Hickenlooper Hears From Aurora Nonprofits: "The Need Isn't Slowing Down"
AURORA — Sen. John Hickenlooper sat down with local nonprofit leaders last week at the Food Bank of the Rockies' Aurora distribution center, and the message was clear: grocery bills are crushing families who were already one car repair away from crisis.
"We're seeing working families—two incomes, sometimes three jobs—who can't make the math work," said Sue Ellen Harrison, executive director of Aurora Interfaith Community Services. "Rent's up 18% in two years. Eggs are $6. Something breaks."
The roundtable included reps from Project Angel Heart, Metro Caring, and the Aurora Community Connection, all reporting the same trend: first-time visitors, longer lines, and donors who've become clients.
Hickenlooper, a former Denver mayor and Colorado governor, nodded through the data. He's pushing for expanded SNAP flexibility and permanent summer EBT funding—programs that directly affect the 1 in 7 Aurora residents facing food insecurity.
"We built the safety net for emergencies," he said afterward. "But for too many people, this is the new normal."
Local context matters here. Aurora's diversity means cultural food preferences matter—halal proteins, masa harina, fresh produce familiar to refugee communities from Burma, Somalia, and Venezuela. Nonprofits say federal commodity boxes often miss the mark.
The senator left with a stack of specific asks: streamline USDA purchasing for culturally relevant foods, fix the "benefits cliff" that punishes small raises, and protect school meal funding as universal free lunch expires.
"We'll take this to the Farm Bill markup," Hickenlooper promised. "But honestly? You all are doing the heavy lifting."
Know a family struggling? Aurora Interfaith Community Services (303-360-0260) and Food Bank of the Rockies (720-473-4400) both offer same-day assistance—no appointment needed.
