Quick 'n' Dirty
Filling the SNAP gap, indigenous superheroes and a forever home for PAR

Local organizations work to fill SNAP gap

With the future of SNAP food benefits hanging in the balance as the government shutdown drags on, one local nonprofit is working to ensure the most vulnerable can put food on the table.

This week, the Good Food Collective launched a coordinated effort for area residents to both donate to the cause or receive food assistance via its website, www.goodfoodcollective.org.

“Community organizations, governing bodies and individuals are working together to make sure all our neighbors are able to feed their families,” Regional Relief Coordinator Rachel Landis said in a press release. “This five-county, 97-partner coalition is mobilizing emergency food resources, coordinating donations and advocating for urgent government action.”

SNAP benefits were shut off across the country starting Nov. 1, effectively withholding $120 million of SNAP benefits across the state. Across the five counties that make up Southwest Colorado – San Juan, La Plata, Montezuma, Dolores and Archuleta counties – as well as the Ute Mountain Ute and Southern Ute Indian tribes, SNAP issues an average of $2.19 million in benefits to 12,000 people monthly.

Although two federal judges ordered the Trump Administration to release SNAP funds, the disbursements have yet to happen, and it could take weeks for them to make their way to consumers.

Landis said the biggest way for people to help right now is to donate cash to the effort, with every $1 enabling local food assistance organizations to buy $7 worth of food. Donations will go directly to local food assistance providers, including the 27 food pantries in our region, with those with the greatest need being served first. 

“We’re expecting that our local emergency food assistance programs, like food pantries and soup kitchens, are about to see a considerable increase in demand,” said Landis. “We’ll need significant resources to meet these needs … and your donation will be equitably distributed where the need is greatest across our region.”

Landis said local, small independent grocery stores are also likely to feel the SNAP pinch and urged locals to help support these stores in the weeks ahead. “These pillars are essential in feeding rural communities, and we’re working to make sure they stay open, resourced and supported,” she said. 

For up-to-date information, a list of food resources and ways to support this effort, visit www.goodfoodcollective.org/snap-relief. To get involved with the relief effort, contact Landis at rachel@goodfoodcollective.org.

Exhibition celebrates sovereign superheroes

The Durango Creative District is helping to put the spotlight on a different spin on the basic comic book. From Nov. 7-28, the Creative District Gallert, 1135 Main Ave., will host “Super-Powered Sovereignty: Indigenous Comic Book Art Exhibition.” There will be an opening reception for the show this Friday from 5-8 p.m. at the gallery in conjunction with the First Friday Art Walk. 

Featuring the works of several Indigenous artists, the exhibit tells unique Indigenous stories through the medium of comic book art, exploring themes rooted in sovereignty, identity and cultural empowerment. 

Exhibiting artists, who from span from Phoenix to New Jersey, include Shaun Beyale, Shamus Beyale, Keith Jim, Kayla Shaggy, Rod Velarde and Durango’s Christian Kee. Many will be in attendance at the opening to meet attendees and sign comic books or artwork. 

The exhibit is in conjunction with the City’s Native American Heritage Month Celebration, coordinated by Durango School District 9R Title VI Indigenous Liaisons and funded through the City of Durango’s Lodgers’ Tax and Durango Creative District. The events throughout November aim to honor the cultures, contributions and living traditions of Indigenous peoples in the Four Corners.

The exhibit was curated by Fort Lewis College senior Andrea Rose Descheenie, a contemporary Indigenous artist and member of the Navajo Nation from Chinle, Ariz. 

This exhibition is free and open to the public.

PAR announces new HWY 160 facility

After 10 years of finding forever homes for pets, Parker’s Animal Rescue is about to embark on settling into its forever home. Not long after moving from its cramped quarters on North Main to more spacious digs near Creature Comforts, PAR revealed plans for a new permanent facility on Highway 160.

For PAR founder and Executive Director Lisa Parker, the new home is the realization more than a decade in the making.

“This milestone marks the start of our next big chapter – creating a home base that will allow us to expand our foster and adoption programs, provide safe and comfortable housing for animals in transition, and strengthen our impact across the Four Corners region,” Parker said.

PAR is partnering with local form Huff Architecture to design the space, which will include cozy recovery rooms, meet-and-greet areas and spaces for education and outreach. “Every detail is being crafted with animals and people in mind,” she said. “Together, we’re not just building a facility – we’re building the future of rescue in our community.”

To help celebrate the news – as well as a banner 77 adoptions so far in 2025 – PAR is hosting an open house at its current location, 305 S. Camino Del Rio, Ste. U, on Thur., Nov. 13 from 3-6 p.m.

“While this isn’t our forever home just yet, it’s a huge step forward – a welcoming, functional space where our fosters, volunteers and community can come together as we continue working toward our permanent facility,” said Parker. “A heartfelt thank you to Creature Comforts for their ongoing support and for generously allowing us to rent this wonderful space.”