Denver could soon spend another $1 million in pandemic recovery funds to aid people struggling with food insecurity.

The Denver City Council gave initial approval Monday to a bill that would allocate another $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds toward addressing food insecurity caused by inflation and the pandemic. The $1 million is funded by interest earnings generated by dollars the city has received through the ARPA program.

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Families or individuals need to be Denver residents to qualify and be at or below the 200% federal poverty line. They must also declare they have suffered financial hardship amid the pandemic and high inflation and undergo an in-person application process.

The bill comes back for final council consideration at the next regular meeting in September. Council gave the bill approval on first reading through its consent agenda on Monday and did not discuss the proposal.

As part of the plan, $800,000 would go toward procuring gift cards or vouchers that people can use for groceries, while $200,000 would go toward providing people with culturally relevant food boxes. Gift cards will be issued at $200 increments, mostly as electronic gift cards.

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“The gift cards will be on a first come, first serve basis,” Deputy Director of Human Rights and Community Partnerships Lisana Muñoz said at an August committee meeting.

Food boxes will be valued at $25. The goal is to distribute 2,600 boxes during three events, for a total of 8,000 boxes. A city spokesperson said staff have not decided where the food box distribution sites will be, but they will focus on neighborhoods identified as at-risk through the city’s Neighborhood Equity & Stabilization program, also called NEST.

The Human Rights and Community Partnership department, Denver Human Services, the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver Economic Development and Opportunity and the Office of Children’s Affairs would be the five agencies helping people access vouchers and gift cards.

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During committee discussions, At-Large Councilmember Debbie Ortega said she appreciated the effort and that “it’s going to go a long way in serving so many of our families that are struggling.” District 4 Councilmember Kendra Black asked for staff to look at neighborhoods that are still at-risk but not on the city’s NEST list.

“I just want to make a plea once again for the Kennedy and Hampden neighborhoods in my district. They are always overlooked. They don’t get any additional city resources,” Black said.