As the federal government nears its first full month of shutdown — the second longest in American history — food aid funding has landed in the crosshairs.
Beginning Nov. 1, 335 people in 235 households across Pitkin County will be unable to receive benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, according to a press release, unless the federal government approves temporary funding. SNAP (formally known as the Food Stamp Program) funds food purchasing for low-income individuals, with roughly 41.7 million people nationally relying on the program per month, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s 2024 average monthly statistics.
“This is unprecedented,” said Pitkin County Human Services Director Lindsay Maisch, who leads the department that distributes food-purchasing funds to county residents in need.
Maisch said she has never encountered a situation like this in her nearly four-year tenure as director of Human Services, nor had her predecessor, Nan Sundeen, who held the position for 30 years. The SNAP pause would be the first in the program’s history.
Pitkin County distributes approximately $66,000 per month in SNAP funding to county recipients, the press release states. If there is no federal shift by Nov. 1, the county will issue temporary grocery gift cards — as soon as Nov. 5 — to those enrolled in SNAP, with the amounts based on households’ typical monthly SNAP benefits.
According to the Colorado Department of Human Services, those eligible for SNAP benefits must have an income less than 200% of the federal poverty level. The SNAP income limit for a household of one is $2,610 per month — $31,320 per year. The income limit for a household of four is $5,360 per month — $64,320 per year.
To obtain a gift card from the county, SNAP members must go to the Schultz Health and Human Services building, 0405 Castle Creek Road in Aspen, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The department can be reached at 970-920-5235.
Recipients must present identification and sign an agreement to only use the cards for “SNAP-eligible groceries,” the press release states. Maisch said the county is going to purchase $5,000 of grocery gift cards the first week of distribution — starting small to gauge the demand.
“We’re just going to take it a week at a time in small amounts,” she said, adding that the county could pivot to increase grocery funds if demand increases.
The county is also helping fund the local food pantry, Harvest for Hunger, which is asking for approximately $4,500 per month in additional funds to account for an increase in expected food demand, according to Harvest for Hunger Founder and Executive Director Gray Warr.