Nearly 2 million Illinoisans will stop receiving food assistance Saturday without legal intervention or the end of the federal government shutdown. Chicago food pantry leaders share tips for how to plan for “the worst-case scenario.”
By Jerrel Floyd
Nina Hornedo, left, a customer at Pilsen Food Pantry, waits as volunteer Jon Beaupre helps load her groceries in her car on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025 at Pilsen Food Pantry. Hornedo said she was using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits before. During the ongoing government shutdown, the Trump administration announced that the SNAP program will run out of money on Nov. 1. (Pinar Istek/City Bureau)
If you or someone you know needs food, visit the Greater Chicago Food Depository website, Feeding Illinois or the Find Food IL interactive map to locate assistance near you.
About 340,000 Chicagoans could lose critical food assistance in November because of the ongoing federal government shutdown, even as the demand for help continues to rise.
“We are in the worst-case scenario,” said Dion Dawson, CEO and founder of the Chicago nonprofit and food pantry Dion’s Chicago Dream. “I think that every day we’re being reminded of the need.”
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP (formerly known as food stamps), is a federally funded program helping low-income families buy groceries. Illinois recipients get $370 per month on average, provided through a LINK card.
For every meal a food bank provides under the national nonprofit Feeding America, SNAP supports nine meals.
SNAP also is an economic boost. Every dollar of federally funded benefits generates $1.79 in economic activity, according to the Food Research and Action Center. Research has shown SNAP helps millions of Americans out of poverty each year, supports over 388,000 jobs and is a critical source of spending at grocery stores.
Program participants will stop receiving benefits Saturday if the federal government is not reopened or legislators do not agree to tap emergency funding. You can still use the benefits you already received, but as of now, there will be no new funding in November. Several states, including Illinois, are suing to force the federal government to keep SNAP going.
Illinois administers $350 million in SNAP benefits to 1.9 million recipients each month.
“At this moment, an estimated one in five Chicago area households experiences food insecurity,” Greater Chicago Food Depository leaders said in a statement. “A disruption to SNAP will create a crisis unlike anything we’ve seen in our 46-year history.”
Big cuts to SNAP benefits already were on the horizon before the government shutdown.
The “Big Beautiful Bill,” President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill, expands work requirements for SNAP and puts more than 360,000 low-income Illinoisans at risk of losing that support. Some of the most vulnerable communities affected by these changes include the elderly, veterans, people navigating homelessness, and young adults who have aged out of foster care.
In all, around 4 million Americans will lose some, if not all, of their SNAP benefits once the changes are fully implemented, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
“No state — including Illinois — is in a position to replace hundreds of millions, if not billions of dollars in federal funding for SNAP that we are now set to lose every year,” said Dulce Quintero, secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Chicago’s hunger crisis was expanding even before the cuts to SNAP, advocates said.
Food insecurity swelled in the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and got worse as inflation spiked the cost of groceries and programs worked to meet the needs of thousands of newly arrived immigrants. More recently, there are more requests for grocery delivery from families afraid to leave their homes because of ongoing ICE raids.
SNAP benefits provide an entire week's worth of groceries for an average family, said Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, a family physician and director of the Pilsen Food Pantry.
“The unfortunate reality is a lot of people say, ‘Food pantries are just supposed to supplement.’ For some people, SNAP and food pantries — or just food pantries — are all they have,” Figueroa said. “There really is no other budget.”
City Bureau reached out to food pantry organizers and advocates for advice to prepare for the expanding hunger crisis — now and in the upcoming weeks.
Volunteers Natalie Tharp, right, and Brigid Lossing, center, bag diapers for customer orders on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025 at Pilsen Food Pantry. Each customer fills out an order form and can pick up their order every 10 days. (Pinar Istek/City Bureau)
What to do now
Find your nearest food pantry: The Greater Chicago Food Depository has a food pantry locator where you can plug in your address, neighborhood or ZIP code. Even if you don’t need to access it right now, it’s best to know immediately where you can get help, said Camerin Mattson, spokesperson for the Greater Chicago Food Depository. You can also reach their staff at 773-247-3663, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday, or submit an inquiry on their online form.
You can also search for food programs through Feeding Illinois.
You can also check out the Find Food IL map, which also includes places that accept SNAP and WIC.
The findhelp.org website allows for users to put in their ZIP code to find food and a variety of additional support services.
The Sun-Times also has a list, organized by areas of the city and suburbs.
If you don’t have access to a computer, you can use one at your local library. Search the Chicago Public Library site to find your neighborhood branch.
Take advantage of sales: If you can, some pantry leaders suggest experimenting with different places to buy food to find the most affordable options. If there is a sale or a good deal on food that can be stored, such as canned goods, take advantage of it now, Dawson said. You can also activate your social media accounts to ask people about different opportunities to attain food freely or affordably.
Chicago Parent has a guide on how to recession-proof a grocery budget. Some suggestions include:
Be careful about what to buy in bulk
Consider frozen food to cut costs
Plan your meals
Budget 80% toward nutritious food and 20% toward treats and things you enjoy eating.
You can also check out resources for low-cost meals:
Dollar Tree Dinners is sharing “meal in a bag” kits and recipes, using only self-stable and canned ingredients to make meals for up to four adults for less than $10. They also regularly offer recipes for inexpensive meal plans and multicourse holiday meals. You can find them on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Budget Bytes has an extensive collection of inexpensive recipes, which can be searched by ingredient or category. Each recipe has a cost breakdown for easy budgeting.
“Make your money stretch as far as you can,” Dawson said.
What to do ASAP
Make a plan: The best thing families can do now is develop a strategy for future difficulties, versus trying to plan once things have already gotten bad, Figueroa said. The plan can include:
Knowing who you will reach out to when you need help
Knowing the best places to shop for food
Writing out what you plan to save on
Finding what food pantries you have access to
“You make better decisions when you’re not freaking out,” Figueroa said.
Look into your SNAP benefits:
This becomes critical with the changes in work requirements. People who are enrolled in SNAP are encouraged to keep all their information current. This includes things like up-to-date addresses and accurate work status and hours.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository has people who are experts in safety net programs. You can schedule a call with an expert who will help you navigate SNAP benefits if the information you are finding online isn’t enough.
“Let's avoid anything that could create a hiccup in you receiving those benefits,” Mattson said.
The Illinois Department of Human Services also is texting SNAP recipients with updates. You can call the IDHS Help Line at 1-800-843-6154 or 1-866-324-5553 TTY.
“While Illinois can’t backfill benefits for those the Trump administration is aiming to cut out of a proven, 60+ year old program that has been historically 100% federally funded – we are working to help screen those losing eligibility in case there are other ways they may be eligible,” said DHS spokesperson Daisy Contreras. “We are also helping educate people on who may be eligible or exempt from new work requirements, which go into effect Dec. 1.”
A volunteer fills an order at Pilsen Food Pantry on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025. Grocery items come in limited quantities per order. (Pinar Istek/City Bureau)
Donate and volunteer: Food pantries and organizations are always accepting donations to support as many people as they can. Search for a pantry near you to find their donate page or learn about any fundraising campaigns.
GCFD is accepting one-time and monthly contributions.
Pilsen Food Pantry takes donations to support pantry operations as well as its emergency rent fund, free store and other services.
Dion’s Chicago Dream accepts donations online, and you can choose which of its services to direct your gift.
If donating isn’t an option, consider volunteering your time to help packing, distribution and other needs at local organizations.
“I’m sure they would love extra hands on deck,” Mattson said.
Chicago Cares based in the Bridgeport Art Center keeps a running database of volunteer opportunities which you can filter by neighborhood and category. Some include food distribution, bagging groceries, inventory and stocking shelves, and more to support neighborhood food pantries.
You can volunteer individually or as a group at Pilsen Food Pantry.
Contact your elected official: One of the best forms of advocacy is to note the challenges you and your community are having. Consistently share them with your local alderperson or elected official and push them to advocate for you. That way, they have a clear understanding of what their constituents need.
The Food Depository has an ongoing campaign to contact elected officials to protect SNAP benefits during the shutdown. You can fill out their form to be connected with your representatives.
“I think our legislators need to hear from us,” Mattson said.
Build awareness and spread the word: Beyond knowing what resources are out there, knowing about the decisions that affect your day-to-day life is also important, advocates say. This can range from the looming SNAP benefit cuts to the food depository’s list of legislative priorities in 2025.
“We’re so busy that we can’t pay attention, but we don’t realize that lots of people aren’t paying attention,” Figueroa said.
Food pantry leaders encourage people to learn as much as they can. If learning about your local food pantry or local organizing efforts isn’t relevant to you, you can still educate yourself about it, and share that information or vital resources with your neighbors who can benefit.
“Even if it’s not for you, it’s to tell someone you know,” Figueroa said.
Volunteers Lupe Reymundo, right, and Ben Hartsock fill an order for a customer on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025 at Pilsen Food Pantry. Each customer fills out an order form and can pick up their order every 10 days. (Pinar Istek/City Bureau)
What to plan long-term
Grow food together to supplement food needs: Many food pantry leaders say they consistently hear critics suggest clients should grow their own food. Urban farming experts in Chicago say that is not realistic or possible. But people can strategize with their community to share some homegrown crops. For example, a group of five neighbors could each focus on growing tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots and peppers, then exchange the harvest so everyone gets a share.
“When you have abundance, you share it,” said Steve Archer, executive director of Stein Learning Gardens at St. Sabina.
Stein Learning Gardens offers educational opportunities around urban farming. Other local programs include Urban Growers Collective, Windy City Harvest and Garfield Park Community Council’s network of farms.
Share food after an event: If you are planning an event that will have food, you are encouraged to reach out to and build a relationship with the closest food pantry to see if they can use any leftovers. Because that food has a short shelf life, organizers are encouraged to discuss with food pantries the best options for sharing extra food. Organizers should make that connection with a food pantry well before the event to ensure advocates can accept leftover food.
What to make time for
Be kind to yourself: There is a lot of pressure on leaders to have things figured out. This includes people who are leading families. Poverty can a lot of times be wrongly looked at as a moral failing and not a reflection of structural issues, Figueroa said. It’s OK to ask for help or to rely on your surrounding community for support and resources, advocates say.
“Try to empower yourself if you can,” Figueroa said.
Acknowledge that everyone is struggling, even the helpers: For people who are managing volunteers, remember that those are people who might also be in need. Remember to offer any support or note any financial opportunities for people in need of additional income.
“All of our people are actively going through it,” Dawson said.
Jerrel Floyd has been City Bureau’s engagement reporter since 2022, covering housing, food insecurity and mental health while leading cohorts of Civic Reporting fellows. Previously, he was a ProPublica Illinois fellow and a local government reporter with The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina. He has covered a wide range of topics from youth development to education and health.
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