools. Cathrine Compitello, CEO of Plentiful App, expressed concerns that online tools might cause more confusion than help, as they show food pantries in a network but not necessarily in the correct geographic area.
The Plentiful App offers a free service to help users find their closest distribution center and make reservations to reduce wait times.
The USDA has not specified when SNAP recipients will receive their funds, warning that it could take weeks or even months for states to distribute reduced benefits.
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