Food Assistance When There is an Emergency
You and your family may be able to receive emergency food assistance when there is an unanticipated school closure, an extreme weather event (flood, fire, hurricane, tornado, earthquake), a natural disaster, or other similar situation in your community. When a disaster strikes, the USDA supplies food to disaster relief organizations for mass feeding or household distribution. State programs such as Colorado's Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) may offer special food programs for both existing clients and those recently affected by the emergency.
Where can I find food?
If emergency shelters are set up, all children ages 0–18 may receive up to three free meals each day at an emergency shelter. An appropriate facility may include a school or institution that provides meals to displaced families.
Check for these resources in the event of an emergency:
- Provides resources for food assistance, food banks and other food options.
- Available during the school year during an unanticipated school closure.
- May serve children ages 0-18.
- Available outside of the school year in a disaster situation.
- May serve children ages 0-18.
- Available at schools and emergency shelters providing temporary housing to displaced families.
- May serve meals and snacks during unanticipated school closures.
- May serve children 0-18 and disabled adult participants.
- Serves pregnant, breastfeeding and postpartum women and children birth to 5 years.
- Provides eligible families with free food purchased at participating stores.
Eligibility
- Eligibility for WIC is determined at WIC Clinics across the state.
- To find a Colorado WIC clinic near you, use the Colorado WIC Clinic map on the Colorado WIC website.
- Children homeless from a disaster may receive free meal benefits under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
- Children in families receiving D-SNAP are categorically eligible for free meal benefits.
- All children 0-18 can get up to three free meals each day through CACFP at designated emergency shelters.
- Eligibility remains for the entire school year and up to 30 days into the next school year.
- Through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, children are eligible for free meal benefits 12 months after a disaster.
Resources for Providers
- If you plan to be an emergency shelter and want food assistance from CACFP, call 303-692-2330 or go to the CACFP website.