“All Hands on Deck” Effort Labeled a Major Success with Massive Community Support
Trevor Phipps
As soon as the word got out that many Americans would not be receiving their SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known informally as food stamps) benefits any longer due to the government shutdown, local leaders called for an “All Hands on Deck” approach to grapple with this apparent crisis.
The Teller County commissioners promptly called for a special meeting that involved a slew of local politicians, business representatives and nonprofit leaders.
The idea was to launch a massive community-wide food drive to stock up the local food pantries so that they had more necessary supplies to help at least 3,000 residents (10 percent of the county) regardless of the federal government debacle. Due to the ongoing government impasse, these folks would not be receiving SNAP benefits for November, a development that raised many red flags across the region.
Even though some SNAP recipients could end up receiving certain benefits, Teller County was ready to combat this unprecedented emergency head on. Within two weeks of holding the special meeting, the local food banks saw an influx of donations of cash and food, with amounts that exceeded all expectations.
According to Teller County Commission Chairman Dan Williams, the community came together in a number of ways. On top of donations of perishable foods and cash, the county purchased three cows from the local PBJ Ranch and paid to have them processed, which equates to about 1,000 pounds of ground beef to give away. The county also plans to purchase around 1,000 turkeys and chickens for those who need these food supplies.
As a part of the massive efforts, the county’s first responders and elected officials got together to hold a huge food drive at the Walmart in Woodland Park on Nov. 7. The officials and first responders were out in front of the store handing out pamphlets that informed people of the types of items they needed for the food drive.
According to Tommy Allen, the public information officer for the Teller County Sheriff’s Department, local businesses (including Walmart) contributed to the community effort. “One of the things that Walmart did on Friday (Nov. 7) the big food distribution day was they had a big sale on all of their canned vegetables,” Allen said. “Some of the sales were like 50 percent off. They had specific items that they actually lowered prices on so people could buy them for the food pantries. So, people were buying canned vegetables like crazy and donating them.”
In the end, the results were quite outstanding. At press time, the total results were not finalized, but local officials believe these donations equate to tens of thousands of dollars.
“The response was overwhelming,” said Williams in a social media post after the event. “Walmart reported a 90 percent increase in food sales for that period! Both food and money were collected and will be going directly to our families in need right here in Teller County. We heard the stories, shared hugs, and watched resident after resident give to this effort. I am so very proud of this county, and this is what community looks like. Our elected officials and our first responders from all over Teller County came together today to help with the effort.”
According to Allen, the county received over 5,000 items donated in that one day. He also said they collected thousands of dollars to help with the efforts as well.
Community Efforts Are Just Getting Started
Along with the donations of cash and food during the massive one-day food drive, the county also received a substantial sum of donations after the event. After the Walmart food drive, county leaders also met at the Community Partnership office in Woodland Park.
During the check presentation at Community Partnership, the county received a total of $45,000 in donations from two local organizations. The Ute Pass Saddle Club pitched in $30,000, while the Charis Bible College gave $15,000. Charis also previously donated $10,000 to the Community Cupboard Food Pantry in Woodland Park.
In addition to what was raised in the early part of the effort, Williams said that he expects more funds coming in that will total over $100,000. Williams said the SSR Mining Company’s Cripple Creek-Victor Mine donated $55,000 to the food drive efforts. The El Pomar nonprofit based in Colorado Springs dished out another $40,000 to be used to feed locals in need.
After the Walmart food effort, another drive was held last Friday at City Market in Woodland Park. More massive food drive efforts are planned in the future, regardless of what Uncle Sam does to reopen the federal government.
After the first couple of weeks, officials noted that the Community Partnership building was filled with food. However, since the food gets given away in cycles, the stock the food banks currently have will be donated out soon.
And even without the shutdown, food pantry representatives say that they were already giving out 50 percent more food this year before the shutdown than they did over the same time period last year. Therefore, the extra food over the holiday season is still needed even when the SNAP benefits and suspended pay from the shutdown catches up.
Political Updates on Government Shutdown
The news is slight better on the federal government front regarding the SNAP program benefits and the federal government shutdown, but much national and local angst over this situation still continues.
On Nov. 10, the U.S. Senate passed a funding measure that was expected to set the stage to officially end the government shutdown. The package, which would fund the government through Jan. 30 and provide full-year appropriations for the Departments of Agriculture and Veterans Affairs, and rescind previous efforts to terminate many federal employees, should reopen the government fairly soon. As of press time, President Donald Trump expressed much satisfaction with the deal and is expected to sign the legislation that was heavily discussed by the House, starting on Nov. 12.
But with the current partisan animosity between leaders from both the Republican and Democratic parties, there are no guarantees how long this truce will last. As a result, the chances of another government shutdown are still a definite possibility. Plus, the one issue unresolved is the Affordable Health Care tax credits, affecting an estimated 22 million Americans, which expire next month. A discussion is expected on that issue in December, according to terms of the preliminary agreement.
