Gov. JB Pritzker directs $20 million to Illinois food banks as SNAP benefits set to freeze Saturday amid shutdown

Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune on Oct 30, 2025

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CHICAGO — As nearly 2 million Illinois residents prepare to lose federal food assistance Saturday amid the government shutdown, Gov. Pritzker signed an executive order Thursday directing $20 million toward food banks across the state.

Food pantries across Illinois have been bracing for a surge in demand due to the an anticipated loss of federal food aid from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP or food stamps. An estimated one in eight Americans uses SNAP to buy groceries.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted a notice Monday stating that no federal food assistance will be distributed after the end of the month. Illinois typically administers roughly $350 million in federal food aid monthly to about 1.9 million people statewide, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.

Pritzker’s additional funding will support seven food banks that supply more than 2,600 food pantries statewide, according to a news release.

The governor, and many other Democrats, have blamed the halting of SNAP money on President Donald Trump; Republicans have rebuked Democrats for the shutdown, which began Oct. 1 and centers on spending and healthcare.

“The Trump administration wants to let tens of millions of Americans go hungry, a failure in leadership and abdication of our responsibility as Americans to take care of each other,” Pritzker said in a statement. “Illinois families, kids, seniors, and people with disabilities will now go without food benefits because President Trump wants to use food assistance as a political bargaining chip. I am directing the state government to work together with food banks, local grocers, and other community organizations and help provide some relief to Illinoisans as the federal government tears apart decades-long food assistance support.”

In Illinois, about 45% of SNAP benefits go to households with kids and 44% include a person with a disability, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.

The USDA says nearly 16 million children received SNAP benefits in 2023. The average SNAP household monthly benefit was $332, about $177 per person.

While food banks across the state have been scrambling to shore up supply in anticipation, they caution that they can’t solve the problem.

“The bottom line is we are heading into a hunger crisis if the government shutdown continues and SNAP benefits are frozen,” the Greater Chicago Food Depository said in a statement Wednesday. “People will go hungry, including children, older adults, and veterans.”

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