JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Recipients of Colorado's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could start receiving benefits again as early as Thursday following the end of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.

But even with benefits resuming for the hundreds of thousands of families who depend on them, officials in Jefferson County told Scripps News Denver food insecurity won't disappear overnight.

“It has been an incredibly difficult time for our community. We have families who are struggling, who are concerned about where their next meal will come from," said Lesley Dahlkemper, the chair of the Board of County Commissioners for Jefferson County.

Across the county, 38,000 residents, including 13,000 children, receive SNAP benefits. Dahlkemper said Jeffco has given $25

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