“I’m proud to be a voice for the voiceless,” proclaimed Vi Nedd as she boarded the Food Depository van bound for Springfield, Illinois, recently. Nedd was among a team of 35 staff members, Food Equity Ambassadors and Community Council for Food Equity members participating in the 2025 Food Depository State Lobby Day.
The Food Equity Ambassador and Community Council for Food Equity programs exist to deepen the advocacy skills of our partner network and individuals with lived experience through hands on policy trainings, webinars, advocacy events, and opportunities to engage with elected officials.
“Lobby Days give me a chance to bring what I have learned alive!” added Nedd, who was attending her third Springfield advocacy opportunity.
On the eve of Lobby Day, Food Depository advocates gathered to gear up for the important work ahead.
Fellow advocate Darriel Anderson couldn’t agree more. “There’s power in unity,” said Anderson who has been running Circle Urban Ministries’ food pantry in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood for the past 10 years. She is also a graduate of the Food Depository’s Food Equity Ambassadors Program, and currently a member of the pilot “Food Equity Mobilizer” post fellowship program.
“The more voices and examples of lived experiences we can bring in front of legislators, the more chance we have of making change,” said Anderson.
Addressing college student hunger
One of the changes the advocates worked to initiate this year is an easier path for college students to qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). College student hunger is a growing crisis, particularly among those at community colleges, students who are parents and students of color, all of whom are disproportionately affected by food insecurity. Nearly one in four undergraduate students (approximately 3.8 million students) experience food insecurity in the U.S., meaning they are unsure about where their next meal will come from.
The Food Depository is championing a bill with the national young adults advocacy group Young Invincibles to ensure that more students, particularly those at public colleges and universities, have access to the nutrition they need to thrive.
Advocates and Food Depository staff collaborated to develop a game plan for Lobby Day.
Nearly two thirds of students in the U.S. who are eligible for SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) are not receiving benefits. Many students are deterred from applying because they assume, or are advised incorrectly, that they are not eligible. Requirements for students also are too complex, with students having to meet income limits and one of a number of special conditions, such as working a minimum of 20 hours a week, to qualify.
The bill would streamline and expand eligibility for SNAP benefits, allowing students enrolled in all programs of study at public colleges and universities in Illinois to benefit from the program provided they meet income and other requirements.
“There are too many barriers that prevent students from getting their basic needs met while in college,” said Anderson as her team met with Representative Will Davis (D-IL).
“They go (to college) to better their lives and are there to learn. We should be making it easier for motivated students to get the support they need to make it through college, not create barriers.”
“When you’re hungry, you can’t study. It’s not right,” added Nedd.
If passed, the College Student Hunger and SNAP bill would benefit approximately 98,000 students enrolled in community colleges and four-year universities, and graduate students in Illinois.
Food Depository advocates pose for a photo with State Representative Rick Ryan (D-IL) after securing his sponsorship of the College Student Hunger bill.
State Representative Rick Ryan (D-IL) committed to sponsoring the bill after meeting with a team of Food Depository advocates. “I was one of those students who had to apply for food stamps,” said Rep. Ryan. “But I was denied because I couldn’t meet the work requirements. So, I ate a lot of ramen for meals.”
Raising the SNAP minimum benefit
The advocates also championed the Food Depository’s second bill, which would raise the minimum monthly SNAP benefit in Illinois from $23 per month to $75 per month.
At a time when grocery prices and the cost of living are elevated, household budgets are being stretched. One in four families with children in the Chicago Metropolitan area are experiencing food insecurity and finding it hard to make ends meet. Public safety net programs like SNAP provide critical help for our neighbors in need.
Food Depository advocates meet with Representative Nicolle Grasse (D-IL).
The federal minimum monthly SNAP benefit is adjusted each year for inflation but is far from enough to ensure sufficient nutritional intake for program participants, especially older adults. The SNAP Minimum Benefit bill would ensure the State of Illinois provides a supplement to increase the total minimum household benefit to $75 per month, bringing it more in line with the cost of living and with other states that have raised their minimum, like New Jersey and New Mexico.
Additionally, SNAP has a high economic multiplier effect. Every dollar spent on SNAP generates $1.50 in economic activity in local communities. Investments like this help ensure communities strengthen and grow, something that is near and dear to the hearts of pantry coordinators like Darriel Anderson, who served as a Lobby Day team captain this year – her third time participating.
“Before the Food Depository asked me to be a Food Equity Ambassador, I had primarily worked boots on the ground as a pantry coordinator. As an advocate, I am able to take that experience to the other side. Being an advocate has given me a broader perspective on fighting hunger,” she said.
Anderson engages in advocacy at every opportunity, even choosing to participate on her birthday, which happened to coincide with the Springfield trip. “It wasn’t a hard decision. I view my advocacy as an assignment to serve and give back to others. It as an honor to use my voice on my birthday for others. My advocacy is like ministry. And being able to do it on my birthday is the icing on the cake.”
The advocates surprised Darriel Anderson with a cinnamon roll cake to celebrate her birthday.
Meanwhile, this was the first Springfield Lobby Day for the Food Depository’s new vice president of policy and advocacy, Danielle Perry, who described the experience as “extraordinary.”
“I was utterly blown away by the brilliance of our advocates. They were able to bring their lived experience, the people they serve and the work they do all the way to Springfield,” Perry said.
“In just a few hours, they were able to touch so many members of the Illinois State Legislature and their staff. Each member left with a deeper understanding of our WHY — why we do this work and the impact it has on our neighbors. I was honored to join this team of amazing advocates.”
The team’s time at the capital was well spent. On one of the busiest lobbying days of the legislative season, the advocates secured a total of 20 new sponsors for the two Food Depository bills and connected with over 40 members of the Illinois General Assembly. Efforts like these help pave the way for stronger anti-hunger policies that protect even more of our neighbors from food insecurity.
Learn more about the Food Depository's advocacy work and how you can join us.
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