Concern About the Impact on Food Insecurity and Local Agriculture
The food pantries in the Chicago area are preparing for a potential increase in demand due to proposed cuts to federal assistance programs such as SNAP and Medicaid. Food bank leaders warn that these reductions could worsen food insecurity in the region.
«We are reading what is coming,» said Man-Yee Lee, communications director at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. «Cuts to programs like SNAP and Medicaid would be disastrous. Food insecurity would skyrocket.».
Uncertainty is growing after a Republican budget plan from the House of Representatives proposed cutting $230 billion from SNAP and $880 billion from Medicaid over the next ten years. These programs are essential for millions of vulnerable people.
The Greater Chicago Food Depository, which supplies 850 pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters in Chicago and Cook County, fears that the cuts will create an impact that is difficult to manage. The nonprofit organization Nourishing Hope, one of its partners, is also on alert.
«Our staff is getting tired of facing one crisis after another, and I think we are all preparing for the next one, which we know is coming,» warned Jennie Hull, interim executive director of Nourishing Hope.
Suspension of Funds for Farmers and Consequences
In addition to cuts to social security, the Trump administration suspended reimbursements for the Local Food Purchase Assistance Program (LFPA), which allowed farmers to sell their fresh products to food banks at a fair market price.
Through this program, the Greater Chicago Food Depository purchased products from nine farmers and distributed them to about 40 pantries. The suspension of reimbursements starting on January 19, 2025 will primarily affect farmers.
«We will continue receiving the same amount of fresh products in our pantries (using donated dollars instead of LFPA), but the impact on farmers will be more harmful,» Lee explained in an email.
Meanwhile, Nourishing Hope and the Greater Chicago Food Depository continue their daily operations in a context of uncertainty. «We are preparing for anything,» concluded Lee.