Pitkin County weighs regional approach after off‑cycle requests from LiftUp and Harvest for Hunger

Pitkin County commissioners on Aug. 12 discussed two out‑of‑cycle funding requests for regional food security and directed staff to explore a coordinated regional funding approach and an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with local funders.

Human Services Director Lindsey Maich told the board that the county and local funders have received two recent off‑cycle requests: a capital and debt relief request from LiftUp for $2.5 million, and an operating/food purchase request from Harvest for Hunger related to a fixed pantry at the county Human Services building.

Maich described a growing regional need: county and nonprofit data presented at the meeting showed a sharp rise in demand. “LiftUp in their data has reported a 138 increase in food pantry visits,” Maich said. She also reported that Harvest for Hunger was distributing “between 3 and 4,000 pounds of food in the Aspen location alone a week.” Maich told commissioners that a multi‑county strategizing group (McFINS) has drafted a budget that would cover fixed pantries, home‑delivered meals, mobile pantries and 72‑hour emergency food bags for the region.

Elise Hoddle, interim director for LiftUp, confirmed the $2.5 million ask was a regional request covering Parachute through Aspen and included capital debt on the Glenwood distribution center, other thrift store and vehicle debt and roughly $400,000 for forward programming and operations. Hoddle said LiftUp negotiated payment suspensions on some debt and is looking at other assets and options to cover short‑term gaps.

County staff and funders (the city of Aspen, Aspen Community Foundation and Aspen Skiing Company) described a shared interest in avoiding duplication of small, overlapping grant cycles. Lindsay Maich said a coalition of regional grantors has begun considering pooled funding or a consolidated RFP process to distribute funds to providers who can deliver the highest impact on core food security functions.

What the board asked staff to do: Commissioners asked staff to explore options for a short‑term patch and to develop a regional model. Maich asked for direction to pursue an IGA and to investigate issuing a consolidated RFP (regionally or county‑wide) that would provide multi‑year, coordinated funding to core food security providers. The board signaled support for further exploration and asked staff to prioritize urgent situations that risk service interruption. Commissioner Francie invited staff to return quickly if an organization faced an imminent risk of closing.

Why this matters: Local nonprofits say demand is rising and federal changes to SNAP/WIC/other programs — and recent state funding changes — are increasing pressure on local food distribution systems. County staff told commissioners that coordinated regional funding could stretch limited philanthropic and municipal funds, reduce duplicative grant paperwork for nonprofits and better align scarce dollars with the region’s highest priorities.

Next steps: County staff will (1) evaluate the McFINS draft budget and finalize a cost estimate for core services, (2) return to the board with recommendations and options for an IGA or pooled fund, and (3) review grant opportunities that might be available for short‑term relief or capital investments. Commissioners asked staff to report back promptly if any provider was at imminent risk of stopping service.