Take a Stand Against Hunger

A strong nutrition safety net is essential to a future where no one goes hungry. We advocate for policies that protect individuals and families from hunger. Raise your voice and let your elected officials know that you support hunger-relief programs.

Our Policy Priorities

The Food Depository mobilizes the public to help end hunger. At the federal, state, and local level, our policy priorities include:

• Maintaining and strengthening hunger relief programs for individuals and families
• Increasing the amount of healthy food that is available and affordable to all
• Ensuring that healthy meals are available in schools for children in need

View our 2018 Policy Agenda for more information on our policy priorities.

Our Advocacy Success Stories

Thanks to the combined efforts of our advocates, we have advanced policies that support food access for all. Here are a few recent highlights of our advocacy.

• The Breakfast After the Bell law took effect in the 2017-2018 school year: Schools in which 70 percent or more of the student population is eligible for free or reduced-price meals are required to offer Breakfast After the Bell. The law makes breakfast part of the school day in 890 schools across the state, increasing access to the nutrition all students require each morning to learn and succeed in the classroom. Read about the impact of Breakfast After the Bell in one local school.
• Successfully secured a waiver of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) time limit for calendar year 2018: The SNAP time limit waiver protects access to SNAP benefits for more than 260,000 Illinoisans by waiving a federal requirement that would result in many only being able to receive SNAP benefits for 3 months in a 3-year period. Learn more about the importance of this waiver.
• The Illinois State Senate adopted the Child Anti-Hunger Resolution (SR 492): The resolution calls for legislators to encourage schools to offer Breakfast After the Bell, ensure that children have access to summer meals and oppose cuts in the federal budget to food and nutrition programs. See the full text of the resolution.

Take Action to Protect Anti-Hunger Programs

Statement on the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill

The House Agriculture Committee’s draft Farm Bill, released on April 12, aims to weaken the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), our nation’s most effective anti-hunger program. The Greater Chicago Food Depository strongly opposes this harsh proposal and will continue to advocate to protect SNAP and other federal nutrition programs.

Read the Food Depository’s statement on the bill’s impact on hunger in our community.