On a recent April morning at sunrise, Natalie Morehead was already on a bus.
She had three kids at home, a work schedule that had just been cut, and a message she had been wanting to deliver to someone with the power to protect her family’s SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits. That morning, she was headed to Springfield to raise her voice.
By midmorning, Morehead was one of more than 150 advocates gathered outside the Illinois State Capitol for the Save Our SNAP Rally Day. These neighbors, pantry leaders, parents and others had traveled from Chicago, rural towns, suburbs and small cities across Illinois to make themselves heard. For most of them, the trip was about more than policy. It was personal — a chance to make sure the people making decisions about how Illinois would respond to federal SNAP cuts understood what their choices would mean for families like theirs.
A lifeline families can’t afford to lose
Over 41 million Americans — including 2 million in Illinois — rely on SNAP to help pay for food when times are tough. It is the nation’s most effective tool for addressing food insecurity. Last summer, Congress passed a budget bill that included $200 billion in cuts to the program over the next ten years.
Tatiana Balogun traveled to Springfield with her three children to urge state legislators to protect SNAP benefits for Illinois families. (Photos by Jim Vondruska for the Greater Chicago Food Depository).
When the programs families depend on are being dismantled at this scale, filling the gap with food alone isn’t enough. For every meal provided by a food bank or pantry, SNAP provides nine. The charitable food system cannot come close to filling that gap.
In Illinois alone, more than 175,000 people are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits in 2026 due to new federal work reporting requirements created as a part of those cuts.
The April rally was one of three Food Depository lobby days held this spring in partnership with the Save Our SNAP coalition — a statewide network of over 100 organizations and advocates united to protect and strengthen SNAP in Illinois.
More than 150 neighbors, parents and pantry leaders from across Illinois gathered outside the State Capitol in April for the Save Our SNAP Rally Day.
Together, they traveled to Springfield throughout March, April and May to push for three pieces of state legislation related to the SNAP cuts, including the Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger (FRESH) Act to provide a lifeline of emergency assistance to those losing SNAP due to the work requirements.
A voice for others like her
For Morehead, traveling to Springfield is about making sure lawmakers understand what SNAP changes look like in real life. She is one of many Illinois neighbors who traveled to Springfield this spring through the Food Depository’s Save Our SNAP coalition.
“When you have multiple kids, and you’re not making enough income, you struggle,” she said. “For people in my situation, you’re sitting in the doctor’s office getting a list of nutritional foods your kids should be eating, and then looking at your bank account knowing it’s just not possible.”
“That has been the reason for me getting involved — just being that voice for people like myself.”
Morehead first joined a Food Depository lobby day in 2023 after learning about the opportunity through All Things Through Christ, the pantry where she receives food. After recent staffing reductions at her workplace, her schedule was cut to one day a week. Earlier this year, despite completing required paperwork on time, her SNAP benefits were cut off for four months without warning or explanation.
Natalie Morehead (center) prepares to meet with legislators about the bills.
“It was so hard for me,” she said. “I had to try to decide if I was going to pay bills, get gas in the car or buy food.”
Her benefits were eventually restored but reduced by nearly $250 a month — a loss that immediately affected her family’s ability to stay afloat and afford healthy food.
Morehead is also the primary caregiver for her 21-year-old son, who has Down syndrome and congenital heart defects, adding another layer of uncertainty to the family’s situation. During one trip to Springfield, she and other advocates sat down with a lawmaker who knew little about the impact the proposed SNAP cuts would have on his constituents.
Part of something bigger
Morehead is one of many advocates whose experience with SNAP cuts brought them to Springfield. On May 1, Mike Krystyn lost his SNAP benefits when the federal cuts took effect. The experience, he said, felt traumatic. At the same time, his landlord chose not to renew his lease — leaving Krystyn worried not only about how he would afford groceries, but also about where he would live. Even so, he traveled to Springfield that month to join the Food Depository’s May lobby day and advocate for neighbors facing the same struggles.
Mike Krystyn outside the Illinois State Capitol, where he joined advocates calling on state legislators to protect SNAP.
It wasn’t the first time he had been knocked back. Krystyn had spent seven years as a quality assurance specialist before being laid off during the pandemic. After collecting unemployment, he worked part-time at a grocery store until losing that job last September, relying on SNAP to stay afloat while searching for stable work.
“I have been struggling financially since COVID,” Krystyn said. “SNAP has been one thing that has kept me on my feet.”
“It felt good to be advocating for people like me who are in a tough situation,” he said. “I felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself.”
When lived experience meets policy decisions
In order to protect our neighbors, not just today but in the years ahead, the Food Depository is committed to protecting the programs they rely on. This spring, that advocacy helped secure a major win: FRESH, a one-time emergency food benefit of $400 for Illinois residents who lost their SNAP benefits due to new federal work requirements, was included in the state budget at $70M.
Advocates share their experiences with an Illinois state legislator during one of three Save Our SNAP lobby days held in Springfield this spring.
For the more than 120,000 Illinois residents who lost their benefits when federal work requirements took effect on May 1, this benefit will provide critical relief — a direct result of advocates like Morehead and Krystyn who brought their lived experience to Springfield and made the case for their neighbors.
While the legislative win was important, the work isn’t over. Beginning as early as October 2027, the state could be required to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars annually just to keep the SNAP program intact. The Food Depository, working alongside the Save Our SNAP coalition and advocates, will keep working to protect Illinois families from the full impact of federal cuts ahead.
“I just want to be a voice for people like me who’ve lived this [food insecurity],” said Morehead. “We know how serious it is when you don’t have these vital programs, and we want to make sure people are able to stay on them.”
Visit saveoursnap.org to learn how you can join us in protecting SNAP for Illinois families.
Share This Post
