SNAP Outreach

SNAP Outreach application assistance photo SNAP Outreach

Do you want to help ensure that families in your community have access to nutritious food?

Would your food pantry, church, synagogue, senior center, agency, or business be a good place to provide SNAP outreach and application assistance?

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is the first line of defense against hunger. It enables eligible households to pay for groceries—literally putting food on the table for more millions of Americans.

Hunger Free Colorado was launched in 2009 to ensure that every Coloradan has access to adequate, nutritious food. As part of our work, we provide training, tools and support to community partners throughout the state, in order to make SNAP more accessible to individuals and families.

Through our SNAP Outreach initiative, we offer:


Interested in SNAP Outreach?

If you would like to get involved, complete and submit our interest form.
fi pdf small SNAP OutreachSNAP Outreach Interest Form


Service provider support:

Hunger Free Colorado staff are readily available to answer your questions regarding SNAP outreach and the application process. We also can provide additional outreach materials if your inventory is low.

Statewide SNAP outreach support is available, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.:

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On-site Application Assistance

Become a SNAP application assistance site and help put food on the table for struggling families and individuals in your community.

Hunger Free Colorado provides the trained and knowledgeable staff, materials and equipment needed to assist your patrons with eligibility screening for all federal nutrition assistance programs as well as completing the online or paper application for SNAP.

This service is free to all interested agencies.

We have partnered with a variety of organizations and companies for SNAP application assistance like Save-a-lot, Mission Hills Church Food Bank, and Adams County Food Distribution.

For more information, contact Amanda Garrard, Food Assistance Program Manager, at (303) 228-7959.

Interested in getting involved?

Please complete and submit our interest form for SNAP application assistance.
fi pdf small SNAP OutreachSNAP Outreach Interest Form

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SNAP Outreach Training Program

Hunger Free Colorado leads partnering organizations in training their staff and volunteers to provide on-site SNAP application assistance. By participating, your organization will be equipped to help people apply for SNAP and alleviate hunger in our state.

What does the training cover?

The education included in the free, comprehensive training, which is led by an experienced Hunger Free Colorado staff member, will prepare your staff and/or volunteers to better assist clients through the application process and answer client questions about several public assistance programs, including SNAP. As you gain firsthand experience conducting SNAP outreach, we will provide you with technical assistance and additional trainings if requested.

In addition to training, we will provide your organization with outreach materials such as fliers and posters to engage potential clients and increase traffic at your application assistance site.

Statewide SNAP outreach support is available, Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. via email and the Hunger Free Hotline at (855) 855-4626.

If you have questions or would like to learn more about SNAP Outreach training, please contact Maryann Long, Food Assistance Program Associate (Lead Trainer), at (303) 228-7947.

Who are some of our current partners and what do they say about our program?

We have trained organizations like Volunteers of America, Colorado AIDS Project, the Office of Governor Hickenlooper, MetroCare Ring and many others. They all have noted our service as invaluable. Read a few testimonials:

The training provided by Hunger Free Colorado enabled our family support specialists to confidently provide information on PEAK resources and teach families how to use it. This training was a critical and much-used aspect of our outreach efforts.
- Karla Maraccini, Office of Governor John W. Hickenlooper

The training was thorough and the presenters explained how to start and proceed through the application very clearly. They answered all of our questions along the way and left ample materials so we could start immediately. Thanks to the training, we’re now able to get low-income families on needed benefits programs as well as received a specialized grant for this specific purpose.
- Ellie Agar, Metro CareRing

 

Tracking SNAP Outreach impact

Participating organizations will need to complete and submit the reporting forms below, which enable us to track the impact of our SNAP Outreach initiative as a whole.

These reports help to the support the possibility of future funding streams for all participating agencies as well as track the impact that our partnerships have on ending hunger in the state. Hunger Free Colorado regularly reports this data to the state, so that similar partnerships or initiatives may be created.

Also, as part of the partnership, partnering organizations are requested to utilize the application assistance program, complete a quarterly report, review updates from Hunger Free Colorado, and recognize that ongoing training and support may be needed.

fi pdf small SNAP OutreachSNAP Outreach Interest Form

fi pdf small SNAP OutreachSNAP Outreach Quarterly Report Form

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Hunger Free Hotline

The Hunger Free Hotline is a multilingual toll-free number that connects people to needed food. It is a free “one-stop” resource that offers geographically-based referrals to both public and private food assistance programs throughout the state. All calls are kept confidential.

Our food assistance navigators provide tailored referrals for federal and charitable food programs from more than 1,200 available resources in the Hunger Free Hotline database. They screen for all federal nutrition assistance programs.

Your organization can be a resource for people at risk of or experiencing hunger.

If involved with any type of food assistance, please consider adding your agency to our database. This is not limited to but could include congregate meal sites, holiday meal sites, mobile feeding sites, Summer Food Service Program sites, SNAP Outreach sites or Meals on Wheels. Applicable information to share for our hotline database includes your service areas, access requirements (if any), populations served, types of food provided, hours of operation, donations accepted at sites and volunteers needed.

For more information about the Hunger Free Hotline, please email Enika Stasko, Hotline Lead Navigator.


Add or update your agency’s information

To become a resource in our database or update your agency’s information for the hotline, please complete and submit this form.

fi pdf small SNAP OutreachHotline Resource Verification Form

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Assistance for County Department of Human Services

Hunger Free Colorado can assist county Department of Human Services with SNAP outreach. Partnerships are tailored to the area and county’s needs.

We can offer support in a variety of ways, including:

  • Developing a volunteer program for on-site assistance at the county office
  • Targeting areas where there’s an increased need for SNAP outreach
  • Training identified community partners to provide SNAP outreach in their counties
  • Providing counties with Hunger Free Colorado collateral for client distribution to ensure that they are screened for all federal nutrition assistance programs for which they may be eligible.


What do current partners say about our service?

Working with Hunger Free Colorado has been a great experience for Denver. With the thousands of customers that come in our doors, their staff has assisted with offering a more individual customer service approach to our clients, which allows for a better experience in our lobby. I truly believe in the mission of Hunger Free Colorado and that the collaboration with our agency has been successful and effective.
- Lisana Rojas, Denver Human Services

We have had a lot of positive feedback about the volunteers and our new lobby management system.
- Tammy Hoffman, Arapahoe County Department of Human Services

If you would like more information about how we can assist your county, contact Amanda Garrard, Food Assistance Program Manager, at (303) 228-7959.