Meets monthly on the third Wednesday of each month at 1 - 2:30 p.m. via Zoom
Next meeting:
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Agenda coming soon!
Past meeting minutes & recordings (2024):
April 17, March 20, January 17
Anyone is welcome to join!
As part of our commitment to equity, all Blueprint meetings and activities are hosted in both English and Spanish, and closed captioning is offered. Compensation is also available to anyone who voluntarily participates and is not representing an organization as a paid employee. View the Blueprint’s stipend guide to learn more.
Interested in joining this workgroup and any of its project teams? Contact Greta Allen, the Blueprint’s Policy Director, to learn more and get added to the member list for calendar invitations.
Meet the Workgroup Team
Staff Liaison:
Greta Allen, Policy Director
Co-chair:
Seeking co-chair(s) for this workgroup! Co-chairs assist the Blueprint staff liaison in forming agendas, taking notes, and ensuring the group’s work remains relevant and helpful. The time commitment includes the monthly meeting, plus a 30-minute planning meeting each month.
Workgroup Vision & Goals
Goal #4: Increase Colorado’s enrollment percentages to be greater than or equal to national averages for the same measures in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children)
Vision (Guiding Star): We are working towards a process for WIC and SNAP in Colorado that is client-centered FOR ALL. The process is easy, responsible, equitable, and stigma-free. Clients, county workers, and other staff are happy people who have smiles on their faces.
Metrics:
Percent of estimated eligible population enrolled in WIC and SNAP
Workgroup Focus Areas (Project Teams)
Cross-Program Alignment:
Goal: Increase enrollment of Medicaid families in WIC and SNAP
Meetings: During WG4 regular meetings
Food Access for the Unhoused (previously called SNAP Advocacy for the Houseless):
Goal: Research and elevate ways that SNAP can be more accessible for those in Colorado who are unhoused, transitioning into housing, or facing instability in their housing.
Lead: Julie Hall of GraceFull Community Cafe
Meetings: Separately on the fourth Thursday of every month from 12 - 1 p.m. on Zoom
Connecting Food & Health in Colorado:
Goal: With partners and advocates across the state, we’re building a diverse, cross-sector coalition to organize around such policy and implementation opportunities in Colorado.
Lead: Greta Allen of the Blueprint and Samantha Fields, community expert
Meetings: Separately on the fourth Monday of every month from 10 a.m. - 12 noon on Zoom
Interested in joining one of these project teams? Contact Greta Allen from the Blueprint to learn more and gain access to their meeting agendas, notes, and calendar invitations.
Key Updates
Supporting food & nutrition in healthcare contracts: The Blueprint and members of its Connecting Food and Health project team advocated for the inclusion of food and nutrition supports as part of the Regional Accountable Entity Contracts for the Accountable Care Collaborative Phase III. Find out more about this and how you can get involved.
Restaurant meals program: The Food Access for the Unhoused project team (previously called SNAP Advocacy for the Houseless) is leading efforts to advocate for the implementation of a restaurant meals program in Colorado, which would allow certain participants of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to use benefits to purchase prepared meals at participating restaurants and better access nutritionally balanced meals. Find out more.
New online tool to help Coloradans: MyFriendBen.org, a new bilingual and mobile-friendly tool, is now available to help Colorado families and individuals estimate eligibility and value of 40-plus public benefits. The Cross-Program Alignment project team provided input during the development of this tool by Gary Community Ventures.
Data dashboard: Access the Blueprint’s data dashboard, which hosts publicly available data in one place. This includes local, state, and national data for poverty, food access, food insecurity, SNAP and WIC participation, child nutrition, and public perception of hunger in Colorado.
Impacts from the end of the Public Health Emergency: The unwinding of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) is impacting some recipients of SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and other public benefit programs offered through state and county departments. For example, updated WIC purchasing options for infant formula went into effect on May 1, 2023.
Protecting SNAP: As part of group decision-making, workgroup members supported the Blueprint joining a growing list of organizations and signing on to the Coalition for Human Needs letter to protect SNAP as part of debt ceiling negotiations in 2023.