Food Bank for Larimer County to require proof of county address due to increased demand

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• Starting July 1st, Food Bank for Larimer County will only serve residents of Larimer County.
• The food bank anticipates increased demand due to potential cuts in federal assistance programs.

The Food Bank for Larimer County will only serve people who live in Larimer County starting this summer.

The food bank has seen a steady increase in people coming from outside of Larimer County to shop, especially in the past year, and operations director Josh Greene said they hope this change will “position ourselves to best continue to serve the people in Larimer County.”

Starting May 27, the food bank stopped accepting new clients who live outside of Larimer County. Current clients who live outside of Larimer County can continue to utilize Food Bank for Larimer County through June 30.

Effective July 1, all clients — new and current — will complete a client review at intake to verify they have a Larimer County address, according to the food bank website. People will be asked to provide a photo ID and a piece of mail with their name and current address dated within the last six months. This could be a utility bill, a lease or mortgage statement, vehicle registration or any mail addressed to you from a company (even if it’s junk or promotional).

People experiencing homelessness will still need to present a photo ID and can use any of the following to verify they live in Larimer County: a shelter address, reasonable verification of living arrangements (staying in their car or with friends or family) or school documentation (if applicable).

Greene said about 20% of Food Bank for Larimer County’s clients come from outside of Larimer County, and there’s a few reasons staff has anecdotally heard why people are traveling to the Food Bank for Larimer County.

While there are many food banks throughout Colorado, the hours of operation vary widely. Food Bank for Larimer County’s pantries in Fort Collins and Loveland are open five days a week, including Saturday, which may be more convenient for clients living outside the county, Greene said.

Food Bank for Larimer County has also worked hard to make sure it has Spanish-speaking staff and volunteers, Greene said, which could also be a reason people come from outside Larimer County to utilize its services.

Some people may live closer to a Larimer County food pantry location even if they technically live in Weld or Boulder county, Greene said. Others may live in another county but work in Larimer County, so it’s more convenient to stop by a Larimer County food pantry.

Regardless of the reason, Greene said the food bank staff and volunteers are dedicated to helping clients living outside of Larimer County who will no longer be allowed to utilize Food Bank for Larimer County identify services that will be the best for them. Food bank clients who don’t live in Larimer County can use the agency’s Food Finder Map to locate services in their area.

“As we were making this decision, it was very, very important to us that we’re not preventing people from accessing food,” Greene said, but directing people to more convenient and sustainable resources closer to where they live.

This change comes at a time where the “landscape of food insecurity is changing” and is in some ways uncertain, Greene said. Groceries are expensive, job security for many is in flux and social programs that support people who are food insecure are facing federal funding cuts.

COVID-era expansions of social programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, were “an interesting experiment in what happens when government takes a larger role in helping to take care of people’s basic needs,” Greene said. During that time, Greene said, the food bank saw a dip in people utilizing its services.

“We saw a directly correlated increase in need go up as a result when those COVID-era benefits went away,” Greene said.

Now, with possible cuts to SNAP and other federal programs looming, Greene said they have the same expectation that need will increase.

Greene said this change will hopefully result in shorter lines and quicker shopping for clients and allow the food bank to continue to sustainably support the people in Larimer County.

“Hopefully this creates a little bit of breathing room and allows our resources to go a little bit further,” Greene said.