SNAP-Ed was the nutrition education and obesity prevention arm of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Colorado’s food assistance program. While the program has now sunset, we are committed to ensuring that the valuable resources and tools developed through Colorado SNAP-Ed remain available to the public. SNAP-Ed worked to teach Coloradans how to purchase and prepare healthy foods on a budget, motivate people to increase their physical activity, introduce children to fruits and vegetables through nutrition classes, school gardens, and healthier school lunchrooms, and make positive, healthy changes in the environments where families live. These resources continue to support Colorado families and individuals in living healthier lives.
Families across Colorado are getting healthy their own way with our Eat Better Together campaign. Check out the tips below from the Eat Better Together website to learn how to make nutritious meals on a budget and discover tasty new ways to serve fruits and veggies.
Looking for new foods you and your family will love? The Eat Better Together recipe finder isn't just fun to use — it can also help you find healthy meals that match your favorite flavors, whether you like spicy, sweet or savory foods.
Looking for ways to make mealtime easier and more budget-friendly? Check out the Eat Better Together website for tips on planning meals, making shopping lists and choosing ingredients that help your family eat well while reducing food waste.
This community resource list highlights existing nutrition education programs and support services available across Colorado for both community members and partners. While SNAP-Ed has sunset, we'll continue to update the list regularly to help individuals, families and organizations access the resources and tools they need to support healthy eating. If you know of anything that's missing, please email us at cdhs_snap_outreacheducation@state.co.us.
SNAP-Ed partners with several statewide nutrition education organizations. Visit their websites to learn more about them and find more nutrition education resources.
Longtime partners include:
School and Community Wellness Programs (SCWP) promote healthy eating and physical activity to SNAP-Ed eligible residents in Colorado. SCWP's programs — the Integrated Nutrition Education Program and the Culture of Wellness in Preschools — serve low-income children and families. They support health-promoting policy, system and environment changes, including nutrition education and physical activity in classrooms and playgrounds. Strategies to reach parents include Text2LiveHealthy, which sends two health messages weekly in English or Spanish. SCWP is also piloting programs with three tribal organizations to provide culturally appropriate nutrition education and physical activity.
Nourish Colorado works with partners across the state to deliver nutrition education and implement policy, systems and environment changes under SNAP-Ed. Nourish Colorado partners implement Cooking Matters programming in their communities, with occasional opportunities for online programming.
Colorado's SNAP-Ed program works with its partner organizations to help boost nutrition education and healthy food access at the local level. The following snapshots are among the many success stories that the federal SNAP-Ed program has highlighted.
Colorado's SNAP-Ed program partners with Cooking Matters Colorado to provide nutrition education at Metro State University (MSU), aiming to combat food insecurity among students. In 2021, Cooking Matters collaborated with the university to enhance food skills education and promote the on-campus food pantry, which expanded to a 1,000-square-foot facility named Rowdy’s Corner in 2022. This pantry operates like a small grocery store, offering fresh produce and refrigerated items.
Cooking Matters holds recipe demonstrations at Rowdy’s Corner, teaching students to prepare healthy meals using pantry ingredients. Students receive take-home recipes and frameworks for creating meals with available ingredients. These sessions, which educate up to 50 students at a time, also provide a hot meal and opportunities for students to ask questions.
SNAP-Ed partners with Text2LiveHealthy, a text message program that delivers nutrition and physical activity education to SNAP-eligible communities. Participants receive messages with recipes, tips, and resources to help them eat more fruits and vegetables, reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake, and increase physical activity. Messages also connect them to local events and resources.
Text2LiveHealthy was adapted for adult, English-speaking refugees in Colorado through a partnership with iNOW. Community navigators from seven refugee groups tailored the messages to reflect dietary restrictions, cultural preferences, and language skills, recruiting eligible participants. Since its 2021 launch, 425 refugees joined, with only 10% opting out. Evaluations showed improvements in fruit and vegetable intake (82.8%), reduced sugary drink consumption (81.3%), and increased physical activity (100%).
SNAP-Ed partners with Cooking Matters and the School Wellness Program to help local corner stores like El Tepetate increase healthier offerings. The owners of El Tepetate, a cornerstone of Denver's Latino community for over 25 years, sought to educate customers on the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. SWP and Cooking Matters provided Nutrition Nuggets — point-of-purchase information signs with nutritional facts and recipes — and recipe cards to enhance customer knowledge. The store owners displayed these materials throughout the year, resulting in increased interest in buying fruits and vegetables. They adapted their offerings based on seasonal produce and community feedback, even adding a three-bin sink to sell peeled and cut fruit.
The partnership plans to expand strategies and continue providing Nutrition Nuggets, fostering a lasting relationship with the community to promote healthy eating.
SNAP-Ed teaches programming that has been proven to make a difference. Each year we reach thousands of adults and youth by teaching lessons that empower people to make healthy changes.
Click on the following maps to download PDF versions.
View a text description of the Colorado SNAP-Ed partner coverage map.
View a text description of the Colorado SNAP-Ed T2LH coverage map.
View a text description of the SNAP-Ed partner + T2LH coverage map.
View the 2024 Cross-Regional SNAP-Ed Report, which covers SNAP-Ed programs in the Mountain Plains, Southeast and Southwest regions.
CDHS works with agencies to draft a new SNAP-Ed plan every year. This plan includes strategies to reach thousands of Coloradans on healthy eating and physical activity. View the FY 2026 SNAP-Ed plan.
CDHS works with agencies to create a SNAP-Ed plan every year. This plan includes strategies to reach thousands of Coloradans on healthy eating and physical activity. View the FY 2025 SNAP-Ed plan.
Email our program staff at cdhs_snap_outreacheducation@state.co.us.
Read the USDA Nondiscrimination Statement.