Taking the lead: Lawmakers, foundations secure funding to combat hunger
An alarming number of people in Chicago and the suburbs are struggling to put food on the table. And combating the problem is only expected to become more difficult.
Northern Illinois Food Bank, the Greater Chicago Food Depository and the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana sounded the alarm in September when they released a joint hunger report that pointed to soaring food and rent prices and looming SNAP cuts.
According to the report, one in four people in the greater Chicago area are facing food insecurity.
“Furthermore,” the report reads, “food insecurity is expected to grow in the coming months as devastating cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) included in the latest federal budget reconciliation bill go into effect.”
For a story last week, senior reporter Katlyn Smith spoke to Maeven Sipes, CEO of the Woodridge-based West Suburban Community Pantry. Sipes said folks receiving SNAP benefits are worried about how the cuts to the program will affect them.
“So it's a very scary time,” she said. “And we try to just continue to get the message out that you can come here and shop.”
In such a time, we welcome anything that could be done to help food banks and food pantries assist families in need. One example happened when the Illinois Department of Human Services provided a $500,000 grant to the West Suburban Community Pantry.
Smith reported that the money helped reimburse the pantry for sourcing and purchasing food, operational supplies, program support and technology costs. The pantry, which serves about 1,000 families every week in DuPage and Will counties, is also slated to receive a pending $45,000 state grant.
Both grants were secured by state Rep. Anne Stava.
“At a time when our neighbors are experiencing so much uncertainty and diminished resources from the federal government, this grant had made a transformational impact on the pantry’s ability to meet our community’s needs,” Sipes said in an announcement of the funds.
Other bright spots include healthcare company Abbott’s philanthropic foundation, Abbott Fund, donating $250,000 to Northern Illinois Food Bank’s BackPack Program, which provides weekend meals to children experiencing food insecurity across northern Illinois.
Then on Friday, U.S. Rep. Bill Foster announced that he will donate the congressional pay he receives during the federal government shutdown to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.
Food insecurity is a problem that is not going away anytime soon. Stava, Foster, the Abbott Fund and numerous individuals, volunteers and hunger-relief agencies across the suburbs deserve a lot of credit for taking action, whether it be securing a large grant or making a personal donation.
They serve to inspire the rest of us to do whatever we can to help our neighbors. Please donate to a local food pantry or a charity combating hunger.