As the month of October and Tackling Hunger Month come to a close, we are reflecting on how our communities come together to raise awareness about food insecurity and the actions we can take to ensure consistent access to healthy, nourishing food.
This Tackling Hunger Month, the need for communities to come together is important now more than ever. As the ongoing government shutdown continues to delay funding for various benefits programs, those relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are now at risk.
The Impact of SNAP in Colorado
More than 600,000 Coloradans rely on SNAP to access and purchase healthy, nutritious food—half of whom are children. According to the Colorado Health Foundation’s 2025 Pulse Poll, 12% of respondents have skipped meals in the last year because they couldn’t afford food, while 25% of respondents reported having to cut back on either food or healthcare to afford Colorado’s cost of living.
The announcement made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that SNAP funding will be suspended as soon as November has had an immediate impact on the hundreds of thousands of households that rely on SNAP, as well as Colorado communities at large. According to the Governor’s Press Release, “Polis-Primavera Administration Takes Action to Help Feed Hardworking Colorado Families Amid Federal SNAP Funding Freeze”, SNAP distributes approximately $120 million in benefits each month, supporting farmers and local grocers, as well as small businesses and rural economies.
To support the sudden influx of visitors at food banks across the state, the Governor’s Office has submitted two requests to the Joint Budget Committee. The first request would allocate $10 million of state funding to food banks and pantries, and the second would extend previously approved funding for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) nutrition access through November.
Fighting Food Insecurity in Our Communities
At Archway, 23.7% of households surveyed in this year’s Community Needs Assessment reported that they could not eat regularly without Archway’s no-cost food programming, while more than half of our residents rely on SNAP. Archway’s no-cost food programming includes weekly, on-site food banks, community meals and the delivery of food boxes. In 2024, Archway’s food banks had 10,214 visits, while we have already had more than 8,600 visits so far in 2025.
In addition to providing on-site food access, our Supportive Services team also supports residents in building the necessary skills to maintain a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Whether our team is organizing trips to the grocery store, hosting on-site cooking classes, or helping at one of our community gardens, our team strives to help our residents build independence and confidence in their day-to-day lives.
How You Can Help
This month, we invite you to join us in tackling hunger across our communities—whether by volunteering your time, donating food, or making a monetary donation. Every action, big or small, helps ensure that Coloradans across the state maintain consistent access to food.
Much of our no-cost food programming at Archway is made possible by partners, from our volunteers who help distribute food, to partners such as Food Bank of the Rockies and Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado who provide access to fresh food.
To help meet the growing demand for food assistance, we ask that you please consider making a donation directly to Archway, or to Feeding Colorado as they continue to serve the five Feeding America food banks across the state.
As the holiday season approaches, we also have a number of ways in which you can help make the holidays special for our residents by ensuring that every resident in our communities feels seen and celebrated.
- You can sponsor a holiday meal by making a monetary donation.
- You can organize a group to purchase and serve a meal to residents.
If you’d like to get involved, please reach out to our Director of Communications and Philanthropy, Georgeanne Barrett, at georgeanneb@https://archwaycommunities.org. Together we can bring warmth, joy and connection to our communities this holiday season as we continue in our mission to combat food insecurity.
