ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Tens of thousands of Colorado moms and young children rely on Women, Infant and Children (WIC) benefits to put nutritious food on the table, but funding for that program could be suspended if Congress doesn't reach a deal to fund the federal government into October.
Without access to WIC, many Colorado families will feel the strain and likely turning to food pantries already working hard to meet an increased demand.
On the corner of South Shoshone Street in Englewood, box after box is filled with food. They pack up fresh vegetables, even pet food for those in need.
Thai Nguyen, founder and executive director at Kaizen Food Rescue works quickly to get all the groceries ready to go for families.
Just a few feet away, people wait for hours to ensure they won't leave the food distribution empty-handed.
"We had people at 8 p.m., before I'd arrive there were people lining up in the streets in our car line," Nguyen said.
"We got here early.... we were the first here," said Rosario Vizcarra, who waited in line for hours to get food to take home.
With 10-month-old Dylan on her lap, Vizcarra waits patiently for the volunteers at Kaizen to begin passing out boxes of food. She said she's grateful for the help.
"Good, because everything is so expensive and then we have kids," Vizcarra said.
She's not alone.
"We get a lot of folks from all over town within southwest Denver but we predominantly support moms with young children," Nguyen said. “We have folks that are on a daily basis come here very emotional about not being able to provide food for their families. And we try to support them as much as possible because I’ve been in that situation as well and I absolutely understand what they’re going through.”
Aditi Desai, chief marketing officer with Food Bank of the Rockies said food needs in the state are rising.
"At some of our mobile pantry food distributions, we're distributing 40 to 60% more food than we did at the same time last year," Desai said.
But if Congress doesn't pass a spending deal to fund the federal government soon, a shutdown would put WIC benefits at risk for nearly seven million children and mothers nationwide.
"It is an essential benefit for a lot of women and children to ensure that they have the assistance they need and the nutrition they need," Desai said.
That would likely send families to already strained food pantries for help, like those already waiting in Kaizen's distribution line on Tuesday.
"Yeah, it's a ripple effect," Nguyen said.
“It’s really heartbreaking when I go to a food distribution and I see so many families at the food distribution, picking up anything from food to formula to diapers. But it also really makes me grateful that we’re able to show up for the community in times of need," Desai said.
But even if that happens, Desai said they'll be ready to step up and help when they're needed the most.
“If there is a potential government shutdown, food banks like ours, food partners like Kaizen food share will show up for community members in need, whether it’s someone whose WIC benefits might have been disrupted, whether it’s a furloughed community member, we’ll be there to show up to meet the increased need,” Desai said.
Data from Colorado's WIC program shows, more than 120,000 women, infants and children in Colorado enrolled in WIC benefits during the 2023 year. Right now, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reports nearly 90,000 Colorado WIC clients could have their monthly food benefits impacted by a government shutdown.
According to the health department , Colorado WIC or COWIC does have some funding available to both state and local agencies that would allow some services, like program enrollment and breastfeeding support to continue for a limited time.
In the event of a shutdown, the health department reports all COWIC clients would be notified to provide updates as the situation changes.
As of August 2023, more than 20,000 Coloradoans who are pregnant, more than 8,000 Coloradoans who are breastfeeding, and more than 5,000 Coloradoans who are up to six months postpartum and not breastfeeding receive benefits through COWIC. In addition, more than 18,000 infants and more than 50,000 children up to five-years-old receive WIC benefits.
WIC benefits are used to purchase more than $6 million in healthy food authorized grocery stores and farm stands around Colorado every month, according to the health officials.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Politics