Jefferson County food bank sees steady demand in Colorado following government shutdown and SNAP freeze

Food banks in Colorado say the giving season is over but demand hasn't slowed down. Many in the state were hit hard with increased need in the community last fall amid the government shutdown and SNAP freeze, and fulfilling their mission remains a challenge. That's the case for Jeffco Eats in Jefferson County.

"The need was great even before the SNAP pause. Then, Oh my gosh, the phones were ringing off the hook. People were trying to figure out where to get food," said Trish Day, the executive director of Jeffco Eats.

For more than a decade, Jeffco Eats has been a resource, providing snacks during the school day to students and meals for when classes end.

"When they go home on the weekends, we don't always know where that food is coming from. We want to make sure they have something to tide them over from Friday until Monday," Day said.

In the fall Jefferson County distributed emergency funds that helped Jeffco Eats.

"We were very fortunate," Day said.

But those funds have since run out, and pantries are once again relying on community support to meet what has become a steady demand.

"We need donations. Our budget this year is bigger than it was last year, as far as need goes," Day said.

Russ Kraus has been a volunteer at the food bank for nearly 4 years. On Friday, he and a room full of other volunteers put together care bags to send home with students across more than 40 Jefferson County schools. In just a few hours, volunteers picked up and packed hundreds of pounds of food.

"I feel like I get a lot out of it," Kraus said. "I know we are doing something good. We're not making a lot of noise, but we are doing something."

You can find more information about how you can help by visiting jeffcoeats.org.