On a chilly Monday in November, Lynn Evans headed to the St. Sabina food pantry in Auburn Gresham with fellow residents of her senior living building. With only $12 from her Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits disbursed, she had little choice but to brave the cold during Chicago’s first winter storm of the season.
“It was so cold this morning, snowing—I wouldn’t dare came out. But I needed to because my refrigerator was low,” Evans said. “I needed some food. I know that ain’t gonna last, but it helps what they give me.”
Reduced food stamp payments mean the sixty-four-year old is now debating whether to buy food or pay for the electricity that powers her oxygen machine for congestive heart failure.
“I want to be able to pay my bills, because I definitely don’t want to be out of light,” she added. “But I have to figure out what bill I’m gonna pay this [month].”
As she tries to get more food, Evans also faces health issues that prevent her from working while caring for two young boys and a nineteen-year old goddaughter with Down syndrome.
Evans is among 1.9 million Illinois residents who were impacted by the SNAP cuts this month during the government shutdown. The federal nutrition program, while not intended to cover all food-related expenses, is considered an essential first line of defense against food insecurity.
The end to the shutdown comes as a relief to many as SNAP recipients in Illinois are expected to receive their full benefits by November 20, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS).
However, food insecurity has already been a long-standing issue in Chicago, and even a few days without SNAP is a hardship for those living paycheck to paycheck, according to Camerin Mattson from the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
“In the years after the pandemic, we kept waiting for our numbers of guests served and the amount of food that we’ve had to distribute to go down, back to the numbers we knew before the pandemic,” she said. “And we’ve come to realize that this elevated need is the new normal.”
On Saturday, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order that increases funding to non-profits and food pantries in response to the reduction in November SNAP benefits. “We cannot accept Chicagoans going hungry as a result of the Trump administration’s war on poor and working people,” said Johnson in a statement announcing the executive order.
In Chicago, the South Side makes up about 36 percent of the city’s population, but accounts for half of those receiving SNAP benefits.
“Because of Chicago’s historic segregation on the South Side in particular, you have neighborhoods where you have concentrated disadvantage,” said Elaine Waxman, an expert in food insecurity at the Urban Institute.
Since November 1, when SNAP was paused, 300 visitors—more than double the usual number—have been knocking on the doors of St. Sabina’s food pantry every day. To keep up with the surge in demand, the food pantry is seeking donations from grocery stores and church members.
“Not having enough and having to put a sign that says ‘no food,’ that’s our main concern,” said Tim Allison, the executive director of social services at St. Sabina.
St. Sabina is not the only food bank in the South Side scrambling to meet the growing demand for food. Bryn Mawr Community Church, four miles east in South Shore, has also seen a higher-than-usual number of visitors.
“We usually do sixty to eighty people a week. Last week, we did 100 and we turned people away because we were out of food,” said Michelle Hart, the executive director of the church’s food pantry and soup kitchen, in an interview one week into the SNAP cuts.
As a result, the pantry had to place an emergency order with the Greater Chicago Food Depository to meet the spike in demand.
Bryn Mawr is also receiving donations from church members to help cover additional costs.
But as more people turn to food banks, resources are being stretched thin, and Hart is worried about running out of food.
“We have people who come with little children, and we have seniors who are relying on fixed income,” she said. “They’re concerned about, what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? If I can’t come here, where am I supposed to go?”
For South Shore resident Jamila Massie, the Bryn Mawr food pantry is a lifeline, but with the SNAP cuts, she can no longer afford fresh produce.
“With the stamps, we could afford it, even though they rise and rise and rise [in price] for fresh foods, and the processed foods is always cheaper everywhere,” Massie said. “You’re stuck with it, just being able to curb the starvation, but no nutritional value.”
Food insecurity is linked to higher rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, cognitive delays, as well as mental health issues like depression.
“We often talk about food insecurity like it’s just a social welfare problem, but it’s really a public health problem,” said Waxman, of the Urban Institute. “And it has serious consequences over time.”
Although food banks fill a critical gap, Waxman said that they cannot replace the role that SNAP plays in people’s lives.
“This is the first time, really, that the whole idea that the federal government has a role in supporting food security as a public good is in question,” she said.
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, a tax-and-spend omnibus legislation that President Donald Trump signed into law in July, will expand work requirements for SNAP recipients.
This includes parents with teenagers at home, veterans, and people experiencing homelessness, and older adults, with the working-age requirement raised from fifty-four years to sixty-four. IDHS estimates that more than 340,000 SNAP recipients in Illinois could lose their benefits under these changes.
Starting next fall, states will also have to shoulder a greater share of SNAP administrative costs. Beginning in the fall of 2027, states with payment error rates above six percent will also have to begin paying for parts of the benefit. Currently, only eight states would qualify for full federal funding.
In Illinois, the SNAP cuts tied to error rates could cost the state over $705 million, according to the governor’s office, as reported by the Sun-Times.
“That is a big risk, because if states aren’t able to cover those costs, the federal government has indicated they won’t make up the difference,” Waxman said.
“I think, unfortunately, we’re getting a preview of what that could mean—and it’s obviously extremely concerning.”
Those experiencing difficulties accessing food can find food pantries through the Greater Chicago Food Depository’s website: chicagosfoodbank.org
Jinny Kim is a data reporter and graduate student studying computer science and public policy at the University of Chicago.