“food stamps” | Hunger Free Colorado https://hungerfreecolorado.org Making sure all Coloradans have sustainable access to nutritious, affordable food Fri, 23 Apr 2021 22:57:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 https://hungerfreecolorado.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/pea-150x150.png “food stamps” | Hunger Free Colorado https://hungerfreecolorado.org 32 32 USDA call for comments on food assistance https://hungerfreecolorado.org/usda-call-for-comments-on-food-assistance/ Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 +0000 https://dev.hungerfreecolorado.org/usda-call-for-comments-on-food-assistance/

Right now, Congress and the Trump Administration are working to cut food stamps and to impose new barriers to access nutritious food. Most recently, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has requested comments from the public that make it appear the Administration wants to impose stricter rules on a key public investment and the largest food assistance program in our country, making it harder for Americans who have lost their jobs to access food stamps, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

Not only is the USDA looking at tougher rules for individuals, they are considering the elimination of important flexibilities that counties and states have to ensure federal rules make sense at the local level.  These changes could be costly to local governments while letting Washington call the shots, rather than Colorado.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Tell the Administration that it is unacceptable to cut food assistance for people who have lost their jobs.

Submit your comment online to the USDA; individual comments are most effective, so recruit a friend or neighbor to do the same. A sample comment is provided below, and we encourage you to personalize it. The deadline for submitting comments is 9:59 p.m. MST on Monday, April 9.

Sample copy for comments:
I am writing to oppose stricter time limits to food stamps, federally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). There are already strict rules for people who don’t have children or dependents (able-bodied adults without dependents – ABAWD) to get food assistance through SNAP. We should not make the existing harsh rules even worse by taking away state flexibility or exposing more people to time-limited benefits. Increasing the ability of USDA to deny state waivers for easing SNAP time limits and imposing these strict rules on more individuals will only increase the number of people facing hunger in Colorado and our country.

 

]]> Hunger Free Hotline answers record number of calls https://hungerfreecolorado.org/hunger-free-hotline-answers-record-number-of-calls/ Wed, 18 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000 https://dev.hungerfreecolorado.org/hunger-free-hotline-answers-record-number-of-calls/ Our statewide, food resource hotline is a one-stop shop for families and individuals in need of food assistance. Navigators are able to help Coloradans find food resources in their local neighborhoods, complete food stamp applications, and even provide useful information to those looking to donate or volunteer. All calls are kept confidential.

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!

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