On November 1, thousands of neighbors across Chicago and Cook County woke up worried about how they would afford food without their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
The government had been shut down for a month, and federal authorities had paused SNAP benefits until a resolution could be reached.
On the same day, at six food pantries throughout the city, the Greater Chicago Food Depository distributed emergency food boxes, each filled with staples including canned fruits and vegetables, pouch tuna and chicken, pasta and peanut butter.
A grateful guest at the St. Sabina Church emergency food box distribution. (Photo by Lou Foglia for the Food Depository.)
This immediate response was thanks in large part to the faithful support of our donors and volunteers.
Carolyn Nicholas, 37, was one of many SNAP participants who attended the distribution at St. Sabina Church. As she stood in line, she said, “My kids are looking at me saying, ‘Mama, what are we going to eat?’” Minutes later, box in hand, she was relieved to have an answer.
Meeting record needs
Nicholas is one of approximately 900,000 SNAP participants, including children and older adults, in Cook County. Most of these neighbors were already struggling to make ends meet amid elevated food prices, housing costs and utility bills. The pause in SNAP, our nation’s most important and effective anti-hunger tool, pushed many of these families into crisis mode.
Volunteers pack emergency food boxes at the Food Depository warehouse.
As the Food Depository quickly prepared our response, we were moved by the outpouring of support from the community. Just days before our first emergency distribution, hundreds of volunteers began packing food boxes in our warehouse. Many of the staple foods included in each box were bought with funds from generous donors. And dozens of volunteers helped distribute the boxes at the six sites throughout the city.
Together with our partner pantries, we continued distributing boxes for three more weeks in November, adding more locations – all in areas with a high concentration of SNAP participants – and including milk and bread after the first week.
By the end of the month, we’d distributed nearly 9,000 emergency food boxes.
More than 35 percent of the households who received the boxes were visiting the Food Depository network for the first time, reflecting the new need created when SNAP benefits were disrupted.
Volunteers direct guests to pull up to receive an emergency food box at Sankofa Food Market. (Photo by Lou Foglia for the Food Depository.)
At the same time, our partner pantries throughout Chicago and Cook County saw a spike in the number of guests they served. In the month spanning October 26 through November 24, our partner food pantries and emergency distributions served more than 240,000 household visits, a record in the Food Depository’s 46-year history.
The crisis to come
While SNAP benefits were fully restored soon after the government shutdown ended on November 12, the crisis isn’t over. Starting February 1, new work requirements for SNAP participants begin, part of the changes to the program signed into law earlier this year.
SNAP participants who do not qualify for an exemption and are unable to meet the work requirements will be limited to three months of benefits over three years before losing assistance entirely.
This timeline means a significant number of SNAP participants who are not exempt – as many as 450,000 in Illinois – could lose their benefits on May 1. We anticipate a new surge of need soon after.
Volunteers put a food box into a car at the emergency food box distribution at St. Sabina Church. (Photo by Lou Foglia for the Food Depository.)
The Food Depository remains committed to ensuring food is available for anyone who visits a local pantry or meal program. But we cannot meet the coming needs alone. The sudden and steep rise in demand during the SNAP pause due to the government shutdown was a preview of what’s to come.
We will need the continued support of volunteers, advocates and donors to make sure that none of our neighbors goes without. We are grateful to have such faithful partners – and implore more to join us – as we rise to meet this moment.
Join the movement to end hunger – volunteer, advocate or donate today.
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