An estimated one in five households in Illinois are experiencing food insecurity, based on the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey in July 2024. In the Chicago metropolitan area, 23% of households with children do not have consistent access to enough food to feed their families.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, food banks like the Greater Chicago Food Depository and their networks of pantries and other local organizations served record numbers of neighbors in need, many of whom were suddenly furloughed or lost their livelihoods. Thankfully, temporary COVID-relief programs like emergency SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits and the expanded child tax credit helped millions of families and individuals navigate the pandemic and avert food insecurity. It also led to the largest ever one-year drop in child poverty, with levels dipping to an all-time low of 5.2%.
Unfortunately, when these programs expired, families slipped back into hardship amid rising inflation and living costs. Longstanding federal safety net programs and the emergency food system work in tandem to lift families and individuals out of food insecurity. Neither can do it alone.
With the current Farm Bill set to expire Sept. 30, it is astonishing and disheartening that the House Agriculture Committee passed a Farm Bill proposal containing a $30 billion cut to SNAP over the next 10 years. We vehemently oppose this proposal, which threatens the well-being of millions of Americans.
The Farm Bill is the backbone of our agricultural system and critical safety net programs like SNAP. Serving 1.9 million Illinoisans, SNAP is the nation’s largest nutrition program, playing an essential role in protecting Americans from hunger.
This year, with record numbers of people turning to Feeding America food banks across the country, Congress must strengthen SNAP, not reduce funding. Every dollar cut is a meal taken away from a child, a low-income family, a person with a disability or a senior. If SNAP benefits are cut, millions of people already struggling to make ends meet will be forced into food insecurity. Households who have worked so hard to rebuild financial stability in response to the pandemic and inflation will see their efforts crumble away.
The Farm Bill proposal in the Senate is more encouraging, with plans to invest in several key programs:
Protecting the Thrifty Food Plan – the benchmark for calculating SNAP benefits. It considers the realistic cost of maintaining a nutritious diet that includes fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats and dairy. This will ensure SNAP participants can afford nutrient-rich options that in the long run help prevent disease, support child development and reduce health care costs.Increasing core funding for The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP), which provides nutritious foods to food banks to distribute to households in need. Increasing the amount of guaranteed TEFAP foods allocated at the start of each year will take the guesswork out of resource planning and enable emergency food providers to procure food strategically and swiftly rather than rely on unpredictable bonus purchases that may or may not come throughout the year.Supporting socially disadvantaged farmers who provide nutritious, locally grown food to neighbors facing food insecurity. The Senate bill continues a popular program known as IL-EATS that allows community organizations like the Food Depository to purchase produce directly from small, historically disinvested growers across Illinois so that their businesses, and the communities they serve, can thrive.
The Food Depository commends Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow for her thoughtful, pragmatic bill that is designed to win bipartisan support. This Hunger Action Month, we call on Congress to protect SNAP and allocate additional resources for emergency food providers and local farmers. Doing so will have far-reaching effects on families struggling to make ends meet.
Kate Maehr is the executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
The views and opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Chicago Sun-Times or any of its affiliates.
The Sun-Times welcomes letters to the editor and op-eds. See our guidelines.
Get Opinions content delivered to your inbox.