The Colorado Joint Budget Committee (JBC) on Thursday approved Gov. Jared Polis’ request to allocate $10 million from the state’s general fund to support Colorado food banks and food pantries as the suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) looms.

Amid the ongoing federal government shutdown, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a directive to suspend SNAP benefits starting Nov. 1. SNAP is funded by the federal government and administered the state, but with the funding being paused, the Colorado Department of Human Services will be unable to issue around $120 million of SNAP benefits in November.

More than 600,000 Coloradans across 330,000 households rely on SNAP benefits for food access. Per the state, 10% of recipients are older residents, 15% are living

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