{"id":15380,"date":"2025-12-05T17:25:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T00:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/with-snap-under-threat-again-heres-a-reminder-of-local-food-access\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:46:42","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:46:42","slug":"with-snap-under-threat-again-heres-a-reminder-of-local-food-access","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/with-snap-under-threat-again-heres-a-reminder-of-local-food-access\/","title":{"rendered":"With SNAP under threat again, here\u2019s a reminder of local food access"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Good
Good Samaritan Center-Food Pantry Director of Operations, Justin Novak, explains the layout of canned goods and dry storage inside Good Sam\u2019s Food Pantry in Cortez. (Benjamin Rubin\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Early this week, Trump administration officials warned they may stop sending money for SNAP aid as early as next week to some Democratic-led states, including Colorado.<\/p>\n

The announcement raises the risk of another lapse just weeks after thousands of Montezuma County participants faced a disruption.<\/p>\n

State officials from the Department of Human Services said they have not received formal notice of any funding cutoff from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.<\/p>\n

However, the most recent statement did not guarantee December benefits and said CDHS continues to monitor the situation. The agency encourages SNAP participants to check EBT card balances using the MyCOBenefits mobile app, the ebtEDGE app or portal, or by calling 888-328-2656.<\/p>\n

\"A
A volunteer restocks refrigerated items at the Good Samaritan Center-Food Pantry, commonly known as Good Sam\u2019s Food Pantry, which is located at the \u201cbig pink warehouse\u201d on North and Beech streets. (Benjamin Rubin\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The uncertainty is part of a larger dispute involving pending litigation between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and 21 states, as well as the District of Columbia \u2014 including Colorado. The states and D.C. sued over a federal demand to turn over personal data of SNAP recipients dating back to January 2020. The Trump administration says the information is needed to target what it describes as widespread waste, fraud and abuse in the roughly $100 billion program. States administer SNAP locally, but the bulk of the funding for food comes from the federal government.<\/p>\n

The lawsuit alleges \u201cthe federal government\u2019s unprecedented demands are unlawful\u201d and outside the scope of its authority.<\/p>\n

\"A
A volunteer is near the front entrance of Good Sam\u2019s Food Pantry as the organization readies for visitors. (Benjamin Rubin\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Need rises across the county<\/div>\n

If SNAP is paused, it would carry significant consequences in Montezuma County, where the program is a core part of the food safety net for thousands of households, including seniors, people with disabilities, low-wage workers and residents facing high costs for housing, groceries and medication.<\/p>\n

The program electronically delivers food assistance to more than 600,000 people in Colorado and over 40 million nationwide. In Montezuma County, 4,912 residents receive SNAP benefits; in Dolores County, the number is 271.<\/p>\n

The recent federal government shutdown paused November benefits for two weeks and caused immediate strain. Montezuma County Social Services and local food pantries saw record demand during the lapse, including 180 phone calls to the department in a single day from residents seeking information.<\/p>\n

Montezuma County Social Services Director Kelli Hargraves said in a November interview that the disruption forced families to make difficult choices between buying food and paying rent, utilities, car loans or medications.<\/p>\n

She said that destabilization creates consequences that trickle down, with potential evictions, utility shutoffs, larger health concerns and long-term barriers.<\/p>\n

Food banks and meal programs across the county \u2014 from Good Sam\u2019s Food Pantry to Grace\u2019s Kitchen \u2014 reported the same surge in need.<\/p>\n

\"The
The exterior of Good Sam\u2019s Food Pantry in Cortez displays its operating hours for residents seeking food assistance. (Benjamin Rubin\/The Journal)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>
Here\u2019s how more information on food access and how to get help<\/div>\n

If residents experience a delay in SNAP funding again, Montezuma County has multiple free or low-cost food resources available. A local and regional guide published by Ballantine Communications also lists services across Dolores, San Juan (N.M.) and La Plata counties. To view, visit:<\/p>\n

Montezuma County Cares: https:\/\/www.the-journal.com\/montezuma-county-cares\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 San Juan County: https:\/\/www.tricityrecordnm.com\/san-juan-county-cares\/<\/a><\/p>\n

County food support options in the above guide are listed below. The guide does not yet include the Dolores Family Project, which distributes a community pantry every Tuesday from 6 to 8 p.m. in December at the Dolores Community Center:<\/p>\n

Good Sam\u2019s Food Pantry in Cortez.Evangel Assembly of God in Cortez.Family Worship Center.Mancos FoodShare.ROCK Food Distribution.Dove Creek Care and Share Food Pantry.Rico Pantry.Care and Share Mobile Market in Towaoc.Senior lunches through Meals on Wheels.The Montezuma County Senior Center.Four Corners Food Not Bombs.Hope\u2019s Kitchen at First United Methodist Church (hot meals Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays).Grace\u2019s Kitchen at St. Barnabas (hot meals Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays).Disabled American Veterans food pantry.Dolores County Department of Social Services.<\/div>\n

More information is also available on the county social services website on food assistance, at https:\/\/montezumacounty.org\/social-services\/food-assistance\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

over SNAP escalates between certain states, including Colorado, and Trump officials <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[28,29],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-15380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15380"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19627,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15380\/revisions\/19627"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15380"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=15380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}