November SNAP Benefits at Risk During the Government Shutdown
What's Happening
During the government shutdown, November Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which provide food assistance to millions of Americans, are at risk. Congress has explicitly set aside funds so that SNAP would remain funded during a government shutdown, but the Trump Administration has refused to follow the law and allow this critical assistance to go out to families.
Who This Affects
SNAP provides food assistance to our most vulnerable neighbors:
- 1.9 million Illinoisans
- 16 million children (39 percent of all beneficiaries)
- 8 million seniors aged 60+ (20 percent of all beneficiaries)
- 4 million people with disabilities (10 percent of all beneficiaries)
- 1.2 million veterans (3 percent of all beneficiaries)
- 42 million Americans total
Local Food Assistance Resources
If you or someone you know needs food assistance, these resources may be able to help:
Find Food Illinois: Use the Find Food Il Map to find places in your community offering free food or meals.
Illinois Foodbank: Provides an alphabetic listing of all Illinois The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) distribution sites.
Feeding Illinois: Feeding Illinois is the association of Feeding America Food banks that serve Illinois.
Feeding America: The national Feeding America website also has a locator for free food and grocery programs.
FoodPantries.org: This site lists food assistance providers by location.
You can also call 211 or visit https://211illinois.org/ to find food assistance resources near you.