‘We can’t fill the gap’: Food pantries say they can’t overcome federal cuts

State and local governments may have to pick up the costs of feeding the hungry to make up for federal cuts, U.S. Rep. Sean Casten said Thursday during a roundtable discussion in Geneva.

Casten joined fellow Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster at the event hosted by the Northern Illinois Food Bank, to discuss the impact of nearly $200 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in the recently passed budget bill.

“They’re going to have to decide either to raise taxes to provide a greater share of these services or to cut services in other areas,” said Casten, of Downers Grove.

Participants also discussed how the “Big Beautiful Bill” will impact Illinois, as well as local food banks and food pantries. About 1.8 million state residents rely on SNAP benefits annually, according to the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Funding cuts and changes to eligibility requirements put an estimated 360,000 Illinoisans at risk of losing those benefits, according to the organization.

“SNAP is one of the most highly regarded safety net programs that comes out of Washington,” said Julie Yurko, the food bank’s president and CEO. “We can’t fill the gap. We need SNAP to do that. For every meal that we're able to provide, SNAP is providing nine meals to our neighbors.”

Cindi Muntz from Bolingbrook has been receiving SNAP benefits for almost two years.

“I have three young children who are growing, so it’s a huge help,” Muntz said. “There’s places to go and resources that I encourage people to look at within their own area. But even that becomes more difficult as food becomes more expensive.”

More than 3 million Americans are expected to lose SNAP eligibility, Foster said. The cuts were made to help fund tax cuts, the Naperville Democrat added.

Republican counterparts have defended the cuts as eliminating fraud and waste, and say the budget bill will deliver tax relief for millions of Americans.

“The Republican bill eliminates taxes on tips, overtime and auto loans for hardworking Americans,” Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria said in a statement. “This legislation invests in the future of Illinois agriculture and protects high-paying manufacturing jobs.”

But due to SNAP funding cuts, Yurko anticipates 60,000 to 80,000 more people will need assistance from the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Food insecurity already has increased about 64% over the past two years, she said.

“We’re going to see a perfect storm of increasing demand at the same time we’re going to see less money to service that demand,” added John Murphy, executive director of the Stone Soup pantry in Marengo.

Concerns were also raised about documentation and increased work requirements. Repetitive paperwork may discourage people from receiving benefits, Foster said.

“Historically, our food assistance programs have explicitly waived documentation for certain groups of folks who have a really hard time providing that documentation, like kids who come out of the foster care system, people who have gone through homelessness and significant chunks of our veterans community,” Casten noted.

To address the expected need, Mike Havala, president and CEO of Naperville-based Loaves & Fishes Community Services, recommended increasing collaboration between food pantries.

“When we get together, really good things happen,” he said. “Those types of relationships are what really will help move the needle on the things that we can control.”

There’s also a need for a massive increase in charitable contributions, Casten said.

“Please get involved — we need you today more than ever,” Yurko added.