With SNAP emergency benefits going away, every dollar counts even more when it comes to fighting hunger

If local food banks start experiencing a surge in demand in the coming weeks, here’s one reason why:

More than a million families in Illinois, including more than 500,000 in Cook County, will see their food budget decline now that emergency benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are set to return to pre-pandemic levels in February.

So just as inflation is making basic necessities less affordable — to use one example, the 60% increase in egg prices last year — low-income families will have to find ways to make up for the monthly loss of $95 to $255 per household. Overall, food prices were 12% higher in November 2022 than a year earlier, according to federal data.

The reduction of SNAP benefits means that people, including millions of seniors, are losing a vital resource that helped get them through the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, when the number of people receiving SNAP benefits increased by more than 16% between February and June 2020, according to an analysis by Northwestern University’s Institute for Policy Research.

On average, Northwestern’s report found emergency allotment payments reduced the likelihood that households went without food by about 9%, with Black and Latino households seeing most of the positive impact.

As of November 2022, 1,105,566 families and 2,043,731 people in Illinois were registered for SNAP, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services. Locally, 532,892 families and 941,271 people in Cook County are registered with the food program.

While food pantries are bracing for more demand, organizations are urging SNAP beneficiaries to update their information and, potentially, help offset the decline in benefits.

People need to report important changes such as home address, new expenses, child care increases or if income or hours at work have decreased. Those factors can help offset the loss of SNAP funds, said Kellie O’Connell, the CEO of Nourishing Hope (formerly known as the Lakeview Pantry).

Every dollar and resource makes a difference when it comes to fighting hunger.

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