For Deloris, a disabled senior, receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits altered her life.
“I was able to afford better nutritional food,” Deloris said. “It financially helped me. It physically helped me. It mentally helped me. It just helped me with everything.”
The power of SNAP extends far beyond improving the lives of the individuals who receive it.
SNAP supplies monthly benefits to qualifying individuals. It comes in the form of a debit card and
can be used to purchase food at places like grocery stores and farmers’ markets.
SNAP remains the most effective anti-hunger program in the United States, according to Feeding America. For every one meal provided by a food bank, SNAP provides 9.
SNAP is also a tool for boosting the economy. In Colorado, the program injects over $486 million annually in wages to thousands of Colorado jobs, including farms, grocery stores, manufacturers and delivery driving, Gov. Jared Polis’ office reported in June 2025. More than 21,000 Colorado grocery stores use SNAP. The program generates almost $70 million in state tax revenue.
In 2025, the Food Bank’s SNAP Outreach assisted with 1,814 SNAP applications.
This provided up to $6.5 million in community economic benefit.
These benefits — both economic and social — are a major part of why the Food Bank for Larimer County incorporates SNAP outreach services into its work, and why Feeding America partners advocate for Congress to strengthen SNAP’s purchasing power.
Deloris is one of many people who received help maintaining her benefits through the Food Bank for Larimer County’s SNAP Outreach.
In her senior housing community, she tells her neighbors to connect with the Food Bank to learn about SNAP and get help applying.
“There are so many issues that people have that they need to have somebody that can at least send them in the right direction and you guys do that,” Deloris said. “I’ve told them, go talk to the team at the Food Bank.”
Just like other government support programs, SNAP is an investment in healthier communities, stronger economies, and brighter futures for people.
Want to learn more? Visit the Food Bank’s SNAP Outreach page.
