COLORADO (KOAA) — Food banks across the state are feeling a strain because of the shutdown. They say they are seeing a surge in demand because furloughed federal employees are coming to them for help.
Wednesday, United States Senator Michael Bennet held a roundtable with local food banks to discuss the need.
Officials with a food bank in Silverthorne say they're already seeing the impacts on families.
"I know that we have lots of families that are feeding their kids and they're going without (food), or they're watering things down," said Brianne Snow with the Family and Intercultural Resource Center. "...We have one person that told us, we're... not eating, we're just not eating meals anymore."
The state set aside $7.5 million in emergency funding in September to ensure families relying on food assistance, including SNAP benefits, would not lose support at least through October.
If the shutdown stretches into November, SNAP benefits could run out of funding, meaning even more demand for Colorado food banks.
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