SNAP Cuts Leave Hundreds of Thousands of Illinoisans Without Food Assistance as Hunger Rises (Chicago, IL) — Hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents have lost access to federal food assistance over the past year as sweeping changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program take effect, prompting warnings from hunger-relief organizations that food banks cannot make up the difference.
State officials, lawmakers and community advocates gathered Tuesday at the Greater Chicago Food Depository for Hunger Action Day, where they highlighted the growing demand for food assistance, Illinois’ response to federal SNAP changes and organizations working to address food insecurity.
The Food Depository says SNAP enrollment has declined sharply since major changes to the program were enacted under the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025.
According to figures presented by the organization Tuesday, approximately 450,000 fewer Illinoisans are now enrolled in SNAP than before the changes, including more than 100,000 children. The Food Depository estimates the enrollment decline will result in roughly $1.25 billion in lost federal food benefits for Illinois residents.
Federal Law Reshaped SNAP Eligibility
President Donald Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law on July 4, 2025. Among its provisions, the law expanded SNAP work requirements, modified eligibility rules for some noncitizens and created new cost-sharing requirements for states. The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirms that the law changed who is subject to SNAP time-limit requirements and other eligibility standards.
The changes have had a measurable effect in Illinois. By July, Illinois SNAP enrollment had fallen approximately 16% from the previous summer, according to reporting based on Illinois Department of Human Services data. About 148,000 people had lost food assistance specifically as expanded work requirements took effect.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository reports that the decline has been even more pronounced in Cook County. SNAP enrollment there dropped 23% between July 2025 and June 2026, representing nearly 196,000 fewer people receiving assistance compared with a year earlier.
“SNAP is the most important tool we have to keep people fed, and right now the federal government is dismantling that tool at a time of elevated food prices and cost of living,” said Kate Maehr, executive director and CEO of the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
Maehr said charitable organizations will continue serving families but cannot replace a federal program operating on SNAP’s scale.
“We continue to be there for our neighbors, but food banks and local pantries can only cover so much,” she said.
Food Banks Face Growing Pressure
The effects are being felt beyond households that directly lost benefits.
Food banks and pantries report increased demand as former SNAP recipients turn to charitable organizations for groceries. The Food Depository also estimates that Illinois communities and retailers could lose approximately $1.9 billion in economic activity associated with SNAP spending.
The Food Depository notes that SNAP traditionally provides substantially more food assistance than the charitable food network. The organization estimates that for every meal supplied through food banks, SNAP has historically provided about nine.
Recent figures underscore the scale of demand.
During its 2026 fiscal year, the Greater Chicago Food Depository says its network recorded approximately 2.2 million household visits to free grocery partners and distributed food through programs representing roughly 99 million meals.
Its newly released Hunger in Chicago report, based on a June survey of 1,200 Chicago residents, found food insecurity affecting more than one-third of city households. More than half of adults living in food-insecure households were employed, suggesting employment alone has not insulated families from rising food, housing and other household costs.
Illinois Creates $400 Emergency Benefit
Illinois lawmakers responded to the SNAP changes this year by creating the Families Receiving Emergency Support for Hunger program, known as FRESH.
The state allocated $70 million to the initiative in its fiscal year 2027 budget.
Under state law, qualifying residents who lose or experience a reduction in SNAP because they fail to meet the new federal work requirements can receive a one-time $400 payment.
The program began distributing benefits Aug. 1 and was designed to potentially assist as many as 175,000 people. State officials initially estimated approximately 100,000 residents would receive payments during the program’s first phase.
“In Illinois, we strive to ensure everyone has what they need to get ahead in life, working with partners like the Greater Chicago Food Depository to take care of our neighbors and eradicate food insecurity and poverty in our communities,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement released for Tuesday’s event.
Pritzker was presented with the Food Depository’s 2026 Hunger Action Leadership Award for the state’s creation of FRESH.
Deputy Gov. Grace Hou accepted the award on his behalf.
“Because of federal changes, families are having to choose between putting food on the table and paying their bills,” Hou said. “In Illinois, we will do all we can to mitigate the harm of the federal budget reconciliation bill.”
Sims and Avelar Recognized for FRESH Legislation
State Sen. Elgie R. Sims Jr., D-Chicago, and state Rep. Dagmara “Dee” Avelar, D-Romeoville, were also honored for serving as chief sponsors of legislation establishing FRESH.
Sims said the state program was created because lawmakers anticipated that residents would lose benefits as federal eligibility requirements changed.
“We have a responsibility to make sure people can eat, even when the rug is being ripped out from underneath them due to federal policy decisions,” Sims said.
Avelar said the loss of SNAP eligibility does not eliminate the underlying financial need of affected households.
“When the federal government’s eligibility changes take SNAP away from a family, their need for food doesn’t disappear,” she said. “Their hardship becomes greater.”
FRESH is temporary. Current state law makes the assistance subject to available funding, and the Food Depository says the program is expected to continue through July 2027 or until allocated funds are exhausted.
Illinois Could Face Hundreds of Millions in Future SNAP Costs
Illinois may also face a much larger financial question in the coming years.
The federal law introduced state cost-sharing for SNAP benefits based on each state’s payment error rate. Under the law, states with higher error rates can eventually be required to cover as much as 15% of SNAP benefit costs.
A Civic Federation analysis released in July found Illinois had a federal fiscal year 2025 SNAP payment error rate of 14.67%, which would place it in the highest cost-sharing category if that rate is used to calculate the state’s obligation.
At current enrollment and benefit levels, the organization estimated Illinois’ potential expense at nearly $550 million annually. The exact timing and ultimate cost will depend on federal implementation rules, future error rates and other factors.
The new federal requirements also increase the share of SNAP administrative expenses that states must cover.
Those changes have created a broader debate over whether states will have the resources to offset federal reductions or maintain current levels of food assistance over the long term.
Community Organizations Honored for Advocacy
Tuesday’s ceremony also recognized the Inner-City Muslim Action Network, or IMAN, for its work advocating for SNAP recipients.
IMAN is part of the statewide Save Our SNAP Coalition and organized a Save Our SNAP Block Party this summer aimed at combining community outreach, arts and organizing around food-assistance policy.
“Food is a basic human need, and caring for our neighbors means showing up when it matters most,” said Rami Nashashibi, IMAN’s co-founder and executive director.
The Latino Policy Forum was honored for advocacy surrounding the Victims of Trafficking, Torture and Other Serious Crimes Food Program and its work on behalf of lawfully present immigrants affected by changes to federal SNAP eligibility.
“SNAP is a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of families,” Latino Policy Forum President and CEO Linda Xóchitl Tortolero said, adding that the organization plans to continue advocating for immigrant families affected by the changes.
Advocates Say the Challenge Is Just Beginning
The Hunger Action Day event served both as an awards ceremony and as a warning from food-assistance organizations that the consequences of the federal changes are likely to extend well beyond the initial loss of benefits.
Maehr said Tuesday’s recognition of elected officials and community organizations should not be interpreted as a sign that the underlying problem has been resolved.
“This moment is not a victory lap, it’s just the start of the marathon ahead of us,” she said. “Families continue to lose food assistance and our local food banks and pantries are under immense pressure to provide.”
The Greater Chicago Food Depository operates through a network of approximately 850 organizations and programs, including food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters throughout Chicago and Cook County.
With more federal SNAP changes still being implemented and Illinois facing potentially significant future costs, the debate over how the state responds to hunger is expected to continue in Springfield and Washington.
For food banks, however, the immediate issue is already visible: more households are seeking help at the same time that one of the country’s largest federal nutrition programs is becoming available to fewer people.
SNAP Cuts Leave Hundreds of Thousands of Illinoisans Without Food Assistance as Hunger Rises
