The Roaring Fork Valley is widely seen as a paradise — a destination where outdoor adventure, cultural offerings and natural beauty draw people from around the world. But for many of the people who live and work here, that image is at odds with the daily reality of trying to afford a life in a region where the cost of living continues to soar.
Working locals often riff that their life “is better than your vacation,” as they have direct access to the recreation offered by such a stunning proverbial backyard and, often, the lifestyle that comes with calling a resort community home. But the party requires hustle, and access to everything that makes a place paradise becomes limited when juggling multiple jobs or an hour-plus commute (Zillow shows current one-bedroom, long-term rentals in Aspen range from $4,800 to $9,500 per month).
It creates a dark underbelly: Sociologists have referred to the Mountain West region as the “suicide belt,” and Olympic ski racer Bode Miller and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Brett Rapkin captured the dynamic in their documentary, “Paradise Paradox.”
Among the most pressing and least visible consequences of this economic pressure is food insecurity. It is a challenge faced not only by the region’s most vulnerable but also by full-time workers, students, families and seniors who are increasingly forced to make difficult choices between basic needs.
«If you have a choice between paying your rent or buying food, a lot of times people are going to choose to get their most basic necessities paid for,» said Sam Landercasper, deputy director of strategy and operations for Pitkin County Human Services. «Another side of food insecurity is the need to sacrifice food quality to compensate in other areas of your life.»
Food insecurity is defined by the USDA as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. But according to those working on the front lines of this issue in the Roaring Fork Valley, the experience of food insecurity is as varied as the population itself. I know firsthand because I’m one of the people who relies on a food pantry for my own nutrition. I’m a fulltime freelance journalist — you’ve likely read my byline in The Sopris Sun as well as this newspaper — but I currently live in Silt and have another job to make ends meet.
«To me, food insecurity means that many people in our community do not know if they will have enough food on their tables tomorrow,» said Maria Judith Alvarez, project director of the Safe and Abundant Nutrition Alliance, which serves more than 24,000 people in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys.
SANA’s most significant outreach efforts are concentrated in Basalt and El Jebel, where 8,372 people receive assistance; Glenwood Springs, which serves 7,987; and Rifle, at 7,922. Services include nutrition education, cooking classes, application support for Supplemental Assistance Programs, commonly known as SNAP, and Women, Infants and Children benefits. SANA also partners with other organizations in the valley, such as Clinica del Pueblo, to help clients access affordable medical services and consultations.
While food insecurity impacts people spanning myriad demographics, Alvarez noted that a large portion of those served by SANA are Latino and Spanish-speaking families, many of whom are employed but face structural barriers to accessing healthy, affordable food.
“I see [food insecurity] in mothers who are worried because their children do not have a nutritious lunch, in older adults who have to stretch their budget to eat, and in working families who simply cannot afford healthy food,” she said. “The communities we serve are diverse in terms of age, ethnicity and socioeconomic level.”
According to SANA’s 2023 data, 33% of Coloradans reported difficulty accessing nutritional food. That number continues to climb as inflation drives up the cost of food, gas and housing.
«Inflation has increased food prices, making them less affordable for many families, and the rise in rent and home prices has reduced the budget available for food in many households,» Alvarez said. «The pandemic has had significant economic effects, including job losses and income reductions.»
Between December 2024 and January 2025, the Consumer Price Index for grocery items rose 0.8%, and the USDA projects that food prices will continue to rise at a pace exceeding the historical average, from 2004 to 2023.
A challenging landscape
Despite this, misconceptions persist — particularly in affluent-looking areas like Pitkin County, where food insecurity often remains hidden.
«I think the thing primarily driving food insecurity in Pitkin, Eagle and Garfield counties is the cost of living,» Landercasper, of Pitkin County Human Services, said. «Programs like SNAP, WIC and SANA are not permanent solutions but support tools that help families in times of need. … [We] help dispel these misconceptions by demonstrating how access to healthy food benefits the entire community, reducing health problems and improving overall well-being. Access to nutritious food is a basic right.»
Landercasper said older adults are often hesitant to apply for SNAP benefits, believing they might be taking resources away from someone more in need.
“I would say one of the biggest misconceptions around [SNAP] — and it’s almost a heartwarming thing to hear — is the people saying, ‘Well, I don’t think I need it, and I don’t want to use it so that it’s there for somebody else,’” he continued. “We hear that a lot from our older adult demographics when we try to explain to them how it could be helpful when they’re low or fixed-income, and they say they don’t want to take up something that could be used for someone else.”
However, that concept — that SNAP benefits are zero-sum — is a misnomer.
“The thing to let people know is that currently, at least, with the SNAP program, it is fully funded, and it’s all passed through,” Landercasper explained. “If you qualify, you will receive your benefit.”
Transportation and geography present additional challenges. While City Market and other grocery stores are present in major towns, residents in rural areas often lack the means to reach them.
«I know of people who have told me they didn’t go get food because they didn’t have money for gas,» Landercasper said.
And while farms and ranches dot the region, local food production doesn’t always translate into local food access. Mountain communities like those in the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys are particularly susceptible to becoming «food deserts» — areas where affordable, quality food is difficult to obtain.
“We tend to think of food deserts as a place with no access to food at all. Often, people think since we have City Markets in each major town that everyone who lives here must be OK. For some people, that’s true, but for others, it can be a different story,” Landercasper added.
During a 2023 anti-merger trial in Denver, a Kroger executive acknowledged that the company charges more for groceries in areas with little to no competition — a pricing zone that includes City Market locations in Aspen, Glenwood Springs and New Castle. Despite corporate claims that mountain-town markups stem from fuel and labor costs, independent comparisons revealed that prices were often higher in these “mountain no-comp zones” than in places like Vail or Gunnison, both mountain towns not placed in the no-competition zones.
Lawrence Pacheco, director of communications for the Colorado Attorney General’s Office, declined to comment for this story because of the ongoing nature of the litigation. But the in-court admission by Kroger leadership arguably confirmed what many locals have long suspected: Grocery shopping in the valley isn’t just expensive — it’s strategically priced that way.
Starving the stigma
Yet community-driven solutions are taking root. Lift-Up, a nonprofit that operates food pantries from Aspen to Parachute, fed thousands of people in 2023 alone (including this reporter). In partnership with local farmers and grocery stores, Lift-Up encourages food donations and hosts drives to support its mission.
SANA partners with Lift-Up and Food Bank of the Rockies to strengthen regional food access.
«Access to food transforms lives,» SANA’s Alvarez said. «While programs like SANA provide crucial support, long-term solutions require broader efforts — however, the Roaring Fork Valley is a resilient and committed community. Together, we work to ensure no one goes hungry.»
Another organization, Harvest for Hunger, operates stigma-free pantries that don’t require personal data from those who use them.
«A lot of pride goes into not wanting a handout or not wanting people to know that you need help,» Harvest for Hunger Executive Director Gray Warr said. «What’s great about our pantries is there’s no one there. It’s just a pantry open five days a week, eight hours a day, for anyone who might need it. We don’t care who you are, how much money you make, where you’re from, what your status is — we don’t care about any of that.»
Harvest for Hunger rescues food that would otherwise be discarded from 18 retail and grocery locations between Aspen and Carbondale. Warr estimated that around 80% of that food goes to Lift-Up, another 10-15% to Food Bank of the Rockies, and the remainder to its own pantry in the Snowmass Town Hall.
“Every week that we prevent food from getting thrown away or wasted is a great week and a move in the right direction,” the Harvest for Hunger website states.
Last year alone, Harvest for Hunger reports having rescued a whopping 121,041 pounds of food between Aspen and Carbondale — food that would have otherwise gone to a landfill. Feeding America, the largest nonprofit working toward ending hunger in the United States, suggests that a single meal should comprise 1.2 pounds of food. By that calculation, Harvest for Hunger rescued enough food to create 100,867 meals. For reference, the 2020 Census reported that the population of full-time residents in Pitkin County was 17,358.
Warr echoed Landcasper’s sentiments that food access must be treated as a right. «As grocery prices rise, we may see an uptick in visitors because [Harvest for Hunger] is a safe environment without judgment,» he said. “People [soon] might not be able to afford what they used to, and we can provide a leg-up.”
The tariff factor
The strain on household budgets may soon worsen. In early March, the Trump administration reintroduced steep tariffs — ranging from 10% to 25% — on a wide swath of imports from China, Mexico and Canada, three countries that together account for nearly half of Colorado’s $17 billion in annual imports.
The estimated cost to Colorado alone? A staggering $1.4 billion each year, according to reporting from The Colorado Sun. For small businesses already operating on razor-thin margins — including farms, food distributors and grocers — the new tariffs present a domino effect. As input costs rise, so too will consumer prices, especially in rural and resort communities like the Roaring Fork Valley, where competition is limited and many residents already struggle to access affordable, nutritious food.
And the Trump administration’s newly announced April 2 “Liberation Day” slate of sweeping tariffs on most imported goods, mean tariff rates now range from 10% to as high as 54%. While cars and electronics are making headlines, economists warn that grocery prices will be among the first to noticeably increase. Many popular staples in American households — coffee, tea, fresh produce, spices and seafood — are heavily sourced from countries hit by these new import taxes. With grocers unable to stockpile perishable goods in advance, prices on essentials like bananas, broccoli and even cinnamon could rise within weeks.
These changes come on the heels of years marked by supply chain disruptions, inflation and regional price disparities. In some cases, businesses have no choice but to pass costs directly to customers, further eroding the purchasing power of working families.
As Kishore Kulkarni, an economics professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver, told The Colorado Sun in a March 5 article: “Consumers are going to be hurt, producers are going to be hurt… this time the threat is real.”
Of course, restaurants and eateries are reeling, as well. At the Cocoa Club and Pollinator Chocolate in Carbondale, founder Mark Burrows has already been feeling the pain of rising production costs. He’s even put out a chart in front of the cash register at his shop demonstrating the more-than 200% increase in the cost of cocoa beans, a soft commodity, just in the last year.
“It’s really tough,” Burrows said. “I don’t know what else to do — I feel like I’m doing everything I can as a small business owner in a community I love. We have such high risks, not knowing how to prepare for the future is maddening.”
What you can do
For those looking to get involved, Landercasper offered a straightforward invitation: start by better educating yourself.
«If you’re not food insecure, chances are you know somebody who is,» he said. «And so understanding the impact that food security can have [is a good first step]. The next step is to volunteer with Lift-Up, Food Bank of the Rockies or any of these groups who are working to reduce food insecurity. They are always looking for volunteers, and having a regular volunteer base allows them to get their mission and their food out to people.»
For additional information or to get involved with community aid, visit any of the following websites: liftup.org, sanaco.org, harvestforhungerco.org, garfieldcountyco.gov and pitkincounty.com
