COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Last week I interviewed Janna Guardado, a student and stay-at-home mom who was afraid the ongoing government shutdown would affect her ability to feed her kids through the Women, Infants, and Children program.
"Honestly, it'd be a struggle," Guardado said.
Now it's SNAP benefits potentially on the line. Another program Guardado uses to feed her children. I tracked back with her to hear her concerns.
"If it does happen, we're screwed, basically," Guardado said.
A world in which Guardado's seven kids go hungry is suddenly looking very real.
"The younger ones like my 3-year-old, my 5-year-old, they probably wouldn't understand," Guardado said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture hasn't released the funds states use to pay for SNAP benefits because of the government shutdown.
Governor Jared Polis says Colorado will not receive $120 million in November SNAP benefits until the government restores funding.
"That's how we get our food," Guardado said.
A statement from the El Paso County Department of Human Services reads:
"If the shutdown continues past October 31, benefits will only be issued for the month of October, and DHS will continue to accept and process SNAP applications and recertifications. SNAP benefit issuance for the remainder of October remains unchanged. All other DHS programs – including Medicaid – remain active and unaffected."
"If we lose the food stamps, even if it's just for a month, it's food banks and again donating plasma twice a week, um, trying to find odd jobs or some way to feed me and the kids," Guardado said.
Guardado adds she can still utilize food banks, though she worries increased demand will create a food shortage.
"What happens if they run out of the food that they're handing out because there are too many of us?" Guardado said.
If SNAP benefits are halted, approximately 85,000 people in El Paso County will be facing food shortages.
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