Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order Saturday to address an “upcoming ‘benefits cliff'” from changes to federal SNAP eligibility.
The order was signed Saturday at a one of nine food distribution events sponsored by the Greater Chicago Food Depository where more than 600 boxes of canned goods, milk, and bread were handed out in Austin.
Jean Thomas, like some 600,000 Chicagoans, is still waiting on her full November SNAP benefits even as the government is re-opened.
She said her partial benefits for November just don’t go far enough. She and a family member were in line Saturday in Austin and said they’re grateful for this additional help.
NBC 5 asked how long the food will last their family.
“A couple of days depending on how you cook the food, how you prepare it,” they said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson was at the event location in the parking lot of Aspire Workforce Innovation on West Madison. He handed out food and signed an executive order in light of delayed SNAP benefits and what his office calls an “upcoming benefits cliff.”
According to a press release, the order directs “additional City resources to local community organizations, non-profits, food pantries, and faith institutions working to address the ongoing uncertainty around SNAP benefits caused by the gap in funding due to the government shutdown.”
“We have to build these systems of care so that the community can respond to the needs and do it with expedition,” Johnson said Saturday.
He said his order also aims to support small businesses like grocery stores and restaurants who rely on SNAP purchasing power through a series of micro-grants.
Leaders from several non-profits and community groups were also there Saturday including United Way of Metro Chicago. VP of strategic innovations Jackie Rose put into context how much the need for food assistance has grown in the last month.
“When we look at food requests for the first two weeks of November as compared to the first two weeks of October, 211 experienced an increase of 149% in food assistance requests,” she said.
Food distribution events like this one will continue next week.
“What’s interesting at these distributions, we’ve seen a lot of new people. People who have never before shown up at a food pantry,” Greater Chicago Food Depository CEO Kate Maeher told NBC 5.
Full SNAP benefits for Illinoisans are expected to be paid out by November 20, just 7 days before Thanksgiving.
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