Emergency SNAP benefits for Coloradans continue through February

Colorado residents who receive SNAP benefits will continue to receive the maximum monthly amount of funds this month, the Colorado Department of Human Services announced last week. 

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is a federal program that provides food assistance benefits to low-income households and is administered by the Food and Energy Assistance Division in the CDHS. 

Colorado has met the criteria needed to request extra funding, and the federal government has approved the emergency, or max, allotment every month since March 2020, according to a statement. 

“This additional monthly benefit is an important tool to help ensure low-income families have access to a healthy diet as we continue to navigate our way through the pandemic,” Teri Chasten, the Colorado SNAP manager, said in the statement. 

The extra assistance provides SNAP recipients with additional money for food, as the emergency allotment ensures that all households who receive SNAP benefits get the maximum amount of money that they can for the size of their household, opposed to only receiving their regularly calculated amount for food. 

SNAP serves over 250,000 households in Colorado and provides more than $87 million in food benefits each month, according to the CDHS. The emergency allotment money is set to be issued directly on EBT cards between Feb. 6 and 11, and SNAP recipients do not need to do anything to receive the extra assistance. 

People in Colorado who do not receive SNAP can apply at their local human services office or call the Hunger Free Colorado hotline at 855-855-4626 or 211. Coloradans can also apply online at the Colorado PEAK website.