COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – With SNAP benefits set to lapse on Saturday, a Colorado Springs woman said she’s doing her part to help anyone who needs it on Halloween night.
While many families were out trick-or-treating on Friday, some went home with more than just candy. Kristjane Fong was handing out snacks, ramen, toys and drinks.
“We wanted to make sure that everybody got something tonight,” Fong said.
The move isn’t new, either. Fong said she’s been doing this for years now.
“Two or three years ago, we thought about what would be kind of a funny, something other than candy that we can get, and ramen was really cheap,” she said.
Fong explained that the tradition began with handing out potatoes and ramen to kids as a sort of joke.
“But it’s just kind of grown as I started to think about everybody else’s needs,” Fong said.
This year, her tradition became especially timely. According to Governor Jared Polis’ office, more than 600,000 Coloradans will not get their November SNAP benefits due to the ongoing government shutdown.
On Friday, two federal judges ordered the Trump administration to fund SNAP through emergency funds. On the state level, Governor Polis announced a change in funding to help food banks; instead of splitting $10 million across three dates in November and December, he announced that the state will issue two $5 million payments in November.
As local governments prepare to meet an increased demand, services like Pikes Peak United Way and Care and Share Food Bank said they are working to help out in any way they can, too.
“It’s those not receiving SNAP benefits, it’s those that are barely able to make ends meet due to other economic factors and whatnot in the community right now,” said Cami Bremer, the president and CEO of Pikes Peak United Way.
As agencies and organizations prepare, Fong said she’s doing what she can right now.
“We’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow,” she said. “If we can do this tonight for the kids, we can get together tomorrow and make sure everybody eats.”
If you need assistance during this shutdown, you can call United Way at 211 or visit their website here.
You can also find resources at Care and Share Food Bank here.
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