CHAMPAIGN — On Saturday, SNAP benefits, also known as food stamps, ran out for the nearly 2 million Illinois residents who rely on them to purchase groceries.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed an executive order on Oct. 30 to direct $20 million in funding for state food banks, but it will not cover the costs of the entire program.
Federal judges ordered emergency funding be allocated for the reinstatement of SNAP benefits during the government shutdown. But the Trump administration says it will only provide partial SNAP payments this month.
Dustin Ragle in Champaign said the SNAP program has been vital to him as a homeless person searching for a job. He said SNAP gives him what he was unable to get at soup kitchens.
“Food is so expensive now, like you can’t even get a gallon of milk for less than three or four bucks,” Ragle said. “By having SNAP and having that ability to purchase the necessary items for everyday life – eggs, milk, butter – it really helps.”
Ragle recently transitioned out of a substance rehabilitation center. He said he has witnessed other unhoused people turning to drugs in their hunger.
“There is that moment when somebody is gonna be like, ‘Okay, I got five dollars, I could either go buy a cheeseburger from McDonald’s or however much of meth or crack or any other drug and not have to worry about being hungry,” Ragle said.
He said rising grocery prices, coupled with “ridiculously expensive” energy costs make it hard for people to make ends meet.“And not having SNAP is going to make people not have the necessary nutrients to go through daily life,” he said.
Hilary Seligman, who researches food insecurity at the University of California, San Francisco, SNAP cuts mean households will have to make hard decisions.
“There are only two ways to substantially decrease your household food budget,” Seligman said. “You can change the quantity of food you eat, and that often means going hungry, or you can change the quality of the food you eat, shifting your food purchases towards foods that are higher in fat and higher in sugar.”
Ragle said SNAP helped him provide formula for his children. He said there’s not a lot of resources available to him due to the government shutdown.
“To watch my kids have to go through hunger because I can’t afford to give them what they need,” Ragle said, “it’s hard.”
Seligman said SNAP helps children get the nutrients they need to learn in school.
“We know from a lot of research that it takes more money to afford a healthy diet in the United States,” she said. “And when people have more money in their household food budget, they tend to purchase healthier foods to eat at home.”
Claudia Lennhoff, director of the nonprofit Champaign County Health Care Consumers, said her clients have been reaching out to her, worried.
“These are the resources that [parents] use to be able to provide nutrition to their children and that’s where so much of the panic that we’re hearing about is from,” Lennhoff said. “It’s from parents of children who are worried about being able to make ends meet.”
She notes that November is a month when people are preparing for Thanksgiving and worrying about how to put food on the table.
“It’s a level of cruelty that I never anticipated,” Lennhoff said. “During past federal government shutdowns, as the federal government was approaching the date, they made sure that funds would be available in order to continue the SNAP program.”
She said the loss of the program will affect the local economy.
“If people who are used to going grocery shopping with their LINK card aren’t able to afford food, they’re going to be buying less. Grocery stores are gonna feel that,” she said.
Lennhoff said local food banks are already feeling the demand.
“The lines are long,” she said. “[One local] food pantry saw a 500% increase in people coming to get food because they know that they’re not going to be getting their benefits.”
Kelly Daly, CEO of Eastern Illinois Foodbank, said food pantries are anticipating more traffic.
“We are expecting to see an increased number of new neighbors that we’ve never seen before visiting our pantry network,” Daly said. “We’re going to keep doing what we do and increasing that level of service to try to meet as much of that need as we humanly possibly can.”
Daly said the Eastern Illinois Foodbank is seeking donations and volunteers in this time of need: “For every $1 that we receive, we’re able to stretch that $1 to 3 meals. This is a time of opportunity where you can have a big impact.”
A list of local food resources can be found here.
IPM News Morning Edition host Kimberly Schofield and Education Reporter Emily Hays contributed reporting.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was updated on Monday, Nov. 3 at 6:27 p.m. to include news about partial, delayed payments being restored to the SNAP program.