Grand County’s Mountain Family Center food pantry weathered the impact of last month’s cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, with a network of local support.

Charitable donations from organizations such as the Grand Foundation, Middle Park Health, local Girl Scouts troops and countless volunteers were welcomed by the pantry, whose shelves eventually ran out of space by mid-November, directors said.

Inside the food pantry’s offices, Director of Hunger Relief and Nutrition Aspen Bias and Executive Director Stacy Starr are already looking beyond the holidays. January and February, they said, are shaping up to be far tougher.

“Food is awesome,” Bias said. “We appreciate those donations. However, we’re running out of space, so if you want to hold off to a food drive in January or February, that’s when we could really use it.”

Community responds to heightened need

This October, Bias and Starr saw 20% more visitors to the food pantry than they did in 2024. That increase was created by a myriad of factors, they said, but was undoubtedly driven by the federal government shutdown, which paused SNAP benefits for 600,000 Colorodans and sent many scrambling for food assistance.

Starr tapped other local organizations for help, knowing the food pantry could not handle the community’s higher demand. As a result, the county came together. 

Mountain Family Center held a record-setting food drive from mid-October to November, bringing in 9,331 food items and $9,721 in cash donations, according to Bias. The Grand Foundation provided funding toward grocery store gift cards for individuals and families who lost their SNAP benefits, and beyond food support, they gave almost $28,000 in rent and mortgage assistance referrals.

“We looked at other community partners and how we can utilize their emergency support systems, and the county,” Starr said. “We, ourselves, don’t have thousands of dollars in an emergency fund for something like this, that people don’t really have control over. This is different.”

The generosity of local partners helped stabilize the issue, but food pantry staff said sustaining that momentum through winter presents a challenge.

The “holiday hangover”

Starr and Bias said they see a pattern that repeats every year: community support skyrockets from November through Christmas, then drops sharply after the “season of giving” ends. 

Many families spend more on gifts, travel and celebrations during the holidays, which leaves budgets tighter once the New Year arrives, Starr said. At the same time, she added, people are often “just burnt out” after weeks of charitable giving and holiday festivities that spotlight generosity.

January and February are the coldest months of the year, and often bring extra costs such as electric and gas bills, while food funds become more sparse. In mountain towns, that utility increase is exacerbated by the cold climate, she said.

“We definitely see that increase, more than you would see in some other communities because that’s not as big of a need elsewhere, and it’s not as big of an expense for families or individuals,” Starr said.

These and other factors make January and February the most financially challenging months for many families in Grand County, making them the food pantry’s busiest time of year.

Looking ahead to 2026

SNAP is now fully funded through September 2026, but long-term effects tied to H.R. 1, known as the “Big, Beautiful Bill” are expected to push roughly 79,000 Coloradans off the program within three years, according to a Nov. 24 issue brief by the Office of the Colorado Child Protection Ombudsman.

Additionally, inflation continues to squeeze budgets; consumer prices are up 3% from last year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Mountain Family Center is encouraging several ways to keep winter support steady:

• Contribute to food drives in January or February
  Businesses, civic groups and clubs can host drives during the pantry’s leanest months.
• Donate cash when possible
  Funds help Mountain Family Center purchase food directly from Food Bank of the Rockies and sustain the gift card program for families who lost SNAP benefits.
• Volunteer after the holidays
  The rush of seasonal volunteering drops dramatically in January; consistent help matters as pantry traffic climbs.
• Share the message
  Being able to show people the impact they’ve already made encourages continued giving, food pantry directors said. We want that momentum to last.”

To Grand County, Mountain Family Center is a resource hub that extends beyond food support, providing social services such as housing, dental, vision, family-oriented and educational resources. Starr and Bias encouraged volunteers to join these additional programs.

“It’s beyond hunger,” Starr said. “It’s bigger than us.”