Greater Chicago Food Depository

Last week, the Food Depository hosted a panel conversation with Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, Esq., Deputy Governor Grace Hou-Ovnik, Secretary Dulce Maria Quintero, Rob Karr, Elaine Waxman, Stephen Ericson, Connie Spreen and SNAP recipient Natasha McClendon. Together, they discussed the devastating cuts to SNAP and the impact that it will have on our neighbors, the health of our communities, our local economies, business owners and more.   As we continue to navigate these uncertain times, the Food Depository remains committed to our mission of ending hunger. If you are in need of food, or have the capacity to help, please visit our website at chicagosfoodbank.org.

The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program is back for the summer. This program connects older adults with local produce, ensuring they have access to nutritious foods that are essential to their health. Participants receive a set of coupons they can redeem at farmers markets for a variety of fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, herbs and honey. To qualify, individuals must be 60 years or older and have a household income of not more than 185% of the federal poverty level ($27,861 for a household of one; $37,814 for a household of two). In Illinois, the program is administered jointly by the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Illinois Department on Aging and implemented in Chicago through a partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository. We distribute the coupons at select partner pantries and collaborate with senior centers across Chicago to hold coupon distribution events where older adults can complete a simple application and receive their coupons in the same day. At some of these events, we bring in local farmers to host a pop-up market so older adults can use their coupons to buy fresh produce on the spot. Approximately 75% of seniors in Chicago live on a fixed income, making it difficult for them to afford groceries, especially fresh, local produce, which is often expensive. The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program has had a measurable impact on older adults in Chicago. Last year, we distributed 14,000 coupons. The program not only supports the health and well-being of seniors but also strengthens local economies by promoting the sale of locally grown fruits and vegetables. The program aims to support local farmers by creating a market for small and medium-sized farms, encouraging the growth of local agriculture and ensuring that food dollars stay within the community, and promoting community engagement by fostering relationships between older adults, farmers, and other community members. Learn more and find seasonal produce coupons near you: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/eRMFRFEs

The budget reconciliation bill passing is a call to action. The Greater Chicago Food Depository is deeply disappointed by the passing of the budget reconciliation bill in the U.S. House of Representatives and the anticipated signing by the president. The bill includes the most catastrophic cuts to the safety net in history, including to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). We are gravely concerned about the impact this legislation will have on our neighbors in the one in five households across Chicago and Cook County experiencing food insecurity. By shifting burdensome program costs to states and adding stipulations that make it more difficult for people to qualify and continue receiving SNAP benefits, the new bill weakens a program that, to date, has been our nation’s most vital anti-hunger program. It feels especially cruel that this bill is being passed at a time when neighbors are already coping with elevated food prices and living costs, and when food banks like the Greater Chicago Food Depository and our partners are serving record numbers of guests. Our experience tells us that lines at pantries will get exponentially longer and an unconscionable number of our neighbors – including children, seniors and veterans – will go hungry. This need was avoidable. This hunger was a deliberate decision. Our neighbors need us now more than ever, and we remain unwavering in our belief that food is a basic human right. The Greater Chicago Food Depository stands ready to confront this emergency head-on, but we cannot bear this alone. We will need support from volunteers, donors, advocates and others who share our vision of a Chicago and Cook County where all our neighbors have access to the food they need to thrive. Our work just became that much more difficult, and together we will rise to meet this moment.

With Congress preparing to vote on a bill that includes $230 billion in SNAP cuts, Fox32 Chicago is bringing attention to how over 500,000 Illinoisans could lose food access almost immediately if the bill passes. Danielle Perry of the Greater Chicago Food Depository explains why this will worsen food insecurity and strain local food banks. Watch now: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/g9ref3yQ

Thank you to Greg Trotter and Block Club Chicago for clearly outlining the devastating impact that federal cuts to SNAP food assistance will have on our neighbors and our food banks. https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gUtHPEPW In Illinois, hundreds of thousands of people could lose SNAP benefits, and local pantries don’t have the funding to fill the gap. “We are heading into what is likely to be a crisis of unimaginable proportion," said Kate Maehr, Executive Director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository. We are grateful to Illinois' Senator Tammy Duckworth and Richard Durbin for standing up for SNAP during Senate debates over the budget reconciliation bill this week. As these historic cuts to food assistance head back to the House for another vote, there is still time to contact our representatives and raise awareness through our networks. Let them know that we are unwavering in our support of Illinois families. These are challenging times, but together we are greater.

In support of our mission to end hunger, the Food Depository offers a robust selection of fresh produce to the hundreds of food pantries in our city and the people they serve. For more than a decade, fresh produce has accounted for at least 30 percent of the food we provide. We receive about 25 percent of our produce from government programs, another 25 percent from farm and food industry donations, and we purchase the rest thanks to support from our generous donors. To keep this food fresh for our neighbors, we have increased the number of refrigerated trucks in our delivery fleet and invested in our partners to help increase their cold storage capacity. The Food Depository prioritizes fresh produce as part of a strategy to ensure healthy, nourishing food for our neighbors. As we look at the summer crops coming in, we are so grateful for your partnership in this crucial work. If you are in need of food, or have the capacity to help, please visit our website at chicagosfoodbank.org.

Thank you to Corey Hendrix from The Bear, Good Morning America and ABC 7 Chicago for stopping by today to bring attention to food insecurity in our city. As the show heads into its final season on Hulu, "The Bear" and The Walt Disney Company are generously donating 450,000 meals to food banks across the U.S., including here in Chicago.   Watch the Good Morning America clip here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/grBrMHHU

As the last bell rings, summer hunger becomes a reality for thousands of Chicago kids who lose access to meals they rely on. The average cost of eating out for lunch? $15. The cost for the Food Depository to feed 45 children? Also $15. Donate what you’d spend on lunch today and help make sure no child goes hungry this summer. Join our #DonateYourLunch challenge here: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbit.ly/4mZunVS $15 = 45 meals for hungry kids. Give now and create change in Chicago.

Devastating SNAP cuts proposed by the Senate Agriculture Committee will increase hunger and poverty. The Greater Chicago Food Depository strongly opposes proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) brought forth by the Senate Agriculture Committee on June 11. Cutting $211 billion from our nation’s most vital anti-hunger program over the next decade will create unprecedented food insecurity while overwhelming charitable food banks and pantries nationwide. The Senate proposal to cut SNAP repeats the same disastrous ideas in the budget reconciliation bill that passed the U.S. House of Representatives on May 22. It aims to cut SNAP through ineffective work requirements on parents with children as young as 10, older adults and other people with significant barriers to consistent employment. Expanding existing work requirements for these groups will threaten SNAP benefits for hundreds of thousands of individuals across Illinois.  Like the House bill, the Senate proposal also requires states to take on a significant share of SNAP expenses – a cost burden that most states, including Illinois, are unable to shoulder. Here in Illinois, this could amount to an estimated half a billion dollars annually. Most states will have to severely reduce benefits and/or restrict eligibility further. And families left out in the cold will have no choice but to rely on already overwhelmed food pantries for survival. The bill also aims to cut SNAP by limiting re-evaluation of benefit levels to every five years and require updates to be cost-neutral. This would prevent benefits from increasing alongside actual food costs making the benefits less adequate for all SNAP households over time. These measures will leave hundreds of thousands of our most vulnerable neighbors in Illinois without the food support they need at a time of elevated grocery prices and housing costs. Communities will also suffer. Members of Congress fail to recognize that SNAP is a powerful economic engine. Every SNAP dollar spent creates $1.50 in economic activity for local retailers. In Cook County alone, SNAP generates approximately $280 million a month in economic activity. The fight is not over. The proposed cuts still must achieve a majority vote in the full Senate before going back to the House as part of a budget reconciliation package.  We must raise our voices and oppose any attempts to take away basic food assistance from our neighbors to go ahead. We encourage everyone to participate in our latest action alert to contact your senators and urge them to vote NO on any bill that cuts SNAP and other vital safety net programs at: https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/gv8ZGXj8

A significant percentage of Cook County maintains a household income below 200% of the federal poverty level. Even neighborhoods next door to one another experience varying levels in food insecurity. Explore our updated Community Data Map at https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.pbit.ly/4mSePTN to find Census data on poverty, food insecurity and related issues in your area and monitor the need for assistance in your neighborhood. Together, we are greater. If you are in need of food, or are in a position to help, please visit our website.